NSF Grant Backs VR Behaviour Research
Brendan David-John, assistant professor in the Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science, has received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award to study how immersive virtual environments may affect human behaviour and choices.
The research will examine how companies, designers, and users can construct virtual reality environments that shape what individuals see, select, and purchase while using immersive technologies. The project will also study methods intended to prevent manipulation and reduce harm within those environments.
David-John has previously researched how people interact with virtual and augmented reality systems, particularly those that collect eye-gaze data, which may raise privacy concerns. The CAREER award will allow him to expand that work into a study of how visual signals, room arrangements, advertisements, and in-game design features can influence user decisions within immersive environments.
The project will investigate whether design choices inside virtual reality systems can influence users’ actions within those spaces. It will examine whether changes to environmental layouts or visual presentation can affect users’ choices during immersive sessions.
Immersive technologies, including virtual and augmented reality, smart glasses, and heads-up displays, are increasingly used in education, business, entertainment, and healthcare environments. The wider use of these systems has increased attention on how immersive environments may influence user attention and behaviour.
Part of the research will focus on the distinction between personalisation and manipulation within immersive systems. The work will examine how digital environments can guide user behaviour and where those practices may conflict with users’ interests.
The project may also be significant for children, teenagers, and people with neurodivergent conditions who may face greater risks in immersive environments. One doctoral student working with David-John is studying how these groups may be more vulnerable to manipulation inside virtual spaces.
Initial stages of the project will involve exploratory studies examining how people respond to different visual and positional cues in virtual reality systems. David-John also plans to develop tools that could help designers, developers and creators of platforms such as the AndroidXR operating system identify and intercept potentially manipulative patterns before they reach users.
The work includes collaboration with specialists outside traditional computer science disciplines, including experts in philosophy, privacy, ethics and public policy. These joint efforts form part of the wider research on immersive technologies and user protection.
Through Virginia Tech’s +Policy Network Policy Scholar programme, David-John has established connections with organisations in the Washington, D.C., area, including the Future of Privacy Forum. Those collaborations may help translate the research into practical guidance for developers, companies, and decision-makers.
The Future of Privacy Forum previously used David-John’s research on eye-tracking data access methods as an example in its Risk Framework for Body-Related Data. The example relates to the data minimisation stage within that framework.
The CAREER award also includes support for educational outreach activities. David-John plans to use the funding to support student researchers and organise hackathons, workshops, and travel scholarships related to virtual reality, privacy, and ethical design.
The programme is intended to bring students to Virginia Tech to explore topics related to immersive technologies and digital ethics. The activities will involve students in discussions about virtual reality systems and the privacy issues associated with those technologies.
Virginia Tech stated that the research is intended to improve understanding of how people behave in virtual environments and to support efforts to create ethical and safe digital experiences. The project will continue David-John’s work studying the relationship between immersive technologies, privacy, and behavioural influence within virtual systems.
