Sensory comfort varies widely across XR designs for autistic adults
Sensory Comfort Across Multisensory XR Prototypes for Autistic Adults
Human-Computer Interaction
Summary
Many autistic adults have different ways they like to experience sights and sounds, especially in virtual reality settings. This study tested five different virtual setups presenting the same educational content to see which felt most comfortable. The authors found significant differences, with certain designs felt abrupt and overwhelming, while others were smoother and easier to control. These insights can help improve virtual experiences to be more sensory-friendly for autistic adults.
What this means in practice
- •For xr developers: Improve XR environments by incorporating gradual transitions and user control features that increase sensory comfort for autistic adults.
- •For accessibility designers: Design sensory-friendly multisensory content guided by participant-described qualities such as opportunities to disengage and coordinated cues.
Authors
Yibo Meng, Xiujun Chen, Bingyi Liu, Xiaolan Ding
Abstract
Multisensory XR may support informal learning for autistic adults, but sensory-friendly design often emphasizes reducing input. We conducted a mixed-methods, counterbalanced within-subjects study with 20 Chinese autistic adults who evaluated five complete XR configurations presenting the same popular-science content. Comfort differed substantially across the configurations (Friedman chi-square(4) = 46.39, p < .001, Kendall's W = .58). L3 received the lowest mean rating (2.97/5) and was tied for lowest for 16/20 participants, whereas L5 received the highest mean rating (4.43/5) and was tied for highest for 17/20. Participants described the static configurations in terms of clarity and self-pacing, L3 in terms of abruptness, simultaneous demands, insufficient warning, and limited disengagement, and L4/L5 in terms of gradual transitions, opportunities to disengage, and coordinated narrative cues. The study provides a configuration-level account of sensory comfort and identifies participant-described qualities that can inform future controlled studies of multisensory XR.