Gesture-based Survey Design for Evaluating Indoor Spatial Experience in Extended Reality

Abstract

The integration of Extended Reality (XR) into built environments presents opportunities for spatial experience, yet evaluation methods fail to capture unique characteristics when physical and virtual elements coexist. Current approaches—from usability-focused to architecture-oriented methods—overlook verbal-behavioral discrepancies where users report positive experiences while exhibiting avoidance behaviors. To address this gap, we present SEEMEE (Spatial Experience Evaluation Method for Extended Environments), a framework evaluating XR spatial experience through behavioral congruence measurement—the degree to which user movements match natural behaviors in equivalent physical spaces. SEEMEE employs a three-stage guideline capturing behavioral responses to spatial stimuli. Target Movement Setting establishes baselines by documenting Personal Pattern Baseline (individual movement characteristics) and Spatial Pattern Baseline (navigation trajectories within environmental constraints). Affection Panoply Modeling captures experiential responses at multiple temporal scales: fleeting affection within 3-second windows and savoring affection at 5-minute, 30-minute, and 24-hour intervals. Response Congruence Formatting interprets behavioral differences through Temporal Distillation Protocol (tracking adaptation patterns) and Uncertainty Distillation Protocol (distinguishing system-level issues from individual preferences). To detail, we demonstrate a virtual window experiment as an example. Findings reveal that SEEMEE effectively captures temporal patterns of verbal-behavioral congruence. Positive self-reports paired with avoidance trajectories, or naturalistic movement aligned with consistent self-reports, provide composite indicators that conventional questionnaires miss. The proposed guidelines offer new possibilities for evaluating genuine spatial experience.