Williams, Megan and Dickinson, Joan Beyond the Empathy Machine: Virtual Reality and Design Thinking in Interior Design Education. 2026. Radford University, Thesis. Radford University Scholars' Repository.
 |
PDF
Download (4MB) |
Abstract
A mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study with a counterbalanced design was conducted to investigate the extent to which virtual reality (VR) and ethnographic inspired design thinking methods support the development of cognitive empathy and human centered design (HCD) skills in interior design students. Grounded in Kahneman’s dual-system framework, the purpose of the study was to explore how intuitive (System 1) and analytical (System 2) thinking processes are activated across different instructional modalities. While VR offers emotionally immersive experiences that often trigger fast, reactive judgments, cultivating cognitive empathy requires slower, more reflective processing aligned with System 2 thinking. Participants included 10 third year students enrolled in a Council for Interior Design Accredited (CIDA) interior design program at a public university located in the Midwest of the United States. Students were exposed to three instructional conditions: VR-only, design thinking-only, or VR followed by a structured design thinking recipe. Data collection included post-assessments using the Multi-dimensional State Empathy Scale (MSES) to measure the dependent variable of cognitive empathy and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to measure general perceptions of technology. Qualitative insights into participants’ reasoning and empathy were collected from an open-ended questionnaire. The goal of the study was to highlight the importance of scaffolding immersive experiences with structured reflection to mitigate cognitive biases and foster inclusive design thinking. Findings indicated no measurable increase in cognitive empathy across conditions, despite high ratings of VR usefulness. Qualitative analysis revealed that students engaged in System 2 thinking but primarily applied it to design problem solving rather than client-focused perspective taking, highlighting the need for more explicit instructional framing.
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general |
| Divisions: | Radford University > College of Visual and Performing Arts > Department of Design |
| Date Deposited: | 22 May 2026 14:33 |
| URI: | http://wagner.radford.edu/id/eprint/1339 |
Administrators Only
 |
View Item |
