H5.2. User interfaces – Evaluation/Methodology

Virtual Worlds (VW) are interactive systems which aim to provide an immersive environment where users can interact with each other and with virtual objects. Hence, a set of quality criteria to be used for the usability evaluation of Virtual Worlds must consider these particular characteristics. Moreover, considering the complexity of the interactive environment of Virtual Worlds and its resemblance to digital games, the previous experience of evaluators may influence the evaluation outcome. In this paper we present an experimental evaluation which compares the results of a heuristic evaluation of a VW environment performed by usability experts and skilled digital game users (gamers) with initial training in the evaluation technique. The results show that while usability experts tend to focus on issues related to the Virtual World configuration interface, gamers identify more problems related to the interaction with the Virtual World itself