Discussion and conclusion

The first part of this section (Section 5.4.1) discusses the results of the usability study in relation to the issues encountered in the BP VR application as described in Table 15. The second part (Section 5.4.2) discusses the results of the usability study in general.

5.4.1 Addressing issues in the BP VR application

Using linked panels with the ability to resize each panel has successfully addressed the issues of the small size of the map, the lack of a back button and the lack of links between the PFD and the 360o panoramas experienced with the BP VR application. The use of green hotspots successfully addresses the issues related to the difficulty of seeing the hotspots. Having the arrows and the ‘figure’ on the 3D map to address, respectively, the suggestions to have a guided tour and having an indicator showing the size of the equipment, were useful.

5.4.2 Usability of the milk processing VR application

The results of this usability study demonstrate that the VR application was easy to use regardless of the participants’ previous experience with VR applications. One reason is that the exposure the participants had to other software made them familiar with the functionalities and icons (i.e., the buttons used to change the size of the panels used in the VR application).

Although a split response was received on agreement with the statement ‘I can use it without written instructions’, it was observedthat the participants who disagreed referred to the manual only for certain tasks or not all. This suggests that the application is easy to use and only occasionally the participants need the manual for some task. Other than the above statement, most participants have positive responses to the usability of the VR application.

The inclusion of the four panels, which is a unique feature of this VR application, was considered by participants as a main contributor to the ease of using the VR application, because participants were aware of different components of the information, including the process flow described in each panel. The links between panels not only contributed to the ease of using the VR application but it also helped users gain a better understanding of milk powder processing. This suggests that information that is connected to each other should be made visible to users; using multiple panels is one way of doing this. This follows the multiple representations principle and the contiguity principle of Mayer (1997).

Different levels of engagement with the VR application were found among the participants. Final year students exhibited a higher level of engagement than 1st Professional students, which may be due to the reasons stated earlier where the latter had not previously been exposed to all of the content (e.g., the P&ID) at that point of their education. This also suggests that the level of content detail in VR applications needs to be altered when used for students at different stages of their studies.

It was also observed that, during practice sessions, participants had different navigation styles. Some preferred to use the arrows to navigate in sequence with the milk processing steps but others clicked on the camera symbols in the PFD to immediately go to a specific

location. This suggests that participants have different ways of navigating so providing options for flexible navigation is useful.

The use of different colours in the 3D map and the process streams in the P&ID were useful because participants found the colours assisted them to distinguish between different processes. With regard to the hotspots, the use of bright colours (green) as recommended by Marshall and Nichols (2004) was useful because they assisted users to identify the items mentioned in the text. The bright colour also helps to highlight important elements (Krygier & et al., 1997).

5.4.3 Lessons learned

The lessons learned from this study were:

 The visibility of information to users, such as having different panels (with linked information) displayed in a single screen (with the ability to resize each panel), helps to improve navigation and also maintains the user’s awareness of the information related to the process in each panel. In addition, this also helps users link what has been learned in the class to the actual process shown in the 360˚ panoramas.

 The use of appropriate colours helps to highlight areas of interest and different processes.

 The use of common navigation symbols (e.g., symbols in MATLAB, MS Office) minimises the effort required to learn to use the application.

 Flexibility with navigation, such as guided and unguided tours, provides users with options for navigating according to their learning style and level of knowledge.

 Different levels of content need to be provided for different levels of student.

 Linking the text information to the item referred to in the text information (i.e., hotspots), is engaging and useful to the users.

 The interactive elements in the VR application were mentioned as useful because they allow users to engage with the related content information presented in different formats. The interactive elements also offer users the ability to learn at

their own pace since they could control what they wanted to see (e.g., displaying the respective streams in the P&ID).

 Displaying additional information in pop-up windows allows a neat presentation of the user interface as well as keeping the users connected with the screen they are currently navigating.

5.4.4 Conclusions

The results indicate that the milk processing plant VR application is easy to use and the participants have positive attitudes towards it. It is therefore a good platform to determine whether it is an effective learning resource for chemical and process engineering students (see the next chapters).