Lesson 1- 3D UX
This is part of the VR course where I aim to learn VR while sharing my experiences with you as I move along. It is also a way for me to understand better myself what I’ve learned as well as a chance for you to learn.
You can check out my previous post for a background of why I am doing this!
Designing for VR/AR is fundamentally different than designing for mobile/web because we are shifting from 2D to 3D. In 3D, we are in the experience, co-authoring as we go along, unlike an experience on mobile while we are still outside of the experience. Below are a few concepts to keep in mind while designing for VR/AR experiences.
Immersion and Presence
The two main fundamentals for designing for VR are ‘immersion’ and ‘presence’.
To feel like you are anywhere, you have to first feel like you’re somewhere.
Immersion can be explained by how ‘deep’ you are within the experience, whereas Presence can be attributed to how ‘pulled in’ you are within the experience.
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Having said that, the most fundamental way of designing for AR/VR is TO DESIGN FOR PRESENCE!
Presence has 2 characteristics- place and plausibility.
‘Place’ refers to the setting/environment you are put into, whereas the ‘Plausibility illusion’ determines whether you feel like you’re really there.
Affordances & Curiosity
Affordance is basically guidance you provide to the user in order for them to make a choice. The easiest example: the ‘Pull/Push’ sign on a door. This indicates to the user that they can ‘do something’ with the door. A user shall be able to interact with the objects without thinking about it. Their interactions should feel as normal as their ‘real’ world experience. The image below shows a user in what seems to be a garage environment. Naturally, the user is drawn towards the door in this case, which is a good example of ‘affordance’ (acting as a cue). Imagine how a user might have felt if he/she just landed here, without the door. What do they do?
If this experience did not have a door or any affordances, the user has to ‘think’ his/her way out, which dismantles the experience, which we call ‘break of presence’ in VR terminology. The key is to avoid ‘break of presence’. If the user does not feel present, why would they be there?
Another concept that we’ve to give the user is ‘Agency’. Agency can be attributed to the amount of control a user has with their experience. He/she shall be able to twist/turn, open doors/windows if they want. Users do not like being restricted to do something. They shall be able to pause or bring up the menu without having to wait for something else to finish.
Affordance Canvas
In VR, we as designers can design in full 360 degrees but think of it from a user perspective. Just because the canvas is wide, doesn’t mean we have to fill it. To make the UX convenient, there is a model called ‘Affordance Canvas’.
If we design for full 360 or 180 degrees, there could be a problem of comprehension. An ideal way to design for good immersion is with a 90-degree view. Less movement is a better VR experience as movement could possibly ‘break presence’ if not done carefully.
A study done found that participants with a limited view, 90 degrees, were able to recall nearly every scene from what they saw/experienced.
In the image above, the developer has used the full 180-degree view for the UI, which may make it less comprehending for the user, as they have to use their peripheral vision, which is not optimal!
Curiosity is arguably one of the most important aspects of the VR experience, as it forces you to stay there. the first 30 seconds are utmost important to build curiosity and set the narrative for the experience. Imagine getting into a scene where you are already on a busy street and you look around, without any clue of what to do. No affordance, no curiosity. Now imagine getting into a scene where you are in a forest and there’s a small hut across from you, with a lamp lit and a person (presumable cannibal), was entering the hut with a dead body across his shoulder; this would definitely make you curious (or scared), which might lead you to hide behind a tree and wait for something to unfold.
Storytelling, Improvisation, and Imagineering
Stories are what have shaped us as a society, whether its the story of Christianity, Politics, Culture, etc. Stories help us relate to our environment in a deeper way. Similarly, in VR, starting with a story/narrative is extremely important for capturing attention and immersion. Using narrative to make the virtual world unfold is a strong proposition one should not ignore. Take the example of Far Cry 3- a brilliant open-ended game that opens with a strong narrative. Watch the video below to know what I exactly mean. It is your job as a designer to spark emotions (positive is better), guide discovery and induce immersion.
Improvisation refers to the complimentary/value add you add to the narrative. For example, if a scene involves going to the airport, you can enhance it by showing the user getting in the car, entering the airport and showing his passport to the attendant. This can be done with or without the user participating. As designers, we are not doing an experiment, where we want the user to tap this, then tap that and achieve that. We are merely giving them an ‘experience frame’, where they shape their own experiences.
Imagination + Engineer= Imagineering.
To create delightful experiences, we have to imagine and create/engineer such experiences. Of course, physics has its own value but imagination also has its share of impact. For example, a good way to think of this is; if there was a forest exploration game, we have to imagine that the user may get some cuts and bruises while exploring, so we could show some red patchwork on the sides, while the avatar says “ouch, this could be painful”, the avatar then tears apart a leaf and covers their wound, etc. We have to imagineer things that are realistic, but also a far fetched.
Similar to a ‘story arc’ for a movie, there is a VR story arc, and this is how it goes.
You start the scene by inducing curiosity in the user, through means of scenes/stories. You then give the user control (agency) to explore and give them clues/hints (affordances) that help them navigate. Mid-way through the experience, you induce crisis, example a fight break-out or car breaking down in the middle of nowhere. The user is arguably fully immersed at this point and can carry on the mission/task. The last part is a feeling of success after a task is accomplished.
That’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed this article. I learned a lot this week, and I hope you did too. I will continue to make progress and share my learnings as I move along. Have a great week ahead :)
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