Name:   Jisu Park

Title:  Designing for Copresence in VR Nature Experiences: Exploring Human-Nature Encounters

Date:  1:00PM -3:00PM on April 11th

Location:  Hybrid Event; Room: Clough 323 & Zoom

Zoom Meeting Link: https://gatech.zoom.us/j/91284261458?pwd=8UMC5eG1j2GKb4Db1QdxW0H7VOnrak.1

Committee Chair: 

Dr. Jay Bolter

Department of Digital Media

Georgia Institute of Technology

Committee:  

Dr. Brian Magerko

Department of Digital Media

Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Michael Nitsche

Department of Digital Media

Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Blair MacIntyre

Khoury College of Computer Sciences

Northeastern University

Dr. Gabriella Hancock

Department of Psychology

California State University

Abstract:  

As environmental concerns grow and direct experiences with nature decrease, it has become crucial to reconsider how we foster and maintain relationships with the natural world. In this dissertation, I explore how copresence, the feeling of being together, can serve as a design strategy for creating more mutual and relational forms of engagement with nature in virtual reality. Rather than presenting nature as passive scenery, I ask how VR might create shared encounters, framing the experience not simply as seeing, but as being with. How might we design for a sense of being with nonhuman others, and what role do interaction, spatial dynamics, and responsiveness play in shaping that experience?

To investigate these questions, I bring together qualitative insights and empirical evaluation. The research combines interviews with wildlife and conservation experts, who offer practical perspectives on human-animal relationships, with a mixed-methods user study focused on a VR experience, Eyes of the Wild. The findings show that elements of copresence, for example, mutual attention and shared stillness, can encourage users to engage with nature as participants rather than as spectators. Drawing on insights from environmental psychology, conservation practice, and immersive interaction design, I propose a set of design guidelines that take into account both experiential and ethical dimensions, aimed at supporting researchers and practitioners exploring more relational approaches to virtual