The Impact of the VR Interface on the Accuracy and Ergonomics of Spatial Hearing Tests

Abstract

In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has been an attractive alternative to traditional methods of conducting hearing tests, offering both a natural way to indicate sound direction and complete digital data recording. The aim of this study was to analyze how the use of VR goggles and motion controllers affects the accuracy of localizing acoustic stimuli and the subjective comfort of participants, compared to a WEB-based application operated with a mouse. The study was performed for 16 azimuthal samples (0○ elevation) and 8 elevation samples at azimuth 90○. Mean absolute angular errors (MAAE) were analyzed, and the paired-samples t-tests were performed. The results show that using the VR interface can reduce horizontal MAAE by 7○ compared to the WEB-based interface. In the elevation tasks, no statistically significant differences were observed. Respondents rated VR the highest in terms of intuitiveness, comfort, speed, and perceived precision. These findings confirm the potential of VR to be used in localization tests, especially in the horizontal plane, and suggest directions for further research on HRTF personalization and interface optimization for elevation tasks.