With traditional usability testing, 2 people are usually sitting in a room — one in front of the computer trying to complete a set of given tasks, and one moderating the test. Often, there will also be another group of people observing and taking notes remotely from another room. Without going into the ins and […]
These UX best practices are based on my own experience designing and conducting in-depth research and usability tests with target audiences on actual training simulations before launch. Regardless of the subject matter of your training simulation or whether the target audience is an XR novice or an XR expert, these foundational best practices will further
When designing a solution that is going to be used across multiple technologies and platforms, such as VR and 2D-mode on desktop, the translation between those platforms should be well-thought-out. It is important to ensure that the controller mapping and other interaction elements are platform-specific and that UX best practices are followed for each, in
As this technology becomes a more common part of our everyday work life, multitasking will become more prevalent. This in turn brings up new challenges in regards to workflow interruptions. When we are trying to focus on tasks on our computer or phone, we have the option to set our communication status to “Do Not
Virtual worlds can be overwhelming due to all of the things that fight for the your attention. Similar to gaming, providing in-world wayfinding is a good way to direct people and keep them focused on the objectives. This is especially useful for training simulations since you want them to focus on certain areas, often in
Motion is an important aspect of XR experiences since it can be used to enhance interactions, support the narrative, and direct people where to look. However, if there are too many elements moving at once, it can get distracting and confusing very quickly. TL;DR Do’s and Don’ts Do Use scale and colliding objects with care.
In order to enhance immersion and presence while decreasing discomfort for people, keep height in mind when positioning cameras. Due to our innate body height awareness, we tend to subconsciously — or even consciously — notice if our real-world height doesn’t match our virtual height. In VR there are two options for camera origins —
When designing for VR, sound is an essential element that can really help to bring the virtual world to life. VR isn’t truly immersive without the effective use of convincing audio. “The premise of VR is to create an alternate reality, but without the right audio cues to match the visuals, the brain doesn’t buy
VR users are a captive audience. They have nothing to do but sit or stand and wait while the environment is loading. Long load times on traditional platforms are bad enough, but within a virtual environment they are even more noticeable and can be all the more frustrating — and in some cases even confusing.
Sounds and visuals can make or break an immersive experience, so all aspects of the virtual environment should support the story. If something looks or sounds different than what the user expects — such as a cell phone ringer sound effect being used for a radio call, or radio sound effects for a phone call—