Decouple representation, visualisation, and interaction effects

Determine whether the cognitive benefits observed when comparing GraphXplore with a slide-based review setup are caused by the layered three-dimensional graph representation, the immersive stereoscopic head-mounted display, or the natural three-dimensional spatial interaction mechanism.

Background

The study’s experimental setup bundles multiple independent variables, making it difficult to establish the cause of the observed usability and workload effects. The authors explicitly identify the need for future experimental designs that systematically separate the graph representation, visualisation device, and interaction mechanism so that the precise source of any cognitive benefit can be established.

References

Consequently, it is difficult to definitively isolate whether the observed improvements in usability and reduced cognitive workload are primarily attributable to the representation format (the layered 3D graph itself), the visualisation device (the immersive stereoscopic HMD), or the interaction mechanism (natural 3D spatial manipulation). While these confounding variables could have been avoided by using the same interaction and visualisation devices for both groups (e.g., testing the 3D graph on a standard 2D desktop monitor), doing so would fail to represent how these immersive MBSE tools are actually intended to be used in practice, thereby compromising the ecological validity of the study. Nevertheless, future experimental designs must attempt to systematically decouple these variables to pinpoint the precise source of the cognitive benefits.

— Navigating and Retrieving Information in Immersive Model-Based Design Reviews: An Exploratory Study  (2608.20128 - Romero et al., 20 Aug 2026) in Section 6, Discussion and threats to validity

For networks comparable to those we studied, we therefore recommend prioritizing 3D layouts in immersive environments. For substantially smaller or sparser networks, where occlusion matters less, simpler 2D layouts may suffice or even be preferable, a trade-off that remains to be verified.

— Surrounded by Friends: Design and Evaluation of Immersive Layouts of Egocentric Network for Visual Analytics  (2608.27194 - Takahira et al., 27 Aug 2026) in Section 7, Discussion, subsection “Leverage 3D Layouts in Immersive Environments”