CoplayingVR: Understanding User Experience in Shared Control in Virtual Reality

Shared control of avatars in virtual reality is emerging as a promising method to enhance collaborative interactions. While the literature investigates shared control as an input modality to understand the design of functional experiences, the user experience associated with shared control remains underexplored. In this paper, we investigate the user experience of shared control using a networked VR environment, "CoplayingVR". Through a user study comprised of three gaming tasks in VR with 48 participants, we collect both quantitative and qualitative data on the user experience and performance of shared control. Our findings reveal that the shared control mode significantly improved user experience factors and brought novelty to the play. Furthermore, shared control significantly enhanced the task efficiency for novice users. Finally, we discuss how our findings inform the implications for research and practice of shared control for the growing body of research in VR.