Avatar: A virtual face for the elderly

Wei Lun Cheong*, Younbo Jung, Yin Leng Theng

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Studies in the field of human-computer interaction have demonstrated a significant impact of avatars and virtual environments on users' interaction experiences and behaviors. However, most of these studies are focused on the young users. With an aging population and more virtual environments built for the elderly, it is important to investigate the types of avatars elderly users prefer and hence provide them with a richer interaction experience through the use of avatars as virtual representations of themselves. In our exploratory study, 24 seniors aged 55 years and above evaluated 20 custom-created avatars. Results showed that the elderly participants were unable to identify with the avatars. However, the results showed a strong trust towards child avatars and an attraction towards animal and object avatars, which indicates a different form of identification or empathy. The paper concludes with discussion of avatar design for the elderly users.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of VRCAI 2011
Subtitle of host publicationACM SIGGRAPH Conference on Virtual-Reality Continuum and its Applications to Industry
Pages491-498
Number of pages8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011
Externally publishedYes
Event10th International Conference on Virtual Reality Continuum and Its Applications in Industry, VRCAI'11 - Hong Kong, China
Duration: Dec 11 2011Dec 12 2011

Publication series

NameProceedings of VRCAI 2011: ACM SIGGRAPH Conference on Virtual-Reality Continuum and its Applications to Industry

Conference

Conference10th International Conference on Virtual Reality Continuum and Its Applications in Industry, VRCAI'11
Country/TerritoryChina
CityHong Kong
Period12/11/1112/12/11

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science Applications

Keywords

  • Avatars
  • Elderly

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