Adaptive Virtual Environments in Small Physical Spaces: Navigation Design for Customized User Experiences in Virtual Reality

In Virtual Reality (VR), navigating within small physical spaces often relies on handheld controller methods such as teleportation and joystick movements. While effective, these methods diverge from natural movement. This paper introduces the development of a VR tool designed to enhance immersion by customizing virtual environments for small physical spaces. By employing non-Euclidean and impossible spaces strategies, our solution enables overlapping virtual environments to fit the user's physical constraints, allowing exploration of the space through walking. This tool can benefit different areas of application, such as virtual visits to museums, training simulations and emergency scenarios. As a use case in this paper, we address virtual apartment tours. This study demonstrates the potential for more user-centric and accessible VR solutions, contributing to delivering more meaningful experiences in daily and professional settings. To assess the viability and potential applications of our approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers. These interviews yielded insights into practical applications, identified usability challenges, and suggested strategies to enhance user experience.