What Button was That? Interaction Design in Virtual Reality for Usability, Enjoyment, and Inclusion

Interaction is one of the most crucial aspects of virtual reality. Controller-based interaction remains widely used, with button-based techniques being particularly common, while hand tracking is gaining popularity, focusing on fine finger gestures. However, there is still significant room for improvement, as these interaction methods are not immediate to learn and often require concentration and attention, which can disrupt the experience. We believe that interaction in virtual reality should remain within virtual reality, allowing users to enjoy the experience without having to focus on their fine finger movements in the physical space. To validate our theory, we designed a fully virtual interaction system, SpatialFlow, and compared it with a state-of-the-art button-based interaction technique, evaluating them in terms of enjoyment, usability, and sense of presence. The results support our theory, as our method is more enjoyable, easier to use, and inclusive, while also maintaining a high sense of presence.