The focus of this section of the course (and this project) was on designing a VR experience; including the main design tasks, processes, techniques and considerations to create compelling experiences. Therefore the contents of this document is to encapsulate and present these learnings.
The project I elected to do is a modified version of the classic game Simon Says (as described below) with the intention of targeting technically savvy users who are new to VR (young adults) - the reason for this is I feel this is probably the appropriate audience for VR (at the moment) and the casual game and immediacy of a puzzle provides an adequate and gentle introduction to VR.
The project provided a good base for covering the majority of design considersations when creating VR expereinces. I found/find the biggest challenge is the limitations of how the user can interact. In future iterations I would like to explore alterantive interaction models (voice, gaze, ...) and how they influence/affect the experience and what is possible.
Lastly; this exercise ilustrates how quick it can be to build immersive experiences - thanks to Unity - the project ran over a couple of days (part-time) which highlights the opportunity of being able to quickly ideate, build and test - great for a medium still in its infacy.
Puzzler is a modified version of the classic Simon Says game where by the player must remember and replay a sequence that was given to her/him. This game varies by placing the user is a mysterious dark world, as to induce anxiety.
Next we present the fly-thru before walking through the design process.
The game begins with the user standing alone in a dark environment in front of a large stone building with a menu instructing them to begin the game. Once the user selects to start they are moved into the building where they (the user/player) are placed in front of 5 orbs. The orbs play a sequence where-by the user must match the sequence by taking on the orbs in correct order. The user is made aware of an incorrect selection via an audio clip. After successfully re-creating the sequence (in the correct order) the user is then moved to the exit where they are presented with a menu giving them the chance to play again.
The target audience for this game were those who have a strong interest in technology and intellectual challenges (puzzles); the proto-persona presented next illustrates the characteristics of a typical user we were targeting (and expecting).
NAME: Dylan Taylor
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: Masters student studying bio-engineering
QUOTE: “If it feels good - do it!”
MOTIVATION: Dylan is an intelligent techno-junkie - embraces the latest consumer technology and is always on the look out for the next best thing. He gets bored quickly and frequently jumps between interests and has found comfort in experimenting with games to avoid being bored. He is attracted to puzzles and simulations, ideally those that challenge his intellect.
VR EXPERIENCE: Tried many high-end devices (VIVE, Oculus, and the HoloLens) but only recently obtained a mobile VR headset with the purchase of his new Pixel phone.
In this section we will present each stage of the design process; highlighting what each entailed and the interesting points.
As mentioned above; the game is a replica of Simon Says but themed in medieval times. The user enters the world in a dark and lonely environment where their only option is to enter a large empty store room. Within the room the user will be presented with a clsuter of orbs which they much match the given sequence to escape. On exit the player will be presented with the option to play again.
In this section the scene was created; with the intention of creating a somewhat mysterious place with little option to explore. This was done by a large empty space and little light, as if it was the dusk of the day.
Mood of the room: Dark, dungeon like
Comfort and scale: Feels a little small (after some discussion it was revealed that the idea of a dungeon in the user mind is large and spacious - high ceiling)
Purpose of room: I asked what she thought she needed to do; the answer was confusion - wasn’t use what the orbs were for and thought the purpose would be to exit/explore around.
The dungen was scaled up to make it feel more significant.
In this section the main interface was added, giving the player the ability to begin and restart the game. The main points of interest for testing what readibility of the text and placement of the board.
Are you able to read the text? Yes
What do you think you have to do and what do you think happens next? Select the button to start a game.
Locomotion is concerned with moving the user around the environment whilst avoiding making them feel sick. The technique used was on-rails where the player was navigated between 3 distinct waypoints (start, play and end).
How did you find the speed A little slow.
Was there are sense of nausea No - it was too slow.
After testing I tweaked the tween speed and re-tested.
In this section we tested how the user found the game play; observing their understanding of the game rules and difficiulity.
The user understod the rules and what was required of them. This could have been to how the project was introduced (declaring it was a Simon Says clone). The user took a few times to get the sequence but commented that the game was fun and easy enough.
The exercise highlighted some interesting considerations when designing for VR. Scale and scene become extremely important as the user is immersed into the environment. Another is the challenge of limited (or rather, traditional) peripherals we have come accustomed to when designing and using digital experiences.
The game itself was simplistic but, again, highlights where we might be with user expectations and ability (given it is a new-ish medium).
Overall; the game provided a good base to explore the design princples for VR.
There are 3 areas I would be interested in exploring:
- Exploring the use of metaphors, mainly physical, to better assist the user in understanding the affordances of VR.
- Leverage outward facing cameras (and inside-out tracking) to augment the environment such to adapt the virtual environment to the real-world to allow the user to navigate around freely and confidently.
- Explore the social element - I believe one of the most benefitical features of VR is it's ability to faciliate presence of other people.