Predefined Spatial Layouts—Defining Preferences

Three-dimensional virtual reality (VR) environments, whether utilized on desktop platforms or immersive screens, have been acknowledged for facilitating innovative and highly captivating methods of engaging with digital content across various domains of application. Extensive research conducted in recent years has consistently indicated that the utilization of 3D interfaces, as opposed to their 2D counterparts, can result in improvements across multiple dimensions of performance. These improvements encompass a more comprehensive comprehension and retention of information, an increased capacity for creative and efficient collaboration, and the ability to seamlessly integrate multiple sources of information into workflows in a more expedient manner. Concurrently, the integration of digital content, such as documents, audio-visual content, and web browsers, into 3D spaces is often determined by the creators of said spaces, based on aesthetic considerations or on a case-by-case basis influenced by the specific workflow. This chapter aims to present the findings of an experiment that was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of how users prefer to arrange digital content within their 3D environments, taking into account factors such as the subject matter, the format of the content (e.g., text-based, image, or audio-visual), and the presence of 3D objects within the space. The outcomes of this experiment, as outlined in this chapter, can offer valuable insights for the development of future design methodologies for 3D VR and may also offer support for the implementation of automated solutions for content arrangement.