Immersive social and tangible interaction for smes: tools and methods to access the metaverse case studies on fashion and nautical showrooms

The thesis stems from the recognition that while immersive tools and the Metaverse are rapidly emerging as key enablers for industrial digital transformation, their adoption remains limited for small and medium enterprises (SME) due to technical barriers, economic constraints, and the lack of specialized skills. This exclusion risks widening the gap between large corporations and small manufacturers, particularly in the Made in Italy ecosystem, where craftsmanship, creativity, and design quality are core values. The research aims to define methods, tools, and design frameworks to integrate immersive technologies into SME workflows, enhancing product communication, collaborative decision-making, and configurability. Through a research through design approach grounded in Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles, the study explores how social, cognitive, and tangible dimensions of interaction can be leveraged to create more inclusive and meaningful mixed reality experiences. The thesis is articulated in two main parts. The first part, Social Interaction in XR, focuses on the communicative and collaborative aspects of immersive systems, presenting three progressive (FSM, MAGIC, and MR-CoCo) designed to explore different interaction modalities: from remote collaboration to co-located mixed reality product configuration. Each system was experimentally validated through user testing involving both experts and non-experts, combining quantitative (SUS, UEQ) and qualitative (CCQ, open feedback) metrics. Results highlight the importance of spatial awareness, shared agency, and trust between users in achieving effective collaboration. The second part, Tangible Interaction, investigates how physical engagement and embodied actions can enhance the sense of presence and well-being in extended virtual exposure. A novel Mixed Tangible Catalog (MTC) was developed as an adaptive tangible interface supporting long-term tasks in immersive environments. The study demonstrates that tangible interaction improves user comfort, reduces cognitive fatigue, and contributes to a more natural integration between human and digital counterparts. Finally, the discussion and conclusions connect these results to the broader vision of Industry 4.0, emphasizing the central role of human well-being and inclusion in the design of industrial metaverse systems. The proposed frameworks and experimental platforms contribute to bridging the gap between immersive technologies and real industrial practices, promoting sustainable innovation and accessibility for small and medium enterprises.