The new automated evaluation technology developed by Dr. Patrick Harms from the Institute of Computer Science at the University of Göttingen involves three steps.

First, the individual activities and movements of test subjects are recorded in detail using virtual reality (VR). The results are activity lists. In the second step, the computer program 'MAUSI-VR' developed by Harms automatically searches these lists for typical user behavior. In the third step, the program evaluates this behavior with regard to defined anomalies. "Among other things, this makes it possible to determine how well users of a VR are guided by it and whether they usually have to perform ergonomically unfavorable sequences during operation," says Harms. The program also detects interaction problems that lead to users having to repeat or abort certain processes several times.

Harms chose two virtual scenarios to test his new technology: In the "coffee scene", the user had to fetch a cup, place it exactly under the coffee machine and press the appropriate button. In another virtual scenario, the user had to copy a piece of paper.

Short-term improvements to VR possible

The concept of 'MAUSI-VR' is based on preliminary work by the research group "Software Engineering for Distributed Systems" led by Prof. Dr. Jens Grabowski, Institute of Computer Science at the University of Göttingen, on the automated usability evaluation of websites and desktop software. Harms transferred this work to the virtual world and supplemented it.

"Automated evaluations, unlike manual evaluations, can take place more frequently, more cost-effectively and without special preparations, both during the development of a VR and continuously after its release." This gives developers the opportunity to incorporate improvements to the VR in the next revision of the software, even at short notice.