Exploring Virtual Reality's Role in Assessing Public Spaces for Children: An embodied design approach

This study introduces a pioneering methodology that leverages Virtual Reality (VR) technology to facilitate architects in the evaluation and enhancement of public spaces' accessibility for children. By integrating immersive VR experiences, architects are empowered to embody a child's perspective within simulated environments, thereby promoting empathetic design practices and identifying existing accessibility barriers. The primary aim of this paper is to investigate the utility of immersive VR environments in enabling architects to comprehend and address the navigational challenges that children encounter in public spaces, which are traditionally designed with adult users as the focal point. An outcome of this study is the development of a VR design tool, followed by both qualitative and quantitative analysis based on its application by 25 architecture students and professionals. The findings underscore the tool's effectiveness in facilitating an empathetic design approach towards creating more accessible environments for young users. Moreover, the study proposes a novel architectural design workflow wherein architects can import initial design models into VR for further refinements aimed at enhancing accessibility for children. Ultimately, this paper positions VR as a transformative instrument for architects, advocating for its adoption as a useful method in the design and evaluation of public spaces with a keen focus on improving accessibility for children. Additionally, this research scrutinizes the current limitations of VR technology in architectural practices and proposes a series of recommendations for future research to refine and broaden its application.