TECHNOLOGY AND CODE article
Front. Virtual Real.
Sec. Virtual Reality and Human Behaviour
QExE: A Quality and Experience Evaluation Tool for Audiovisual VR Perception, Behavior, and Cognition Research
- TR
Thomas Robotham 1
- OS
Olli S. Rummukainen 2
- DR
Daniela Rebmann 2
- AR
Alexander Raake 3
- EH
Emanuël Habets 1
1. International Audio Laboratories Erlangen (AudioLabs), Erlangen, Germany
2. Fraunhofer-Institut fur Integrierte Schaltungen IIS, Erlangen, Germany
3. Institut für Nachrichtentechnik, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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Abstract
The interactive nature of virtual reality (VR) challenges many assumptions of conventional audiovisual quality evaluation approaches, necessitating tools and methods that account for user agency, temporal coupling, and context. We present the Quality and Experience Evaluation (QExE) Tool for interactive VR. Several quality evaluation methods, additional questionnaires, behavioral and interactivity data collection, and the ability to load multiple suitable audio rendering plug-ins are included. The tool streamlines the evaluation process by automatically creating test items that include audiovisual media such as object-based or multichannel audio and three-dimensional (3D) spatial scenes or 360◦videos. Utilizing a 3D game engine in tandem with control software, the method, questionnaire, and interactivity data can be saved to subject-specific sub-directories. Prior research utilizing the QExE tool is described, along with a novel case study investigating the effects of a VR training scheme on cognitive load, audio plausibility, and interaction behavior. This study demonstrates that the QExE tool can be effectively employed to collect perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral data for subjective evaluations in interactive VR environments.
Summary
Keywords
Audio, Behavior, Cognition, Evaluation, Perception, quality, virtual reality
Received
14 November 2025
Accepted
26 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Robotham, Rummukainen, Rebmann, Raake and Habets. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Thomas Robotham
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.