Abstract
In this thesis, we investigate the sense of presence (or simply presence) in the realm of Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR). Presence is a defining and well-researched concept for VR but is more difficult to conceptualise for MR. Insights into the sense of presence can aid in assessing user experience and evaluating the effectiveness of these environments. Over the past three decades, presence research has primarily focused on VR and is commonly described as the sense of “being there.” However, this notion is not always relevant or adequate to characterise the sense of presence in MR environments. We see the need to expand research into the context of MR and investigate the similarities and differences between feeling present in MR and in other mediated environments such as VR. Our research investigates presence in MR to provide a deeper understanding of its nature and how to conceptualise it in MR, including adequate measurements for it. This thesis presents our work in elucidating the definitions and conceptualisations of presence and exploring its measurements. After reviewing the current state of presence research in VR and MR, we examine its relationship with the concept of plausibility to scrutinise presence in MR environments. Through multiple user studies and surveys, we establish components of presence and plausibility and their relationships. Additionally, we introduce a preliminary inventory to measure presence and plausibility in MR. To foster further studies in presence research, we also develop tools to aid in computing and analysing rating scores for a presence questionnaire and an online bibliography referencing relevant studies evaluating presence, its aspects, and their measurements.