Heuristic Evaluation of an Affordable Mobile VR Application for K–12 Programming Education
Resumo
Virtual reality (VR) has been widely studied in educational and training contexts, where it fosters immersive and interactive experiences that enhance student engagement, enable experiential learning, and allow the execution of complex, hazardous, or otherwise impractical tasks in real–world settings. This paper presents a heuristic usability evaluation of a low–cost mobile VR application, currently in use and under continuous development, designed to support K–12 students in learning computer programming concepts. The evaluation was conducted by five experts with research backgrounds in Computing Education, Educational Technology, and Virtual Reality, using a set of 12 specific heuristics tailored for VR. The goal was to identify usability issues related to interface design, interaction methods, and users’ sense of immersion and presence. A total of ten usability issues were identified, most of which were categorized as inconvenient, distracting, or annoying, with no severe problems reported. The evaluation guided targeted design improvements, including visual refinements, enhanced feedback mechanisms, and interaction adjustments. These findings demonstrate how structured heuristic evaluations can effectively support the iterative design of educational VR applications, providing practical insights for developers and researchers aiming to improve user experience, particularly in low–cost learning environments.
Palavras-chave:
Virtual Reality, Usability Evaluation, Educational Technology, Mobile Devices, K–12
Referências
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K. Sigayret, A. Tricot, and N. Blanc. Unplugged or plugged-in programming learning: A comparative experimental study. Computers and Education, 2022.
S. Sukirman, L. F. Md Ibharim, C. S. Said, and B. Murtiyasa. A Strategy of Learning Computational Thinking through Game Based in Virtual Reality: Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework. Informatics in Education, 2022.
E. Krokos, C. Plaisant, and A. Varshney. Virtual memory palaces: immersion aids recall. Virtual Reality, 2019.
A. Shi, Y. Wang, and N. Ding. The effect of game-based immersive virtual reality learning environment on learning outcomes: designing an intrinsic integrated educational game for pre-class learning. Interactive Learning Environments, 2022.
G. M. N. Avellar, M. L. Fioravanti, W. S. de Deus, K. R. L. J. Castelo Branco, and E. F. Barbosa. SSPOT-VR: An immersive and affordable mobile application for supporting K-12 students in learning programming concepts. Education and Information Technologies, 29(13), 16411–16439, Sep. 2024. DOI: 10.1007/s10639-024-12499-0.
R. Tori and M. da S. Hounsell. Introducao a Realidade Virtual e Aumentada. Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil: Editora SBC, 2018.
J. Jerald. The VR Book: Human-Centered Design for Virtual Reality. Association for Computing Machinery and Morgan & Claypool, 2016.
J. Radianti, T. A. Majchrzak, J. Fromm, and I. Wohlgenannt. A systematic review of immersive virtual reality applications for higher education: Design elements, lessons learned, and research agenda. Computers and Education, 2020.
F. L. S. Nunes, L. S. Machado, and R. M. Moraes. Evolution of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Health: A Reflection from 15 Years of SVR. Proc. XVI Symposium on Virtual and Augmented Reality, 2014. DOI: 10.1109/SVR.2014.28.
A. Sutcliffe and B. Gault. Heuristic evaluation of virtual reality applications. Interacting with Computers, 2004. DOI: 10.1016/j.intcom.2004.05.001.
J. Nielsen and R. Molich. Heuristic Evaluation of User Interfaces. Proc. SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Seattle, WA, USA, 1990. DOI: 10.1145/97243.97281.
M. Hashemipour, H. F. Manesh, and M. Bal. A modular virtual reality system for engineering laboratory education. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 19(2):305–314, 2011. DOI: 10.1002/cae.20312.
G. Makransky and G. B. Petersen. Investigating the process of learning with desktop virtual reality: A structural equation modeling approach. Computers and Education, 134:15–30, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2019.02.002.
J. Li, J.-W. Nie, and J. Ye. Evaluation of virtual tour in an online museum: Exhibition of Architecture of the Forbidden City. PLOS ONE, 17(1):1–17, Jan. 2022. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261607.
J. Vincur, M. Konopka, J. Tvarozek, M. Hoang, and P. Navrat. Cubely: Virtual Reality Block-Based Programming Environment. Proc. 23rd ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology, 2017, p.84.
R. J. Segura, F. J. del Pino, C. J. Ogayar, and A. J. Rueda. VR-OCKS: A virtual reality game for learning the basic concepts of programming. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 2020. DOI: 10.1002/cae.22172.
T. Tanielu, R. Akauola, E. Varoy, and N. Giacaman. Combining Analogies and Virtual Reality for Active and Visual Object-Oriented Programming. Proc. ACM Conference on Global Computing Education, Chengdu, China, 2019. DOI: 10.1145/3300115.3309513.
Google. Google VR & AR. Cardboard. 2025. Available: [link]
Computer Science Teachers Association. CSTA: K–12 Computer Science Standards, 2017.
ACM and IEEE. Computing Curricula 2020: Paradigms for Global Computing Education. Association for Computing Machinery, 2020.
Publicado
30/09/2025
Como Citar
AVELLAR, Gustavo Martins Nunes; BARBOSA, Ellen Francine.
Heuristic Evaluation of an Affordable Mobile VR Application for K–12 Programming Education. In: SIMPÓSIO DE REALIDADE VIRTUAL E AUMENTADA (SVR), 27. , 2025, Salvador/BA.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2025
.
p. 456-464.
