Quantifying the Psychologically Acceptable Range of Visual Pressing in VR Switch Operations

Abstract

In recent years, Virtual Reality （VR） and Mixed Reality （MR） technologies have been increasingly adopted for usability evaluation and training applications in product development. However, these virtual environments can induce a mismatch between visual and tactile feedback, potentially leading to user discomfort. This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the threshold of visual change—i.e., the psychological tolerance range—at which users begin to perceive discomfort when interacting with a switch in a VR environment. A VR setup was constructed that allows independent control of visual and tactile stroke parameters. Experiments were conducted under three tactile stroke conditions （5 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm）, in which the visual stroke was gradually varied. Logistic regression models were constructed based on the stroke values at which participants reported discomfort. The results showed a tendency for the tolerance range to widen as the tactile stroke increased. This suggests that larger tactile strokes may reduce sensitivity to visual-tactile mismatches. The findings provide a quantitative basis for designing user interfaces in VR and teleoperation systems, contributing to the improvement of sensory quality and reduction of perceived discomfort.