Samenvatting

This thesis covers the development process of a realistic representation of a news item in VR. Additionally, the thesis aims to test whether this technology can generate empathic feedback in young adults from 20 to 30 years old. Another purpose is to make recommendations for future developers who are going to work on similar projects.
 
The project is structured upon the Design Thinking Model and divided according to the stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. The first part presents the results of the literature study and remote interviews. In that terms, the researcher investigated a psychological background of empathy, targeting specific emotions, preferences and opinions of young adults towards the news, and an appropriate production approach for the experience.
 
The thesis then defines the news item topic appealing to the target audience and the scope and success measurements for the end product. The researcher dedicated herself in the third phase to brainstorming ideas and creating the 3D environment and lighting setup for the demo. The fourth phase presents the results of multiple test sessions of the VR prototype with the target audience. The results of the user testing have proven that the experience helped the targeted participants to get a better understanding of the topic and slightly increased their empathy towards the victim.
 
For future practices, the study recommends assigning a larger development team with a broader range of skills, such as programming, audio design, psychology, 3D and technical art. To achieve high-fidelity visuals and better performance, the researcher advises investigating the Unreal Engine. Additionally, it may be profitable to optimize those for more affordable hardware for current or future similar products.