Co-immersive-Creation: A Hybrid Approach for Using Virtual Reality and Telepresence Systems in Co-design Research

Chen, M. F. Y.

The Covid-19 pandemic is changing the way design researchers conduct research activities with safety regulations restricting much of in-person methods of research. Co-design (or participatory design) utilizes creative toolkits that enable stakeholders from non-design backgrounds to contribute and collaborate in the design process, from front-end to tail-end. The pandemic has forced co-design researchers to reconceptualize and adapt their research methods and toolkits into remote digital formats. This presents new challenges in conducting co-design research such as the varying levels of technological literacy of parties involved and being able to facilitate the same level of engagement and hands-on involvement as in-person co-design activities. This paper examines the exploration of a novel hybrid approach, named Co-Immersive-Creation (CIC), that combines virtual reality (VR) and telepresence systems such as video conferencing applications for remote co-design research. It presents a use case of the co-design of the interior spaces in intensive care unit (ICU) hospital rooms to reduce sleep deprivation and delirium among the patients. An outline of the technical setup and the considerations surrounding this hybrid approach is presented to encourage its continued exploration. The outcome of the exploration highlights the growing potential of CIC and the possibilities offered by integrating technology such as VR for conducting remote co-design research between designers and non-design stakeholders. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.