@phdthesis{01K09R1KMB7DNVR9AJ7BZ9WSNJ,
  abstract     = {{Virtual Reality has spent the recent years stuck between grand promises and sceptical eye rolls. When I began this research, VR was still striving to prove its value, more than half a century after the Sensorama Simulator, it remained uncertain whether VR would become the future of digital interaction or fade as another overhyped gimmick. Instead of getting caught in this debate, I wanted to explore what VR feels like, how people experience it, and what that means for Quality of Experience (QoE).

Even though QoE research has acknowledged the human side of VR, it has mostly done so through the lens of technological performance, focusing on how people respond to system features rather than how they engage with virtual environments in a broader sense. And, for the most part, it has relied on numbers: latency rates, frame drops, tracking accuracy, presence and immersion questionnaires. This thesis takes a different approach. Drawing from pragmatist feminist epistemology, it recognises that experience is not just about what can be measured - it is about lived realities, shaped by perception, context, and social structures. In doing so, this thesis uses an approach to studying QoE that combines mixed methods with a Pragmatist Feminist lens - ensuring that user experience is explored as situated, relational, and co-constructed, not merely as a by-product of system design. Thus, instead of treating users as data points, this research attempts to bring them to the conversation.

I use a mixed-methods approach to capture the full complexity of VR experiences, blending physiological data - eye-tracking and electrodermal activity - with qualitative user narratives. As a result, I map out 252 influencing factors across four core domains: user, system, context, and content. Crucially, this model is not just theoretical - it is operationalised through an interactive dashboard, enabling researchers and developers to apply these insights in real-world VR design.

Beyond the model, this research dives into how key QoE factors interact. How well can you communicate in VR if the avatar in front of you feels uncanny? How present and immersed do you feel when you experience different narrative elements? How does spatial context shape social presence? How do you form your identity in social virtual reality? These are some of the questions answered in this book. But I can already give you a hint about the general conclusion - designing for VR is not just about optimising specs, it is about making thoughtful, user-centred design choices that account for both technical and human elements.

Another challenge this research tackles is the messy reality of collecting biometric data in VR. Traditional methods were not designed for environments where adding psychophysiological sensors can interfere with VR headsets or where VR controllers can disrupt biometric signal readings. After navigating these obstacles, this thesis provides practical guidelines for making physiological data collection more reliable. But more importantly, it questions the assumption that physiological data alone can define user experience. Numbers tell part of the story, but they don’t tell the whole story. If we want to understand QoE, we need to listen to users - not just measure them.

Beyond these contributions, this research takes a critical look at existing QoE frameworks. Too often, they prioritise technical performance while sidelining the lived realities of users. While advancements in resolution, latency, and tracking fidelity matter, they do not capture the full picture. This thesis argues that research on QoE should integrate qualitative insights alongside standardised frameworks, ensuring a balance between technological optimisation and a deeper understanding of human perception, identity, and emotional engagement in VR. The pragmatist feminist perspective informs this shift, challenging the field’s traditional reliance on system-driven metrics and advocating for approaches that are adaptive, intersectional, and responsive to the diverse ways users engage with virtual spaces.}},
  author       = {{Zheleva, Aleksandra}},
  keywords     = {{virtual reality,quality of experience,pragmatist feminism,positivism,pragmatism,physiological data,qualitative data}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{325}},
  publisher    = {{Ghent University. Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences}},
  school       = {{Ghent University}},
  title        = {{Reframing quality of experience in virtual reality : integrating narratives and psycho-physiological data through a critical mixed-methods lens}},
  url          = {{https://lookerstudio.google.com/u/0/reporting/2ffbec28-bf88-4b44-92c8-fd69af2f8ca9/page/nVz1C?s=kMVdGnjM2Ng}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}