Article

Three men wearing HoloLens, looking at digital models of Volvo cars in a collaborative space.
Collaborative and Social

Enabling Collaboration in XR

There are many collaborative and social opportunities in XR environments. Much like in real life, in virtual collaborative meetings, people rely on body language and other visual cues as a part of natural conversation. In immersive virtual environments, our minds expect the same behaviors from virtual avatars that they would with physical bodies in the […]

Image simulating the legibility of an interface if the viewer is wearing bifocal or progressive lenses.
Visibility and Legibility

Bifocals and Progressives in XR

When designing or assessing solutions in XR, you need to ensure that people who wear corrective lenses are able to have a quality experience. This includes people who wear reading glasses, bifocals or progressive lenses. Not all headsets on the market allow room for prescription glasses, so it is important to look at both the

Example scene of a stock chart made in Maquette VR by Microsoft.
Visibility and Legibility

Label Sizing and Placement in XR

In some XR cases, such as data visualization or multiplayer collaboration, the user will need to have an easy view of any labels or contextual information associated with that data. If the labels are facing different directions, the user will have to walk around or manually adjust their view to access the information. This can

Container of vintage woodblock typeset for large letters.
Visibility and Legibility

Text Scaling and Readability in XR

Traditional font sizes that are used in 2D screen UI elements (generally 12–32pt) are pretty small in AR and VR environments when placed within the comfortable viewing distance of 2 to 3 meters. As mentioned before, we can take examples from print posters and signage as guidance for font sizes in virtual environments. TL;DR Do’s

Eyeglasses laying on an open book. The words seen through the lenses are clear, while the rest of the book is out of focus.
Visibility and Legibility

Comfortable Viewing Distances in XR

In order to avoid eye strain and headaches, it is important to pay attention to the placement of text elements in virtual 3D space. Font size, depth, contrast, spacing, density, lighting and many other things can affect the legibility of text and UI elements. TL;DR Do’s and Don’ts Do Keep blocks of text short and

Woman wearing VR headset with head resting on desk.
Physical Factors

Physical Factors: Fatigue in XR

Spending time in a virtual environment can be physically tiring for people who aren’t used to it. Be sure to consider the length of time people will spend in the headset for your application, and design the environment and interactions with physical ergonomics in mind. They also may need to stop at any time for

young man wearing HTC VIVE virtual reality headset with head tilted down
Physical Factors

Physical Factors: Head Comfort Zone

When designing UI elements and interfaces within a virtual environment, real-world physical ergonomics should be taken into consideration. Be sure to keep head rotations within comfortable ranges — especially when using gaze targeting, or for longer durations or more repetitive tasks. Assuming a person is sitting or standing still and focusing on an interface, the

3d rendering of the human head
Psychological Factors

Psychological Factors in XR

Due to the nature of alternate realities and the levels of immersion they can create, it is important to consider the psychological factors involved when using, assessing or designing these experiences. Phobias Real-life phobias carry over into Mixed and Virtual Reality. So, this should be taken into consideration when asking people to put on a

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