The hand serves as the primary instrument of cognitive perception, while tactile engagement represents the fundamental language through which designers explore and interpret material textures in their creative process. The perception of physical phenomena emerges through an intricate interplay with lived bodily experience; a concept deeply rooted in phenomenological understanding. In the contemporary technological landscape, our sensory interactions have undergone a significant transformation, particularly in how we evaluate and interpret physical materials within immersive virtual reality (IVR) environments. This study examines the intersection of human haptic perception and IVR technology's influence on material perception within three-dimensional environments in interior design education, focusing specifically on students' capacity to comprehend and visualize physical material properties in virtual spaces.

Given the crucial role of material realism in digital 3D environments for interior design practice, this research investigates how stereoscopic visualization impacts students' perception and evaluation of aesthetic material properties in design contexts. Particular attention is paid to variations in color, texture, and material appearance under different lighting conditions through comparative analysis of physical materials and their visualization across both 2D screen-based platforms and IVR environments. Through a quantitative analysis of nine interior design graduate students, the study employed a quantitative methodology to measure perceptual accuracy across 2D screen and 3D environment modalities, comparing participants' assessments of material properties between physical samples and their virtual counterparts.

The findings reveal that IVR environments enhance material perception, particularly in the evaluation of surface textures under varying lighting conditions and the assessment of color variations in spatial contexts. While the stereoscopic nature of IVR technology facilitated improved assessment of spatial relationships and material characteristics in furniture and interior elements, the study acknowledges the persistent challenge of replicating certain tactile properties in virtual immersive environments. These findings underscore IVR technology's valuable potential as a pedagogical tool in interior design education, particularly for material visualization and aesthetic decision-making in different scenarios.

Keywords: Material perception, Immersive Virtual Reality, Interior design, Design Education, Stereoscopic Visualization, Digital Materials.