Using Visualizations to Support Design and Debugging in Virtual Reality

We present a visualization system that helps designers conceptualise interactions in a virtual environment (VE). We use eventcondition-action triads (triggersets) for specifying interactions, and provide multiple visualizations: sequence diagrams, floorplans and timelines. We present a two part study: sequencing VE interactions accurately and debugging mistakes. Subjects were divided into two groups: one received visualizations and triggersets and the other (a control group) received triggersets only. The visualization group described 72.5% of the sequence correctly on average, compared to 56.4% by the non-visualization group. The visualization group also detected more than twice as many errors as the control group. The visualization group worked well with multiple, linked windows to create an understanding of the design. Floorplans were most useful for an overview, timelines for understanding specific sequences and sequence diagrams for sequencing and finding mistakes.