lack of trust is one of the key bottle necks in e-commerce development. nowadays many advanced technologies are trying to address the trust issues in e-commerce. one among them suggests using suitable user interfaces. this paper investigates the functionality and capabilities of 3d graphical user interfaces in regard to trust building in the customers of next generation of b2c e-commerce websit...

3D virtual worlds are networked environments designed using the place metaphor. 3D virtual worlds as Computer-aided Design (CAD) tools have shown promising potentials in areas such as design simulation, distant team works as well as interdisciplinary design collaboration. Recent developments in collaborative 3D virtual worlds focus on interactivity, flexibility and adaptability. Rather than cre...

On the Web and on informatics systems, 3D virtual worlds used become big both in number and in size. Therefore, we propose in this paper a new method for retrieving 3D virtual worlds based on the semantics and the content. Firstly, we propose a new classified database of 3D virtual worlds given in VRML format. To achieve the semantic method, we construct an ontology that describes virtual world...

With the recent developments in information and communication technologies, 3D virtual worlds have the potential to make a major contribution to design education as a constructivist learning environment. Considering the changing trend in design education, we have been employing virtual world technologies in our design teaching, allowing students to collaborate within the 3D virtual environments...

In this paper we analyze the characteristics of the Virtual Worlds technology and present a need for formal software methodologies for the development of Virtual Worlds. The proposed methodology, 3D Electronic Institutions separates the development into specification of constraints of the interactions of participants, design and visualization of the 3D environment and programming the basic beha...

This research is a partial test of Park et al.’s (2008) model to assess the impact of flow and brand equity in 3D virtual worlds. It draws on flow theory as its main theoretical foundation to understand and empirically assess the impact of flow on brand equity and behavioral intention in 3D virtual worlds. The findings suggest that the balance of skills and challenges in 3D virtual worlds influ...

Three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds are a new technology that holds some promise as constructivist learning environments for distance education. This investigation presents an evaluative case study of the pedagogical implications of using one 3D virtual world, Active Worlds, for synchronous distance education. The research design for this qualitative study focuses on the pedagogical affordanc...

This paper explores a set of usability heuristics developed for the EU FP7 ICT VirtualLife project. The purpose of the project is to create a three-dimensional online virtual world – in the form of a safe, democratic and legally ruled collaboration platform. 3D virtual worlds are a relatively new expression of online communication and collaboration tools. The most essential aspect – usability –...

Three-dimensional virtual worlds are multimedia, simulated environments, often managed over the Web, which users can ‘inhabit’ and interact via their own graphical, humanoid, self-representations known as ‘avatars’. 3D virtual worlds are being used in many applications: education/training, gaming, social networking, marketing and commerce. Second Life is the most widely used 3D virtual world in...

The use of 3D virtual worlds has spread rapidly in recent years. These worlds have various uses ranging from computer games to urban design simulation systems. However, the spread of 3D virtual worlds has been impeded due to the problem of users not being able to find their way in and around virtual worlds. Hence improving wayfinding has become a crucial area of research. As virtual worlds beco...