Words have Weight: Comparing the use of pressure and weight as a metaphor in a User Interface in Virtual Reality

TL;DR

This study explores how weight and pressure as haptic metaphors influence user perception of notifications in VR, demonstrating that pressure enhances perceived heaviness but does not increase urgency.

Contribution

It introduces a wearable device capable of independently manipulating weight and pressure to study their effects on VR UI perception.

Findings

Pressure increases perceived heaviness of UI elements.

Heaviness perception does not correlate with perceived urgency.

Combined weight and pressure can enrich haptic feedback in VR.

Abstract

This work investigates how weight and pressure can function as haptic metaphors to support user interface notifications in Virtual Reality (VR). While prior research has explored ungrounded weight simulation and pneumatic feedback, their combined role in conveying information through UI elements remains underexplored. We developed a wearable haptic device that transfers liquid and air into flexible containers mounted on the back of the user's hand, allowing us to independently manipulate weight and pressure. Through an initial evaluation using three conditions-no feedback, weight only, and weight combined with pressure-we examined how these signals affect perceived heaviness, coherence with visual cues, and the perceived urgency of notifications. Our results validate that pressure amplifies the perception of weight, but this increased heaviness does not translate into higher perceived urgency. These findings suggest that while pressure___enhanced weight can enrich haptic rendering of UI elements in VR, its contribution to communicating urgency may require further investigation, alternative pressure profiles, or different types of notifications.