The paper “Crafting Virtual Realities: Designing a VR End-User Authoring Platform for Personalized Exposure Therapy”, co-authored by LASIGE’s researchers João P. Ferreira, Filipa Ferreira-Brito, João Guerreiro and Tiago Guerreiro has been published and presented at the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2024), a top-ranked venue (CORE A*), which took place in the Greater Seattle Area, USA, from October 21 to 25, 2024.

In this paper, the authors highlight the current limitations in virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) and use a participatory design approach to build a VRET prototype with clinician’s feedback. This prototype was then used in a study with therapists to elicit discussions about the design of VRET experiences and their authoring needs. Findings highlight important topics such as deviating from stereotypical scenarios and the importance of the therapist-patient relationship.