Research project - Master CDMM

1. Impact of 3D on User Experience and Achievement.
By Laura BETTEX
Abstract very efficient way to get the students more interested and involved in their
lessons. But we have the feeling that we could go even further by
Dassault Systèmes is the world leading company in 3D design software. Its introducing 3D technologies that have the power to keep millions of
solutions are used in a variety of domains, to conceive industrial objects as players captivated for hours. Based on this observation, we wanted to
well as consumer goods. This software suite will be used throughout this know what impact 3D had on the user experience and see what benefits it
study to discover ways in which 3D technology can fundamentally help could have if used for educational purposes. To start, we digged into
create new learning opportunities and enhance user experience. cognitive ergonomics literature to measure the impact on users'
First will come a review of what is already known about the benefits of 3D understanding and learning capabilities.
representations for cognitive ergonomics. Our theory is that 3D design
must help us to develop learner-centered pedagogy and create simplified, What we know about the impact of 3D on cognitive skills
personalized, affordable learning.
Then we will challenge this theory thanks to the results of previous The old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” is an understatement
experiments on that topic, as well as our own series of tests including 3D when it comes to 3D design. Scientific research proved that “a 3-D
assembly instructions and 3D demonstrations. computer model” encapsulates a lot more information than a 2D image
The study concludes that 3D does have the power to enhance the user and is “more easily understood because more detail is given through the
experience, but only if 3D models are properly conceived and if the users use of colors, lights and shades and shadows” (12). This fact is particularly
are well prepared. interesting if we consider that “human cognition includes a working
memory that is limited in capacity and duration if dealing with novel
Keywords: 3D, cognitive ergonomics, education, innovative learning, information” (5). This means that learners have to understand in a glimpse
learning in 3D, user achievement, user experience, user performance, the entirety of a concept, a process or a phenomenon. But recent studies
workload. have shown that “2D vision requires longer and slower information
processing than 3D vision” (3). In this respect, 3D is the perfect means to
Introduction give them immediately all the information they need “so that information
can be stored effectively in long-term memory” (5).
The digital native generation of students has come with new expectations
and needs in terms of learning. Practically born with a laptop in their If 3D design has such a potential for enhancing user learning and user
hands, they need more than books to be captivated … Over the last few experience, it is also because of the importance of the visual sense for
years, the introduction of new technologies at school has proved to be a collecting information. A study reveals that “much of what we learn and
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2. experience is through our visual sense” and that “approximately eighty This is exactly why we want to leverage the educational value of 3D models
percent of our sensory input comes from our visual system” (12). using them to develop learner-centered pedagogy and create simplified,
Furthermore, we see the world around us in three-dimensions so there is personalized, affordable learning.
nothing more intuitive or natural than playing with an object in 3D to learn
how it is build and how it works. Using 3D models to make the most of the time spent in class
In addition, three-dimensional representations do not only appeal to the As we have seen before, 3D technologies represent a powerful tool for
eye but also to the brain as “3D vision appears to be essential and more creating stimulating learning materials that allow learners to receive a lot
intuitive [than 2D vision], requiring less cognitive elaboration and mental more information and to understand a greater level of complexity. The
load” (3). In consequences, the “cognitive resources usually involved in the goal is of course not to replace the teacher or his conventional teaching
2D image processing may be involved in other processes when 3D vision is techniques but to provide him with “valuable supplemental teaching and
used, allowing to increase gesture precision and safety” (3). Using 3D learning resources to augment and reinforce traditional methods” (16).
models is not only for the sake of better aesthetics, it has proved to be
relieving the brain from excessive work load. Moreover, a 3D model needs to be designed only once and is replicable ad
infinitum, on every computer, every screen. It represents a very powerful,
“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand”. though affordable course material that enables personalized learning as
Confucius every students can possess his own model and 'play' with it as he wants or
even watch it again from home to prepare the lesson or do his homework.
On the basis of these considerations, it is clear that 3D animations could be This is totally inconceivable when we think about the old plaster mock-up
a precious tool in a constructivist approach of learning where people used for science education in most of the classrooms for example (when
actively construct their knowledge and learn by doing. If we used 3D they have one).
images to teach a knowledge or a know-how, learners could be more than
“passive recipients of prepackaged multimedia content” as they could This is why Tel Aviv University and the Science and Technology Education
“examine images and manipulate three-dimensional models” thus Center (SATEC) in Tel-Aviv, Israel, worked on the introduction of 3D models
“enhanc[ing] their understanding of scientific concepts and processes”(8). to teach Astronomy in primary school. Considering “the inherent
An Australian study even concludes that “to enhance learning, students difficulties of the subject matter”, the research team concludes that “the
should be given opportunity for exploration and manipulation within the need for new technological solutions in science education is clear” (8).
environment” (11) what is not always possible for a variety of reasons, Because the subject “requires an understanding of three-dimensional
including safety issues or logistical and budgetary constraints. Using 3D dynamics, and demands advanced cognitive capabilities”, they created a
models as learning materials would solve these problems and give all dynamic 3D model reproducing the solar system (Figure 1) to help the
students fair access to similar quality education. pupils understand the basic astronomical phenomena of day and night,
seasons, eclipses, phases of the moon and the motion of planets.
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3. 3D gives them “the capability of visualizing events and objects as they may
appear from different perspectives simultaneously” (8).
Using 3D technologies can provide effective training in situations requiring
the use of equipment prohibitively expensive or impossible to obtain
otherwise. Similarly, it creates extraordinary opportunity for learners (and
people in general) to discover things they could never think they would. 3D
“provides a way of observing natural phenomena that, perhaps due to
their size, duration, or location, are difficult or impossible to observe
directly” (8) (Figure 2). For example, virtual reality allows “observation and
examination of areas and events unavailable (such as underwater,
historical scenes, reconstructions of archaeological sites) or impossible (for
example, exploring Mars, traveling inside human body, moving among
molecules) by other means” (16).
Figure 1. Touch the Sky, Touch the Universe, a 3D model developed by Tel Aviv's
University.
The example of this dynamic 3D model reproducing the entire solar system
is just an infinitesimal part of what 3D can do and how it can participate in
the creation of the school of the future, creating new exciting and
unprecedented learning opportunities.
The great power of 3D models is that they “extend to a wide range of
activities, from training people to acting in dangerous environments to
experiencing contexts that in physical reality would be too expensive or Figure 2. A 3D animation showing the formation of a cyclone.
impossible to access” (16). They can be used to teach knowledge or know-
how, and the fields of application are just as varied as they are numerous Nowadays, the extraordinary power of 3D technologies is widely harnessed
including military training, medical training (complex surgery), or special- by the Industrial and the Entertainment worlds, and we think that it is high
needs education for children with “cognitive deficits” (16). time that the Educational world benefits from it too. French Ministry of
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4. Education understood that and created partnerships with pioneering The results of these various experiments have been very informative but
companies in this domain. we nevertheless wanted to conduct our own series of tests to be able to
They notably rely on Dassault Systèmes' expertise of 3D design to initiate make our own conclusions and see if it corresponded to the results of
the revolution of 3D education. previous researches.
In this context, we had a chance to conduct a series of tests to challenge
cognitive ergonomics theories and identify the possibilities and the 3D models in the hands of middle school students and novice users
obstacles in the introduction of 3D into classrooms.
First, we chose to focus on an online 3D application (showing how to use
Assessing the impact of 3D on User experience the machine tool of a technology classroom) that was designed by an
intern at Dassault Systèmes' 3D experience Lab (Figure 3) with the
Over the last few years, many companies and many researchers conducted software 3DVIA Composer. We decided to bring this application inside a
tests to assess the impact of 3D designs on learning capabilities. We can real classroom and confront it to the targeted audience, namely a class of
think of an experiment involving 224 nurses with no surgical experience middle school students (13-14 years) 1.
who were asked to execute a motor task with a robotic system, either in
2D or in 3D. The goal was to “evaluate the impact of 3D and 2D vision on
performance of novice subjects using da Vinci robotic system” and the
research confirms that “3D view allows novice participants to execute
faster a basic motor task” (3). The conclusions of the test even evoke “the
advantage of 3D vision over 2D view” and call for the development of
“efficient and less expensive 3D systems in order to improve the accuracy
of surgical gesture, the resident training and the operating time” (3). Such
tests emphasize the real potential of 3D technology to revolutionize
teaching methods and learners' achievement.
A whole battery of tests was also conducted to measure the efficiency of
3D for assembly tasks, one of them including “solving 3D‐object
manipulation puzzles” (2). Comparing two procedures is very common as
for “over 25 years, researchers from around the globe have used cognitive
load theory” to evaluate the effectiveness of procedures “by comparing
them to more traditional methods using randomized, controlled
experiments” (5). Comparing procedures this way is very revealing about Figure 3. A 3D application explaining how to use the machine tool Charly4Utm
(available at 3DS Academy.com).
the “cognitive load effects” of each of them, and “provide us with novel
instructional guidelines that constitute the ultimate aim of cognitive load
theory” (5). 1
Mr. Marano's class, from the Cité scolaire Michelet in Vanves.
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5. The goal was not to replace the teacher but to see if this 3D animation
could be an efficient course material allowing the students to have a better
understanding and a greater autonomy.
Procedure 1
Due to the large number of students, the class is usually split in two during
technology classes. The teacher gave the standard lesson to the first group,
explaining and showing himself the functioning of the machine and the
second group was chosen to test the online 3D animation. During the first
class with the group 2, the teacher Mr. Marano presented them the
application. He explained where to find it, how to use it and asked them to
watch at home 3 specific sequences to prepare the lesson.
The actual test occurred a week later during the next class. The students
were divided into three groups and watched the animation again thanks to
the three laptops we brought with us. Then each group was assigned a
specific task: design a part of the object they have to build during the year,
define a marketing strategy to sell it or manufacture a specific part of the Figure 4. A student is watching the 3D animation on the tablet and giving
object on the machine tool. indications to the members of his group.
We focused on the group responsible for the machining and provided At the end of the lesson, we distributed a survey to the students to collect
them with a touchpad containing the 3D animation so that they could their opinion about the experiment and the use of 3D models at school.
watch it while they were using the machine. The members of the group We also interviewed the teacher to know his feelings about the
performed the task under the command of the student holding the introduction of 3D in his classroom and the efficiency of such a measure.
touchpad and watching the indications (Figure 4). The results were extremely encouraging but will be discussed in further
details in the general conclusion or our tests.
Procedure 2
In a second time, inspired by the cognitive load theory applied to assembly
tasks, we decided to compare a standard assembly instruction manual and
a dynamic 3D version of this same manual. We selected a representative
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6. sample of five persons, 2 men and 3 women (2 of them under the age of about both manuals and analyzed the results that are to be found in the
15, 2 others between 20 and 30, and the last one above 30). following part of this article.
The test protocol was very clear and identical for all; one by one they were After having conducted theses series of tests, we deducted a certain
given LEGO bricks to assemble a small robot, a list of instructions and a number of remarks about the efficiency of 3D and its impact on the user
manual, either the paper or the 3D version (Figure 5). experience.
Observations, conclusions and future perspectives
The numerous studies conducted before ours concluded that 3D
animations do have a tremendous impact on all the aspects of user
experience and user achievement. They evoke teachers admitting that “the
pupils in the 3D groups had deeper understanding, increased attention
span, more motivation and higher engagement” (13) than the ones who
didn't have access to the 3D models. They do not only mention the greater
level of “pupil satisfaction with 3D learning [...] with an 83% approval
rating” but also the measureable impact on pupil's achievement with
better memorization and better academic results, arguing that “the pupils
in the 3D classes could remember more than the 2D classes after four
weeks” and that they “gave more elaborate answers to open-ended tasks”
(13).
In the light of what we observed during our series of tests, we came to the
same conclusions. The first experiment in the classroom reveals that in
comparison to a standard lesson, the pupils enjoyed it as it was more
“playful” and “captivating”. They appreciated the interactive aspect of the
lesson and the fact that they could manipulate the 3D object. For his part,
Figure 5. Left: the test with the 3D assembly instructions. Right: the test with the
paper manual. the teacher told us that such 3D animation represent a huge help for him
as the pupils can prepare the lesson at home and understand more rapidly
They were timed and when they were done, they were given the other what has to be done. They are very enthusiastic about the class and work
type of manual so that they can compare it to the one they used. The fifth in a more studious atmosphere.
person even assembled half of her robot with the paper manual and the
other half using the 3D manual. Then we collected what they had to say As far as the second experiment is concerned, we obtained similar results
as the 3D assembly manual was systematically pointed as more efficient,
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7. more precise than its 2D counterpart. The users liked the interactivity of will be no obstacle left to the development of 3D to enhance the user
the 3D manual and regretted that the paper version sometimes looked experience.
more like a “spot the difference” game when they had to find what had
changed between two steps. A user even said that with the 3D application,
he had the impression that someone was assembling the robot next to him References
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