First Impressions Matter! IVR Haptic Feedback Effect on User Perception Towards Non-Player Characters.

Feedback provided during Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) experiences can be delivered through various modalities, such as auditory, visual, and haptic. Most VR systems support vibrotactile haptic feedback and, as several studies point, providing such feedback to users when they interact with Non-Player Characters (NPC) in IVR can have an impact on overall user experience, specifically emotional state, and Body Ownership Illusion. However, most studies regarding haptic feedback impact: (a) focus on users’ perception solely about themselves and do not examine the effect it may have on their perception about others, and (b) implement complex scenarios featuring multiple stimuli sources which may affect the overall users’ response. This work investigates the effect of vibrotactile haptic feedback on users' first impressions of NPCs and their surrounding space. Our evaluation results, provided by thirty (30) participants, showed that integrating vibrotactile haptic feedback for interactions with NPCs in IVR may positively affect users’ first impression of those and their surrounding space as well.