Empathy is the foundation of user-centered design; VR requires a deeper understanding of user needs beyond screen-based UX research.
How Do We Empathize in VR Design?
User interview
like a well-known user interview, which requires a series of questions that will reveal user objectives, expectations, preferences, and pain points, as stated in this NN/g’s article”User Interviews 101”. We can divide these kinds of questions into two categories, questions that are related to VR in general and ones that are more focused on the experience we want to create.
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Live observation
Observes users as they interact with existing VR experiences or prototypes and pays close attention to their behavior, gestures, and reactions. And we can get plenty of insight from facial expressions, words, movements, navigation, and interaction, and we will be able to identify usability issues for areas for improvement. It also suggested to full-body and screen record the session with a dedicated camera. You can find several tips for conducting an observation session in this NN/g’s video
VR usability testing
It’s essential to do iterative testing throughout the design process and obtain user feedback early on, and while testing generally occurs once there’s something to test, it can be very, very beneficial to test basic prototypes or mockups directly in the headset. So, get users to do particular tasks as you watch what they do.
Their interactions can reveal a lot, and usability testing and prototype feedback can help you identify usability problems, confirm design decisions, and improve the VR experience based on user feedback. Just like the live observation, it also recommends recording the whole usability testing session. You can find out more about best practices here in UXStudio’s blog VR In UX Research: All You Need To Know About VR User Testing or in this medium article ”A fundamental guide to user testing in Virtual Reality”.
Card sorting:
These techniques are a superb way that can help you to understand how users organize and categorize content within the VR experience, and card sort sessions help you in identifying patterns in users and also reveal knowledge that you may have missed and which you can then utilize for your VR experience's information architecture and navigation design.
You can find more about card sorting in this Interaction-Design Foundation’s article”Card Sorting: The Ultimate Guide (in 2025)”.
Why is empathy different in VR?
Physical & emotional reactions matter
VR can induce motion sickness, discomfort, or even a sense of presence of the obstacle or special effects that affect user perception. Observing body language and physical strain is as crucial as observing their behavior.
Spatial Awareness & Interaction
Users aren’t just clicking buttons and F-Shaped scanning content, users are really walking, reaching, and even turning. Understanding how they naturally move through the level and interact with UIs and interactable objects in virtual environments is a key to designing intuitive experiences in VR.
Immersion & Cognitive Load
VR requires multisensory engagement. Unlike a website where users can multitask almost everything, VR requires attention and adaptation. Researchers must consider how users process the provided information, navigate in virtual spaces, and respond emotionally.
In virtual reality, empathy encompasses more than simply what users say; it also includes how people move, feel, and respond in an immersive environment. We can create and improve VR experiences that genuinely engage people by reevaluating user research techniques.
References
- User inteview 101, https://www.nngroup.com/articles/user-interviews/
- Observers in In-Person and Remote Usability Studies https://youtu.be/yy7LJGfvFac
- VR user testing VR in UX Research: All You Need to Know About VR User Testing
- A guide to user testing, medium article, “A Fundamental Guide to User Testing in Virtual Reality.”
- More about card sorting in this Interaction-Design Foundation’s article, “Card Sorting: The Ultimate Guide (in 2025)”.