Evaluation of User Experience and Sense of Presence in a Multi-User Virtual Reality Conferencing System

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising technology for enhancing remote collaboration by providing immersive communication environments that address many limitations of conventional video conferencing systems. This study experimentally evaluates a previously developed multi-user virtual reality conferencing system designed to support immersive collaboration through synchronized avatars, natural interaction, and real-time voice communication within a shared three-dimensional environment. The system was evaluated through controlled laboratory experiments involving 18 participants using a within-subject experimental design, in which each participant experienced both a conventional video conferencing platform and the proposed VR conferencing system under identical collaborative scenarios. User experience was assessed using standardized questionnaires measuring perceived presence, technical performance, and system usability. The experimental results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in perceived presence when using the proposed VR conferencing system compared with conventional video conferencing. In addition, participants reported predominantly positive evaluations of the system's technical performance, while the usability assessment indicated a moderate level of usability, suggesting that the platform can effectively support immersive collaborative communication with opportunities for further interface refinement. Overall, the findings demonstrate that immersive visualization, synchronized avatars, and natural interaction mechanisms can substantially improve remote collaboration and user engagement. The proposed evaluation provides empirical evidence supporting the application of virtual reality conferencing systems in education, engineering, healthcare, and other distributed collaborative environments.