From One World to Another: Interfaces for Efficiently Transitioning Between Virtual Environments

Paper Title

From One World to Another: Interfaces for Efficiently Transitioning Between Virtual Environments

Publication Info

• Topic area: Virtual reality interface design for multitasking and world switching.
• Keywords: Virtual reality, world switching, user interfaces, portals, world-in-miniature, interaction techniques, spatial multitasking, usability, cognitive load.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Current VR systems lack efficient, intuitive interfaces for switching between virtual environments, unlike desktop and mobile systems which offer seamless multitasking features (e.g., Alt+Tab). Existing VR interfaces are cumbersome, fail to account for spatial context, and do not support continuous workflows.
• Significance: Efficient world switching is critical for multitasking in VR, especially as VR adoption grows for productivity, collaboration, and immersive workflows. Poor switching interfaces increase cognitive load and disrupt task continuity.
• Motivation and related work: Prior research explored individual elements of world switching (e.g., previews, transitions, interactions) but did not unify these into a complete workflow. This paper builds on concepts like portals, world-in-miniature (WiM), and interaction techniques to address the gap in designing and evaluating integrated world-switching interfaces.

Solution

• Proposed approach: A structured exploration of eight VR world-switching interfaces combining two preview patterns (WiM and Portal) with four interaction techniques (Hand Palette, Head Palette, World Wheel, and Gallery).
• Novelty:
  1. First structured exploration of VR world-switching interfaces.
  2. Empirical evaluation using objective and subjective metrics to assess efficiency, usability, and user experience.
  3. Practical recommendations for adopting and creating world-switching techniques.
  4. Open-source access to experimental setup and interfaces.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Developed an interaction model outlining activation, selection, confirmation, preview, and transition steps.
  • Designed eight interfaces varying in preview pattern and interaction technique.
  • Conducted a controlled within-subject experiment with 22 participants performing object retrieval tasks across six virtual environments.
  • Measured task completion times (search, retrieve, deposit) and collected subjective feedback (NASA-TLX, SUS, UEQ, continuity).

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • WiM previews supported faster search times (e.g., WiM World Wheel: 4.55s vs Baseline: 8.85s).
  • Portal previews enabled faster retrieval times (Portal: 2.02s vs WiM: 2.45s).
  • Hand Palette and World Wheel interfaces showed lower deposit times and higher usability ratings compared to Gallery.
  • Subjective measures favored WiM interfaces for hedonic experience and usability, while Portal interfaces scored higher for continuity.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • All preview-based interfaces outperformed the Baseline (point-to-select) method in efficiency and user experience.
  • WiM World Wheel ranked highest in user preference and performance.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Participants completed 135 trials (15 per interface) involving search, retrieval, and return-to-home tasks.
  • Metrics included task times, workload (NASA-TLX), usability (SUS), and hedonic experience (UEQ).
  • Statistical analysis revealed significant differences across interfaces.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Study used abstract tasks and constrained environments; future work should test interfaces in realistic workflows and diverse contexts.
  • Interfaces relied on hand tracking, which may introduce tracking issues; future research should explore alternative modalities (e.g., gaze, voice).
  • Additional exploration needed for interactive previews, transition effects, and task-specific interface adaptations.

Summary

This paper introduces and evaluates eight VR world-switching interfaces designed to improve multitasking efficiency and user experience. WiM previews were most effective for rapid spatial awareness, while Portal previews supported pre-orientation. Hand Palette and World Wheel interactions provided intuitive, low-effort navigation. Empirical findings highlight significant performance and usability advantages over baseline methods, offering practical recommendations for designing VR interfaces. Future research should explore broader applications, refine interaction modalities, and test these techniques in realistic workflows.