Investigating the Impact of Timeline Length and Control Panel Vertical Location in 360-Degree Video Players on User Experience and Behavior

Abstract

Video players for 360-degree videos that are watched in VR HMDs (virtual reality head-mounted displays) commonly follow the interaction design of video players for regular videos that are watched on flat, 2D screens. In the latter case, interaction elements such as buttons to start, pause or stop a video as well as timelines enabling users to scroll through them are usually placed horizontally at the bottom of the video player window where they least obstruct the view of the video. Timelines usually extend to most if not all of the window’s width to enable users to easily navigate through a video at a reasonable level of detail.

Yet, immersive VR HMDs are not bound by the physical limitation of a window’s width and height but provide a full surround 360-degree display. Therefore, the optimal placement and size of these interface elements is not clear. How wide should a timeline be? Where should it be placed? And should it stay at a fixed position or move with the viewer’s field of view when they are turning their heads?

In this thesis, we thoroughly investigate and experimentally evaluate the influence of timeline length and control panel vertical location in a 360-degree video player on user experience and behavior. The results show that while these two factors do not significantly affect the effectiveness of the user experience, the comfort and convenience setting leads to higher emotional preference. Moreover, we discover that user behavior in interacting with the timeline is closely tied to the duration of the jump.