A Virtual Reality showroom for local artisans: A case study on Valencian jewelry

Immersive virtual reality (or VR) is becoming increasingly established today, and more and more companies are adopting it to exploit its great potential. Thanks to the continuous advancement of technology and its lower costs, VR is assuming an increasingly present role in many contexts, such as industry, entertainment, and retail, where it is revolutionizing the shopping experience, allowing customers to explore stores virtually from the comfort of their homes. A notable application context is that of virtual showrooms, which aim to fuel consumers' learning and experience of the products to foster brand loyalty using a personalized relationship with a customer service system. VR has thus redefined the experience of showrooms: it bridges the e-commerce world and the physical experience, exceeding the limits of conventional web platforms, usable via 2D desktops. Furthermore, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-powered chatbots can bring a real-time support service within the VR showrooms, providing a closer experience to the actual ones. The world of local Valencian handicrafts, specifically related to jewelry, fits perfectly into this context, as VR can enhance the visitors' experiences in showrooms focused on contemporary craftsmanship. The thesis work presented in this document belongs to this research area. The aim has been to create a VR interactive application capable of transporting the user into the universe of the artisan jeweler José Marín, offering a deep understanding of the Valencian cultural heritage and positioning artisan's jewels in the marketplace. The project was proposed by the Laboratory LENI of Valencia. So far, research works only focused on individual parts of the user experience dimensions or delved into general craft processes. At the same time, other VR applications have concentrated more on sales and marketing objectives. Instead, this work wants to contribute to creating a unified experience through the typical elements of the traditional craft showroom. More specifically, the research included the creation of an intuitive virtual environment focused on storytelling, and continuous real-time assistance of a conversational virtual agent (CA). The latter was developed following the current trend of generative AI and Large Language Models (LLM). During the experience, the user can witness multimedia content surrounded by fictional-real environments. Starting from a central hub, players can navigate toward various scenes inspired by different jewels, using specific buttons. Users can observe the jeweler's creations, complete with contextual details and sources of inspiration. Throughout the journey, the CA provides insights into the artisanal world, enriching the experience beyond the presented content. Several experimental sessions were performed to evaluate the improvements that VR can bring to the user experience and its impact on the visitors' behavior compared to the web experience via 2D desktop interfaces. The analysis of the data collected confirmed the superior user engagement offered by VR across some observed scales: the overall perception of the user experience quality, the impact on the user behavior (intention to recommend), cognition (presence), affection (arousal) and emotional value (valence). Also, enjoyment, playfulness and ease of use of the systems compared was measured. Finally, the overall usability of the two experiences and the usability of the chatbot were evaluated.