Virtual interior environment: Influence of colour on the sense of immersion

Abstract

This article investigates the effects of colour on the sense of immersion in virtual interior environments. Since colour in interior environments is vital for the perception of place, the three dimensions of colour, namely hue, saturation, and lightness (HSL), were evaluated as elements for transferring colour to virtual environments (VEs). In this context, this study aims to investigate how the sense of immersion in virtual interior environments differs depending on hue, saturation, and lightness and examines the extent to which colour dimensions influence the sense of immersion in VEs. For this, the HSL colour space was utilised to establish varying degrees of colours. An online survey was conducted to understand the people’s sense of immersion in different virtual interior settings. The study’s results suggest that decreasing the degree of lightness of colours in a virtual interior environment improves the sense of immersion in that environment, in general. In addition, whether a virtual interior environment emphasises natural or artificial lighting, increasing the degree of lightness of colours heightens the sense of immersion in that perceived environment.