虛擬療癒庭園之漫遊體驗—高齡者之空間行為與健康效益評估

Abstract

療癒庭園是一種能促進使用者健康，且經過一定程度人為干預的綠地。雖然過去多數療癒庭園被認為具優良美質，並被證實具有改善健康的效果，但部分庭園也因設計師缺乏相關概念，而存在自然元素不足、硬體設施過多等設計缺陷。因此，本研究的第一階段旨在建立療癒庭園設計的實證準則。採用內容分析法歸納24篇綜述文獻的研究成果，並分析3本書籍中描述的59座療癒庭園案例。建構出一套包含區位、格局、自然元素和人造元素四個類別的設計準則，共計18個類目，以作為療癒庭園設計的指南。 評估療癒庭園使用者之空間行為與健康效益，能讓設計師可以了解庭園設計是否須改善，然而過去必須實際建造庭園後才能進行評估，過程耗時甚多。近十年來虛擬實境(Virtual Reality, VR)技術已發展成熟，能有效模擬真實環境，因此可利用VR模擬療癒庭園的環境，以驗證其對人們的空間行為和健康效益，而無需建造實體庭園。此外，考慮到VR體驗沉浸感的提升和動暈症的降低能增加體驗滿意度，探討沉浸感和動暈症對VR療癒庭園使用行為的影響也顯得尤為重要。 本研究的第二階段旨在探討依照設計準則建造的療癒庭園是否具有改善健康的效益，以及探討VR療癒庭園對使用者空間行為、健康效益、景觀美質和VR體驗的關聯。研究根據前階段建立的設計準則，建構出一座VR療癒庭園。本研究共招募56名高齡受測者，並在他們於VR療癒庭園中漫遊前後測量心跳變異性，及填寫問卷收集個人特性、空間行為、健康效益、景觀美質和VR體驗等資料。研究過程中，錄影記錄停留位置、停留點數量以及總漫遊時長，並記錄每分鐘的心率，最後進行簡短訪談。 統計分析顯示，受測者在漫遊後的心情顯著比漫遊前更佳。若受測者認為庭園美質愈高，其停留點數量、總漫遊時間、身體活動量均顯著增加。研究還發現，受測者在庭園內停留次數或總漫遊時間愈多時，其身體活動量和知覺恢復皆會隨之增加。此外，受測者的VR沉浸感較高時，在庭園內的停留次數和總漫遊時間也較多；VR動暈症愈嚴重時，則總漫遊時間則愈少。地理資訊系統分析顯示，受測者在庭園內的停留熱點多鄰近主動線的主題性景點。訪談結果中，受測者多使用正向形容詞描述庭園整體景色或內部元素。

A healing garden is a type of green space that promotes user health and has undergone a certain degree of human intervention. Although most healing gardens in the past have been considered to have excellent aesthetic qualities and have been proven to improve health, some gardens also have design flaws due to the designers' lack of relevant concepts, such as insufficient natural elements and excessive hardware facilities. Therefore, the first stage of this study aims to establish empirical guidelines for healing garden design. Content analysis was used to summarize the research results of 24 review papers and analyze 59 healing garden cases described in 3 books. A set of design guidelines was constructed, comprising four categories: location, layout, natural elements, and artificial elements, totaling 19 items, to serve as a guide for healing garden design. Evaluating the spatial behavior and health benefits of healing garden users can help designers understand whether garden design needs improvement. However, in the past, evaluation could only be carried out after the actual construction of the garden, which was very time-consuming. In the past decade, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has matured and can effectively simulate real environments. Therefore, VR can be used to simulate the environment of a healing garden to verify its impact on people's spatial behavior and health benefits without the need to build a physical garden. Moreover, considering that enhancing the sense of immersion in VR experiences and reducing cybersickness can increase user satisfaction, it is also crucial to explore the impact of immersion and cybersickness on the usage behavior of VR healing gardens. The second stage of this study aims to explore whether the healing gardens built according to the design guidelines have health benefits and to investigate the relationship between VR healing gardens and user spatial behavior, health benefits, landscape aesthetics, and VR experience. Based on the design guidelines established in the previous stage, a VR healing garden was constructed. This study recruited 56 elderly participants and measured their heart rate variability before and after roaming in the VR healing garden. They also completed questionnaires to collect data on personal characteristics, spatial behavior, health benefits, landscape aesthetics, and VR experience. During the study, video recordings were made to record the locations, number of stops, and total roaming duration, and heart rate was recorded every minute. Finally, brief interviews were conducted. Statistical analysis showed that participants' mood significantly improved after roaming compared to before. Participants who perceived the garden's landscape quality as higher had significantly more stay points, longer total roaming time, and increased physical activity. The study also found that more stay points or longer total roaming time in the garden were associated with increased physical activity and perceived restoration. Additionally, higher VR immersion was linked to more stay points and longer total roaming time, while more severe VR cybersickness was associated with shorter total roaming time. Geographic Information System analysis revealed that participants' stay hotspots were mostly near thematic spots along the main paths. Interviews indicated that participants frequently used positive adjectives to describe the overall scenery or internal elements of the garden.