User traits mosaic: Understanding the multifaceted landscape of social VR users

Abstract

Social Virtual Reality (SVR) consists of multi-user digital platforms that afford various co-located activities and collaborations in simulated environments. Despite considerable knowledge about separate ways SVR users engage these platforms, we currently lack a comprehensive categorization of user practices in SVR that also demonstrates connections between these practices. To address this gap, we build upon existing research and report a survey-based, open-ended investigation, analyzing structured qualitative data that reveals how people use SVR, confirming prior research, but also gaining new evidence. We identified 23 distinct SVR user traits based on their activities, motivations, and attitudes towards avatars and social orientations. Our categorization not only clarifies SVR user behaviors and describes the overall current social landscape of SVR, but it also offers valuable insights for design frameworks to enhance the experiential and collaborative potential of SVR. We conclude by providing suggestions for how our categorizations might be used to describe the social connections and relationships between users, address trait-specific challenges, and better cater to users’ needs, whether they seek social connection, solo exploration, or specific practices within SVR.