Human Factors in XR: Comfort, Presence, Flow

The success of immersive technology depends less on graphics and more on how the human body and mind respond. Human Factors in XR: Comfort, Presence, Flow examines the invisible constraints that determine whether extended reality feels engaging—or exhausting.
This book centers on the human experience of XR. It explores motion sickness, cognitive load, fatigue, attention, and emotional response, showing how small design choices can either support or break immersion. Rather than blaming users for discomfort, the book treats comfort as a design responsibility.
Readers gain insight into how presence emerges when systems respect human perception and movement. Flow, the state of deep engagement, is explored as a balance between challenge, control, and sensory input—not as a byproduct of realism.
You will explore:
• Why discomfort undermines adoption of XR
• How presence is created through consistency and feedback
• Why flow depends on pacing, not intensity
• How to reduce cognitive and physical strain
• How human limits shape responsible XR design
This book is for designers, researchers, and developers who put people before pixels. If your XR experiences must be worn, trusted, and sustained over time, this book explains the human factors that make immersion comfortable and meaningful.