The user tests

There were made various user tests for this project, which were made for three different formats:

desktop, smartphone, and HMD as to compare the experiences with each other, and most importantly, to HMD, which has the highest degree of immersion of the three. The desktop version was presented on a laptop, the model was a Lenovo Legion Y540. The smartphone was an iPhone 6S and the HMD was the Oculus Go. All the testers listened on headphones. Most users listened on the Superlux HD681, and others on the Audio-Technica ATH-M20 X, depending on what was available at the time. The video source for all these devices was one uploaded to YouTube as unlisted, which meant that it could only be seen by the researcher and its advisor. The tests were recorded with a Canon 550D on a tripod.

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Figure 70 - Oculus Go¹¹⁸

Figure 71 – Oculus Go controller¹¹⁹

Figure 72 – Superlux HD-681¹²⁰

118 Retrieved 27 December, 2020: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/oculus-go

119 Retrieved 27 December, 2020: https://www.oculus.com/go/accessories/

120 Retrieved 27 December, 2020: https://www.thomann.de/pt/superlux_hd681.htm

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Figure 73 - Audio-Technica ATH-M20 X

Figure 74 - iPhone 6S¹²¹

121 Retrieved 28 December, 2020: https://www.macworld.com/article/2986703/iphone-6s-and-6s-plus-review-the-best-iphone-ever-by-a-wide-margin.html

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Figure 75 - Canon 550D¹²²

Figure 76 - Lenovo Y540¹²³

The Oculus Go (see Figures 70 and 71), developed by Facebook and Qualcomm Xiaomi, was released as a standalone VR headset¹²⁴ in 2018. It has 32 GB of internal memory, It has a single sceen with a resolution of 1280 for 1440 per eye, and a refresh rate of up to 72Hz, with a field of view of 101 degrees, providing a fidelity of 12.67 pixels per degree. It features built-in speakers, and a controller that functions as a laser pointer to interact with the interface.

The Superlux HD-681 (see Figure 72) are studio headphones with an over-ear design and a semi-open system which allows for a more natural sound. It has an impedance of 32 Ohms and a frequency range of 10 Hz to 30 kHz. The Audio-Technica ATH-M20 X (see Figure 73) have an over-ear design has well but have a closed back system which prevents exterior noise. It has an impedance of 47 Ohms and 15 Hz to 20 kHz.

The iPhone 6S (see Figure 74) was released in 2015 by Apple Inc. It features an A9 processor, 2 GB of RAM, a PowerVR GT7600 GPU, 64 GB of storage, and a 4.7 inch display with a resolution of 1334 X 750.

122 Retrieved 28 December, 2020: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/digital-slrs-hybrids/canon-eos-550d-677890/review

123 Retrieved 27 December, 2020: https://www.pcguia.pt/2019/09/lenovo-legion-y540/

124 It does not need any other device to function

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The Canon 550D (see Figure 75) is an entry-level DSLR, featuring an 18 megapixel CMOS sensor and the ability to record full HD videos.

Finally, the Lenovo Y540 (see Figure 76) has a i7-9750H processor, 16 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, 1 TB of internal SSD storage, and a full HD IPS display with 15.6 inches and a refresh rate of 144 Hz.

The tests were conducted on a controlled environment in a room in the Department of Communication and Art of the University of Aveiro, nicknamed the IDIoTLAB (Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Internet das Coisas¹²⁵). The room had 4 desks next to each other making an island in the middle of the room, the tests were made in one of those 4 desks. On top of it there was the HMD, the laptop where the questionnaires were answered as well as the desktop-360º-2D version of the video was seen, and the smartphone were the mobile-360º-2D version of the music video was seen as well. The camera to record the testing sessions was placed at eye level, and in a position that allowed to capture the person from below the waist to the top of the head, while allowing room for the person to move to the sides if needed.

Figure 77 - User test session

For the test attended 22 participants. Of those participants 7 were performed in a laptop computer, 6 for smartphone and 9 for HMD. A factor that helped to differentiate between which devices the volunteers would test with, was that those who wore glasses were asked to do the test in the laptop or the smartphone since the Oculus Go could not be worn with the interface foam due to the fact the all the equipment and objects needed to be disinfected before and after each subject. As such the

125 Portuguese for “Laboratory of development of the internet of things”

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foam could not be used given that it would not be properly cleaned. All these tests were performed from 2 to 6 of November 2020. The tests were made so that there would be a participant at a time.

The tests took the duration of approximately 30 minutes. Given the restrictions due to the use of glasses in the part of the users and the global pandemic which limited the amount of people and accessibility, the recruitment was based on convenience, so there was no attempt at diversifying the sample (see figure 78).

Figure 78 - Oculus Go facial interface foam¹²⁶

A document containing a script was made to structure and guide the test procedure (see Appendix B – Script for the user tests). It was composed in the following way: firstly, it was described where the test would take place, the equipment used to make the test, as well as the objects to disinfect the space. Secondly, in the space there should be only the responsible for the test and the tester. Thirdly, the person taking the test should be warned about the risks of using an HMD. Fourthly, the tester will do a pre-questionnaire, which is done before the experience of watching the music video, and its purpose is to collect data about the individual. In fifth place the tester will proceed to visualize the music video. In this part of the test, the researcher will prepare the equipment for the test, explain how to function with the respective device, and to help each person putting the HMD. Then the researcher will film the person taking the test as to gather data on its physical response to the music video. In the eighth part of the test, after the user sees the music video, he or she, will be asked to answer to the post-test-questionnaire, about the experience of watching the music video. Lastly, the user will leave the room and all the equipment will be disinfected.

Before any End User Test/usability test it is important to conduct a pilot test as to rectify any mistakes and notice any details that might be missing out, and that would be, otherwise, unnoticeable (Usability.gov, n.d.). Therefore, a pilot test was made, through which there were corrected some aspects of the questionnaires such as the branching of the questions and dispose the use of @ to

126 Retrieved 27 december, 2020: https://www.oculus.com/go/accessories/

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indicate gender ambivalence to a/o as this is necessary in the Portuguese language to distinguish between which gender it is being referred to.