360 Video Viewing with Virtual Reality Headsets: Connecting User Head Movements to Intentions
Mohammed Metwaly, Alexander J. Quinn · 2025
Even as virtual reality devices and applications become more pervasive, our understanding of user behavior remains in its infancy. Typical studies involve some combination of post hoc summative evaluation (i.e., questionnaires after an experience is finished) and interaction log analysis (i.e., head position and clicks). Such methods do not illuminate the reasons, intentions, and causality underlying the user's actions. Our research aims to bridge this gap in the context of one specific application area: 360° video viewing. The fundamental question we ask is why users pan when they do. We present a study of users (n = 24) viewing 360° video and reporting their intentions each time they move their head to look at something new. By categorizing viewer behavior with detailed annotations, we established a structured framework for understanding viewer engagement. Additionally, we introduced a compiled dataset that merged pan-action data with corresponding user-reported motivations, presenting a valuable asset for subsequent research on VR viewer behavior. Through our approach, we facilitate the comprehension of human interaction within VR contexts, providing a foundational tool for future studies to incorporate viewer intentions with their movements.