Usability Study of a Virtual Reality-Based Ecological Battery for Memory Assessment: A Pilot Study

The reliability and validity of conventional neuropsychological assessments have been called into question because they have a narrow ecological perspective. Traditional paper and pencil approaches frequently fail to accurately simulate real-world situations, which can result in possible misunderstandings of cognitive abilities. Virtual Reality and 360° videos offer potential remedies to these restrictions by offering immersive, lifelike environments for cognitive evaluations. The objective of this study is to assess the usability of the ecological and automated memory battery (V-MEB) which incorporates 360° movies and head-mounted displays. Eight participants were subjected to one memory tasks in a virtual city setting. Their feedback on usability was gathered using the System Usability Scale, Senior Technology Acceptance Model, Thinking Aloud Protocol, and the Independent Television Commission Sense of Presence Inventory (ITC-SOPI). The quantitative data demonstrated a high score for usability, however the qualitative data from TAP identified particular usability difficulties pertaining to interface design and interaction style. It is crucial to address these difficulties in order to enhance the user experience and effectiveness of cognitive evaluations that rely on virtual reality technology.