Diving into Software Evolution: Virtual Reality vs. On-Screen

Abstract—Background: Traditional 2D visualizations have
been widely used for software metrics and evolution analysis,
offering structured views of complex data. However, the advent
of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies introduces new possibilities
for immersive and interactive software visualization, potentially
enhancing comprehension and user engagement.
Objective/Aim: This report aims to evaluate the effectiveness
of VR immersive visualizations compared to traditional 2D on-
screen visualizations for understanding code metrics across soft-
ware releases. Specifically, we seek to determine if VR provides
better accuracy and speed for comprehending high-level software
evolution tasks.
Method: We will conduct a controlled experiment with 30
participants from academia and industry, using GitLab, GitHub,
or an IDE for on-screen visualizations and a VR setup using Meta
Quest 3. Tasks related to software evolution will be completed
in both settings. Accuracy and time will be measured and
analyzed using mixed linear models and non-parametric tests to
compare the two approaches. Data will be sourced from GitHub
repositories with similar project characteristics.
Index Terms—city metaphor, software evolution, software vi-
sualization, CODECITY, data visualization, virtual reality