Avatars and Embodied Agents in Experimental Information Systems Research: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework

Authors

  • Hussain M. Aljaroodi School of Electrical Engineering and Computing The University of Newcastle
  • Marc T. P. Adam School of Electrical Engineering and Computing The University of Newcastle
  • Raymond Chiong School of Electrical Engineering and Computing The University of Newcastle
  • Timm Teubner Einstein Center Digital Future Technical University of Berlin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v23i0.1841

Keywords:

Avatars, embodied agents, perception, behaviour, literature review

Abstract

Computerised graphical representations of human users and computer agents, known as avatars and embodied agents, have been extensively explored and investigated in Information Systems (IS) research and practice. Such digital representations can be employed in either 2D or 3D. In order to facilitate research on user and agent representations and their applications in IS, we conduct a systematic literature review and establish the current state of research on humans’ perceptions and behaviours when interacting with avatars and embodied agents. Our findings are based on an analysis of 90 articles published in top outlets in the IS field. This review identifies 1) different types of avatar and embodied agent-mediated interactions with users, 2) current application domains of such representations, 3) their dimensionality, 4) affected psychological constructs, and 5) practical considerations for the design of such digital representations. Finally, we discuss limitations of current research and, based on these, directions for future work.

Author Biographies

Hussain M. Aljaroodi, School of Electrical Engineering and Computing The University of Newcastle

Hussain M. Aljaroodi is a PhD candidate at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Newcastle (UoN), Australia. He earned a Bachelor of Information Technology and a Master of Information Technology from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. His research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human-Centered Information Systems (HCIS) and the use of digital representations in health services.

Marc T. P. Adam, School of Electrical Engineering and Computing The University of Newcastle

Marc T. P. Adam is a Senior Lecturer in Computing and Information Technology at the University of Newcastle, Australia. In his research, he investigates the interplay of cognitive and affective processes of human users in electronic commerce. He received an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg, Germany, and a PhD in Economics of Information Systems from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. His research has been published in top international outlets such as International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Business & Information Systems Engineering, and others.

Raymond Chiong, School of Electrical Engineering and Computing The University of Newcastle

Raymond Chiong is a senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is also a guest research professor with the Center for Modern Information Management at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, and a visiting scholar with the Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, China. He obtained his PhD degree from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and an MSc degree from the University of Birmingham, UK. His research interests include optimization, machine learning and data analytics. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management. Currently, he is an Editor of Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence and an Associate Editor of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine. To date, he has produced over 120 refereed publications.

Timm Teubner, Einstein Center Digital Future Technical University of Berlin

Timm Teubner is a professor at the Einstein Center Digital Future, Technical University of Berlin, Germany. He received his doctoral degree in political science, working on economic behaviour, involving social preferences and risk. His current interests include various aspects of peer-to-peer market platforms such as user representation and trust, and the economic value of information systems. His research has been published in top international outlets such as Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Business & Information Systems Engineering, Economics Letters, Economics Bulletin, and Electronic Markets.

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Published

2019-10-07

How to Cite

Aljaroodi, H. M., Adam, M. T. P., Chiong, R., & Teubner, T. (2019). Avatars and Embodied Agents in Experimental Information Systems Research: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 23. https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v23i0.1841

Issue

Vol. 23 (2019)

Section

Research Articles

License

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