Addendum

Location and setup

We used a controlled setting to conduct the sessions. The study took place in at Hunt, Gather in Austin, Texas. The participant, moderator and note taker were in the testing room at the same time. The participants were sitting in an swivel chair with arms to allow movement flexibility while ensuring their safety. The chair was positioned in the center of the room, with no objects within three feet. A rug was placed under the swivel chair, so that the participant would have to intentionally roll the chair away from the center of the room.

All of the participants used Google Pixel smartphone with wireless high-speed internet connection and Chrome browser to access the experience. Three the participants used Google Cardboard headset while the six used Google Daydream HMD. Reflector 2, a wireless mirroring and streaming receiver, was used to cast and record the participant’s view to a TV screen for the moderator and note taker to view during the session. Two additional iPhones were placed at opposite sides of the participants to record their physical movements and commentary.

Recruiting participants

Four Kitchens staff recruited friends and family members as participants through their personal communication channels. We selected 10 participants that had limited or no experience with VR. Nine of the sessions were completed, the tenth participant canceled the day of the session. The participants characteristics are outlined in the following table.

Characteristic	Number of participants
Participant type
pilot	1
regular	9
Total number of participants	10
Attitude towards new technology
Usually try new products before others do	3
Like being able to tell others about new brands and products I have tried	5
Feel more comfortable using familiar brands and products	2
Wait until I hear about others’ experiences before I try new products	3

Pre-test arrangements

The participant had:

• agreed to being recorded during the session

• signed a consent waiver to be a participant

• filled out a background questionnaire to

  • self identify their attitude towards new technology

  • self evaluate their computer skills

  • express frequency of previous experience with VR and on which devices

  • answer demographic information including age and education leve

  • identify conditions which may need to be accommodated for (wears eyeglasses, hearing deficiencies, prone to motion sickness, and dominate hand)

Introduction to the session

Discuss:

• Importance of their involvement in the study.

• Moderator’s role.

• Using the think aloud protocol for the rest of the session.

Background interview

Asked for participant’s thoughts on:

• If they have experienced VR: Tell me about your previous experience(s) with VR?

• If they have no experience in VR: You volunteered to come here today, what aspects of VR are you excited about?

• If you do not own any VR equipment, can you imagine anything that might inspire you to make an investment in VR equipment or software?

Credits and acknowledgements

This study was conducted and written by User Experience Strategist Donna Habersaat, Director of User Experience Caris Hurd, and User Experience Strategist Emily Sapp.