Research project Alignment in Extended Reality Technologies
Extended reality (XR) technology allows us to mix virtual and physical worlds, and create new types of experiences. This project explores how we can better communicate and understand each other’s perspectives in virtual environments with the help of XR technologies.
Extended reality (XR) technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), are increasingly used in research, education, and collaborative settings. This project investigates how people achieve alignment in XR experiences: how participants, facilitators, and sometimes spectators develop a shared understanding of what is happening and what is expected.
We examine how alignment can be enhanced in XR experiences, extending beyond VR demonstrations in research presentations to broader XR contexts. Alignment can be recognized as the understanding between people’s perspectives and expectations. These include co-located and remote multi-user settings, informed by design insights from accessibility research.
Our previous research analyzed video recordings of live VR demonstrations at academic conferences to identify different forms of alignment, as well as breakdowns and repair processes in interaction. A systematic literature review of XR accessibility research further examined how design approaches are implemented in practice.
Building on these insights, the project now expands beyond demonstrations to broader multi-user XR contexts, both co-located and remote. Through co-design with researchers and practitioners, the aim is to develop design directions that support smoother collaboration and more meaningful shared XR experiences.
This is Noak Petersson’s PhD thesis project. Henricus Verhagen is the main supervisor, and Jordi Solsona Belenguer and Donald McMillan are the co-supervisors.
Extended reality (XR), including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), is increasingly used in research, education, and collaborative environments. While technological capabilities continue to advance, less attention has been paid to how people establish and maintain alignment in XR experiences.
Alignment refers to the processes through which participants develop and sustain a shared understanding of goals, roles, actions, and expectations within a technologically mediated activity. Misalignment in XR may lead to interactional breakdowns, confusion, disrupted collaboration, or reduced learning outcomes. Understanding how alignment is achieved – and how breakdowns are repaired – is therefore central to designing effective multi-user XR systems.
Previous research
The first study examined VR demonstrations conducted at an academic research conference. Using video recordings of live demonstrations, the study applied visual content analysis and qualitative interaction analysis informed by concepts from conversation analysis. The findings identified five forms of alignment and showed how facilitators and participants collaboratively manage progressivity, instructions, and technological contingencies during demonstrations. In addition, practical guidelines for XR demonstrations were developed.
A second study consisted of a systematic literature review of design approaches in XR accessibility research. This review examined how researchers design XR technologies for and with people with disabilities. The results highlight methodological trends, stakeholder involvement practices, and challenges in implementing inclusive design in immersive contexts. These insights inform methodological choices in the broader research project.
Current and future research
Building on these studies, the project now expands beyond demonstration settings to broader XR experiences involving multiple users in both co-located and remote contexts. The overarching aim is to understand how alignment can be intentionally supported through design.
The next phase of research is structured in three stages:
- Framework consolidation – Refinement and evaluation of the alignment framework and demonstration guidelines, including feedback from XR practitioners and students.
- Problem identification and co-design – Workshops and co-design sessions with XR researchers, designers, developers, and facilitators to explore alignment challenges in multi-user XR.
- Iterative prototyping and evaluation – Development and testing of designs that support alignment, potentially including cross-cultural evaluation contexts.
Petersson, N., McMillan, D., Verhagen, H. H., and Solsona Belenguer, J. (2025).
Alignment and Repair Work in Extended Reality: Facilitators’ Participants’ and Spectators’ Practices in VR Demonstrations. Proceedings of the 28th International Academic Mindtrek, 143–154.
Read the article