Aesthetic-Interaction: Exploring the Importance of the Visual Aesthetic in the Creation of Engaging Photorealistic VR Environments

Nearly forty years since its conception, the medium of VR is still an enigma. In many ways, it is a medium that it still lacks its own uniform language. VR, and particularly photorealistic VR, is a medium that is so occupied in developing its technological capabilities that its other hidden strengths have been neglected. The research presented in this paper is therefore interested in building a more holistic understanding of the ‘language’ of VR, and aims to look beyond the technological in order to explore the creative and experiential side of VR. The goal of the paper is to cross fertilise the fields of HCI, photorealistic virtual reality and visual aesthetics. In it, the author focuses on the design of an aesthetic-interaction and in doing so, implements a comparative study to explore how the strategic patterning of the aesthetic elements (particularly colour) within the photorealistic VR environment can ensure a more engaging VR experience. In conclusion, the author claims that the next generation design of photorealistic VR experiences should consider a balanced combination of both science and art. It highlights that aesthetics can play as important a role as the development of new and more efficient technologies in getting to the heart of the ‘engaging’ photorealistic VR experience.