Intelligent User Assistance in Virtual Realities

The relevance of virtual reality stems from its unique ability to fully immerse users in a safe, simulated world, presenting a paradigm shift in human interaction, collaboration and experiences. This transformative potential is already being realised in an increasing number of sectors, including immersive gaming, professional sports training, virtual tourism and innovative healthcare treatments, to name but a few.

Our previous research has centered on the specific effects of VR on human behaviour and cognition, particularly in relation to virtual commerce and learning effectiveness. We address broader questions such as whether high immersion leads to greater acceptance of shopping environments (see figure A, Peukert et al., 2019), whether immersion affects consumer choice (Meißner et al., 2020 and figure B), how we can navigate benefits and privacy in VR (Hassanin et al., 2025), how and whether VR can serve as a valid alternative to traditional field studies (Meißner et al., 2017) or if immersion increases learning effectiveness (Stejskal et al., 2023). More specific questions have also been addressed, such as the optimal timing for providing support in a VR purchasing process (see figure C, Weiß & Pfeiffer, 2024) or the prediction of choices (see figure D, Weiß et al., 2024). Several of these investigations have integrated biosignals such as eye tracking, EEG, and heart rate to use as input for machine-learning based prediction models.

Our current research is evaluating biosignal dashboards to visualise users' cognitive and emotional states, with the aim of improving the quality of consulting processes in purchasing environments. Specifically, we will evaluate the effect of analysing and visualising these biosignals on satisfaction for both the advisor and advisee, while also assessing whether a Large Language Model can be a viable substitute for a human advisor in this context.

Related Publications:

  • Hassanin, S., Fu, Y., Pfeiffer, J. & Meißner, M. (2025). Benefits and Privacy in Virtual Reality Commerce: A Comprehensive Review and Data-Driven Assessment – working paper
  • Meißner, M., Pfeiffer, J., Peukert, C., Dietrich, H., & Pfeiffer, T. (2020). How virtual reality affects consumer choice. Journal of Business Research, 117, 219–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.004
  • Meißner, M., Pfeiffer, J., Pfeiffer, T., & Oppewal, H. (2019). Combining virtual reality and mobile eye tracking to provide a naturalistic experimental environment for shopper research. Journal of Business Research, 100, 445–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.09.028
  • Peukert, C., Pfeiffer, J., Meißner, M., Pfeiffer, T., & Weinhardt, C. (2019). Shopping in Virtual Reality Stores: The Influence of Immersion on System Adoption. Journal of Management Information Systems, 36(3), 755–788. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2019.1628889
  • Stejskal, T., Kethüda, K. & Pfeiffer, J. (2023). Knowledge All Around Me: Comparing the Effect of VR, Text and Desktop on Learning Outcomes. ECIS 2023 Research Papers. 394. https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2023_rp/394
  • Weiß, T., & Pfeiffer, J. (2024). Consumer decisions in virtual commerce: Predict good help-timing based on cognitive load. Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, 17(2), 119–144. https://doi.org/10.1037/npe0000191
  • Weiß, T, Pfeiffer, J. & Pfeiffer, T. (2024). Early Bird — Predict Healthy Product Choices in Virtual Commerce. ECIS 2024 Proceedings. 3. https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2024/track09_coghbis/track09_coghbis/3
Figure A: Virtual reality (VR) shopping environment and desktop shopping environment (top: high immersion VR; bottom: low immersion desktop environment; left: first-person perspective; right: third-person perspective).
Figure B: Average price paid for muesli in low-immersive and high-immersive VR.
Figure C: 3D Printer Decision Virtual Reality Environment.
Figure D: Virtual environment with a muesli package shelf and a shopping cart (top); InceptionTime module on (bottom-left) and a shortcut connection (bottom-right).