Inconsistencies of Presence Questionnaires in Virtual Reality

Presence in virtual reality (VR) is typically assessed through questionnaires in the real world and after leaving an immersive experience. Previous research suggests that questionnaires in VR reduce biases caused by the real-world setup. However, it remains unclear whether presence questionnaires still provide valid results when subjects are being surveyed while the construct is perceived. In a user study with 36 participants, two standardized presence questionnaires (IPQ, SUSa) were either completed in the real lab, in a virtual lab scene, or in the actual scene after a virtual gaming experience. Our results show inconsistencies between the measurements and that main scores, as well as subscales of the presence measures are significantly affected by the subjects' environment. As presence questionnaires have been designed to be answered after an immersive experience, we recommend revising those tools for measuring presence in VR.