JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Spending time in natural environments is beneficial for human health, but many older adults have limited or no access to natural environments. Virtual reality technology may be a means to facilitate nature experiences, and so there is a need for knowledge of how to design virtual restorative natural environments for older adults.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate older adults’ preferences and ideas, and thus aid the design of virtual natural environments for older adults.

Methods:

We invited older adults to an iterative process to design such an environment, using think-aloud protocols, qualitative content analysis and established questionnaires targeting usability, affective aspects, and side effects. These data guided design decisions for incremental implementations of a prototype.

Results:

The iterative design process resulted in a prototype featuring many of the participants’ ideas and preferences, including an effective seated locomotion technique, animals, traces of human activity, a boat ride, and apple picking. These implementations were well received by the participants, and the seated locomotion technique was considered intuitive. The questionnaire results showed high scores in terms of usability and affective aspects, and negligible side effects. In-depth analysis of the think-aloud sessions resulted in a model of how the meaningfulness of a virtual natural environment form in interplay with relatedness, perceived realness, and interactivity.

Conclusions:

Designers should consider both the larger and smaller scale as well as both active and passive usage, and should offer environments, activities, and a degree of realism that users can relate to. A virtual natural environment should provide a diversity of content and activities to accommodate the heterogeneity in older adults’ preferences. Seated locomotion techniques such as the one designed during this study can be an accessible means of travel in virtual environments. The results provide both applicable advice and a broader understanding of older adults’ preferences and may contribute to the development of a framework for designing virtual natural environments for older adults.