Reflecting on the Design and Implementation Issues of Virtual Environments

We present a candid reflection on the issues surrounding virtual environment design and implementation (VEDI) in order to: (1) motivate the topic as a researchworthy undertaking, and (2) attempt a comprehensive listing of impeding VEDI issues so they can be addressed. In order to structure this reflection, an idealized model of VEDI is presented. This model, investigated using mixed methods, resulted in 67 distinct issues along the model's transitions and pathways. These were clustered into 11 themes and used to support five VEDI research challenges.