Tourette Syndrome VR Interactive Experience Based on Patient Interviews: A Study To Enhance Public Awareness

<p><strong>Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that has long been misunderstood by society, especially among adolescents. Traditional educational methods cannot effectively convey the inner experiences of individuals with TS and lack immersion. This study attempts to use virtual reality (VR) as a medium to construct a VR interactive experience that simulates the daily challenges of individuals with TS to enhance the public's understanding and empathy for TS.</strong></p><p>This study adopted a methodology that combines Research Through Design (RTD) and collaborative design (Co-Design), involving three individuals with TS in interviews. VR prototypes of three narrative scenes, “school”, “restaurant” and “clinic” were developed. The goal was to create a complete empathy path from third-person observation to first-person immersion and promote rational understanding through a multi-level progressive perspective.</p><p>In the experimental phase, 16 public participants were recruited, and their changes in the four dimensions of TS knowledge, attitude, social distance and openness were evaluated through pre-test and post-test questionnaires. The results showed that all dimensions were significantly improved after the VR experience, and the effect was particularly prominent in social distance and knowledge understanding. Post-test feedback also showed that most participants recognized the effectiveness of VR experience in educational communication.</p><p>This study preliminarily verified the application potential of VR in empathy education for TS, and provided a reference for future practice and promotion in actual scenarios such as classroom teaching, medical training, and public advocacy.</p><p> </p>