Advertisement is funding a lot of the digital landscape we interact with on a day-to-day basis. As our digital landscape evolve and the field of Cross Reality is maturing, it is of value to examine its compatibility with this mean of monetization. With the perspective of three major stakeholders in mind (advertisers, developers and end-users) this study examines the impact of two different sets of advertisements, one set from a variety of brands and one set from a single brand, in a Virtual Reality experience. A user study is conducted with data being collected through a questionnairesupported interview as well as the advertisement software within the virtual experience. The results show very little impact on the user experience in general, however the data suggests a significant advantage for a variety of advertisement in terms of subconsciously reaching the user. / Reklam finanansierar stora delar av det digitala landskap vi interagerar med dagligen. Allt eftersom tekniken utvecklas och området Cross Reality mognar, är det av värde att undersöka dess kompabilitet med denna typ av finansiering. Ur perspektivet av tre huvudintressenter (annonsörer, utvecklare och slutanvändare), undersöker denna studie inverkan från två olika uppsättningar av reklam. Den ena uppsättningen består av reklam från en variation av varumärken och den andra uppsättningen består av reklam från ett enskilt varumärke. En användarstudie genomförs med data som insamlas via en enkät-stöttad intervju samt genom mjukvaran som levererar reklamen inom den virtuella upplevelsen. Resultaten visar väldigt liten inverkan på den generella användarupplevelsen, dock antyder datan att det finns en signifikant fördel för en variation av reklam när det gäller aspekten att undermedvetet nå användarna.

<p dir="ltr">This study provides insights into the right combination of devices in a co-design task, in this case, at designing a game level. The cross-reality systems enable users to connect and collaborate across the Reality-Virtuality continuum i.e., PC/Desktop, augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR). Co-design involves two or more users coming together to ideate a clear objective, and build using the appropriate tools for collaboration, design, testing, and refinement for the masses. It also considers the time and resources used throughout the process with constant and open communication. The simulation design is based on developing an application that allows two users to connect in a pairwise modality (Desktop-Desktop, VR-VR or Desktop-VR) and use the assets provided to design a game level. The users were given a layout of the level and factors based on which the level will be designed. The results are discussed, and future work and conclusions are provided based on them.</p>

Alternate realities have fascinated mankind since early prehistory and with the advent of the computer and the smartphone we have seen the rise of many different categories of alternate reality that seek to augment, diminish, mix with or ultimately replace our familiar real world in order to expand our capabilities and our understanding. This thesis presents parallel reality as a new category of alternate reality which further addresses the vacancy problem that manifests in many previous alternate reality experiences. Parallel reality describes systems comprising two environments that the user may freely switch between, one real and the other virtual, both complete unto themselves. Parallel reality is framed within the larger ecosystem of previously explored alternate realities through a thorough review of existing categorisation techniques and taxonomies, leading to the introduction of the combined Milgram/Waterworth model and an extended definition of the vacancy problem for better visualising experience in alternate reality systems. Investigation into whether an existing state of the art alternate reality modality (Situated Simulations) could allow for parallel reality investigation via the Virtual Time Windows project was followed by the development of a bespoke parallel reality platform called Mirrorshades, which combined the modern virtual reality hardware of the Oculus Rift with the novel indoor positioning system of IndoorAtlas. Users were thereby granted the ability to walk through their real environment and to at any point switch their view to the equivalent vantage point within an immersive virtual environment. The benefits that such a system provides by granting users the ability to mitigate the effects of the extended vacancy problem and explore parallel real and virtual environments in tandem was experimentally shown through application to a use case within the realm of cultural heritage at a 15th century chapel. Evaluation of these user studies lead to the establishment of a number of best practice recommendations for future parallel reality endeavours.