"Feeling that I was Collaborating with Them": A 20 years Systematic Literature Review of Social Virtual Reality Leveraging Collaboration

2024-12-28

AI Summary

This study addresses the challenge of sustaining long-term remote team collaboration and trust formation in social virtual reality (Social VR). Method: Drawing on a systematic literature review (SLR) and qualitative content analysis of 51 empirical studies published over the past two decades, the work integrates theories from computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) and affordance theory to develop a novel conceptual model. Contribution/Results: The study proposes the first three-dimensional analytical framework—encompassing individual experience, team dynamics, and spatial augmentation—for understanding Social VR’s collaborative affordances. It identifies three key mechanisms through which Social VR enhances collaboration quality and pinpoints critical research gaps concerning longitudinal trust evolution and sustainable collaboration. Moving beyond fragmented prior reviews, this work advances CSCW theory and provides empirically grounded design principles and strategic directions for next-generation collaborative VR systems.

Technology Category

Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And InteractionHumans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous CharactersComputer Vision: 3D Computer Vision

Application Category

User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Social recommender systems and personalization for the social WebSocial Networks and Social Media: Computational social scienceSearch and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics

Abstract

As more people meet, interact, and socialize online, Social Virtual Reality (VR) emerges as a promising technology that can bridge the gap between traditional face-to-face and online communication. Compared to traditional screen-based applications, Social VR provides immersive, physical, and three-dimensional social interactions, making it a promising communication tool for enhancing collaborations. Despite the growing interest and research in Social VR, how it has supported collaborations and teamwork has not been explored in depth. To map the existing research in this domain, we conducted a 20-year systematic literature review to characterize how Social VR has been employed for collaboration. After screening 1,123 articles, we identified 51 articles that specifically addressed how Social VR has leveraged collaboration among remote users. Our findings show that Social VR can enhance team collaboration on three key levels: enhancing individual perceptions and experiences within their groups, fostering team dynamics with virtual elements that enable realistic interactions, and employing VR affordances that augment users' spaces. However, the research requires a deeper understanding of how Social VR can support long-term collaboration and trust-building in collaborative settings. This review highlights the current practices, challenges, and future research opportunities within CSCW, offering insights for theorizing the impact of Social VR on team collaboration and for designing new applications that effectively support remote collaborations.

Problem

• Social Virtual Reality
• Remote Team Collaboration
• Trust Enhancement

Innovation

• Social VR
• Remote Team Collaboration
• Virtual Reality Applications