Design Research Methodology | Final Compilation

 || Tee Zi Tong, 0366165

|| Design Research Methodology 

|| Final Compilation 

INSTRUCTIONS

PRESENTATION

Slides

The impact of multisensory immersive design on user memory and engagement by Zi Tong

Video

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pjiNxOtP_zfm0bACtIU7-9ynrarVQqPb?usp=drive_link

FEEDBACK

REFLECTION

Experience

In this research venture, I have traversed over the topic of multisensory immersive design in the context by which memory and engagement impact games. At the beginning, I felt a lot of enthusiasm but was undecided on the topic to cover as it is quite broad. Task 1 allowed me to contextualize my consideration (multisensory stimuli via sight, sound and touch), and its effects on memory and gameplay participants.

In Task 2, I went through academic essays that further informed my knowledge of the application of various forms of input to senses in games, museums, VR, and so forth. I learned something new in every article and it helped to form my opinion. Task 3, the design of the experiment, short VR and survey was more practical. I liked gathering feedback on the ground and observing the responses of the participants who were subjected to the experiment to react in different ways to sound and haptics.

Observation

I seen that visuals and sound impact are very strong on majority of the players but some other level of information giving control over the game is on how they deal on the controller inputs (i.e. Vibration of the controller) where this provides a new level of information to the player especially when it's used correctly. The frequency of vibrations was used by a large number of the respondents who stated that the vibrations aided them in recalling what occurred during the game. Nevertheless, I noticed that excessive haptic feedback might result in discomfort or distractance that would likely decrease engagement as well.

During the experiment, participants of the visual + haptic group gave more accurate and detailed memories and it proves that physical sensations create a permanently appealing influence. This allowed me to think that although visual and auditory parts are still prevailing, in the case where haptics is used properly, it can add emotional and physical depth to the experience.

Findings

My project has found that multisensory design and, in particular, the combination of visuals and sound is of high importance in increasing engagement and memory. Haptic feedback, which many games do not apply sufficiently, holds high promise in improving recollection, particularly with regards to VR or immersive gameplay.

There is a limit, though: the sensory overload occurs in the case of excessive stimulation. This confirms what I have obtained in the literature reviews in which researchers contributed towards the need of moderation and customisation. Another lesson learned is that sensory synergy can go a long way when handled in a considerate way- not merely tacked on to spice up the mix.