Governing information and experience in multi user XR systems for collaborative decision making

Balin, S., Bolognesi, C., Nikolic, D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4001-8104, Castronovo, F., Bassorizzi, D. and Manfredi, V. (2026) Governing information and experience in multi user XR systems for collaborative decision making. In: IEEE VR 2nd Workshop on Social Interaction and Collaboration in eXtended Reality, March 22nd, 2026, Daegu, Korea. (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

Multi-user Extended Reality (XR) systems are increasingly adopted to support collaborative activities that require shared understanding and collective decisions among heterogeneous stakeholders. Despite notable advances in networking, sensing, and rendering technologies, many real-world implementations reveal a persistent limitation: Technical performance alone does not guarantee effective collaboration. Poorly structured immersive environments often lead to cognitive overload, interpretative differences and uneven participation, particularly in high-risk and multi-institutional contexts. This article argues that a key element missing in current multi-user XR research and practice is explicit governance of information and experience. It introduces a concise, governance-oriented conceptual framework that positions experience not as an emergent byproduct of system performance, but as an explicit and designable requirement. The framework conceptualizes multi-user XR environments as governed information ecosystems, where information layering, roledependent access, narrative progression, and experiential transparency are deliberately orchestrated to support clarity, inclusiveness, and procedural legitimacy. Rather than presenting a comprehensive empirical validation, this contribution is intentionally positioned as a position paper grounded in Design Science research and informed by observations of real-world, multi-institutional implementations of XR. In addition to articulating a conceptual position, the article provides structured guidelines for the design and reasoning of how experiential governance can be instantiated and adapted in different collaborative contexts. In doing so, it aims to reframe how multiuser XR systems are conceived, configured and evaluated, and to outline a research agenda for more accountable, interpretable and trustworthy collaborative XR environments.

Item Type	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/128144
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of the Built Environment > Construction Management and Engineering
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