Enhancing Job Interview Preparation Through Immersive Experiences Using Photorealistic, AI-powered Metahuman Avatars

TL;DR

This research explores the use of photorealistic AI-powered Metahuman avatars in VR, AR, and on screens to improve job interview preparation by assessing user experience, anxiety, and engagement through a user study.

Contribution

It introduces a system combining immersive virtual avatars with speech recognition for realistic interview practice and evaluates its impact on user psychological responses.

Findings

Assessing user anxiety and social presence in immersive interview scenarios

Collecting bio-physical responses to measure anxiety levels

Comparing user experience across VR, AR, and desktop conditions

Abstract

This study will investigate the user experience while interacting with highly photorealistic virtual job interviewer avatars in Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and on a 2D screen. Having a precise speech recognition mechanism, our virtual character performs a mock-up software engineering job interview to adequately immerse the user in a life-like scenario. To evaluate the efficiency of our system, we measure factors such as the provoked level of anxiety, social presence, self-esteem, and intrinsic motivation. This research is a work in progress with a prospective within-subject user study including approximately 40 participants. All users will engage with three job interview conditions (VR, AR, and desktop) and provide their feedback. Additionally, users' bio-physical responses will be collected using a biosensor to measure the level of anxiety during the job interview.