Factors that raise the reality of the virtual office environment designed to educate software development processes

Abstract

Software Development Virtual Reality (SDVR) is an interactive virtual reality (VR) experience based on the tasks of software development starting from requirement analysis through software testing. The SDVR experience transports participants to a virtual world of a software development organization where they experience development problems and conflicting situations. In SDVR, the participant takes on the role of a new software developer being recruited into software development firm who should work alongside with five virtual characters, played by artificial intelligence. The purpose of this study is to explain the properties of the virtual office environment where the participants can experience software development processes in real office conditions. In order for people to gain experience, the simulated software development process should include the atmosphere and dynamism of the actual office environment. For this reason, the factors affecting the atmosphere of the virtual office environment are presented in the light of the opinions of the experts working in the field of software engineering. According to the results of this study, it is revealed that such a virtual office environment is a useful tool that can be used in the training of individuals who will work in software development field.