UIs in VR

January 16, 2023 by Tim

I made some nice progress with a terminal in VR, and that combined with the OS in the quest, means that I'm actually able to edit and create projects in VR, which is neat! But, I had some UI difficulties, and I'd like to explore some of the state of the art when it comes to VR UI/UX.

Before

Before I do any extensive research, I'd like to express my current beliefs and thoughts. I think there should be a reduction in 'normal' UI elements. Flat panels floating around make for a terrible UX in VR. VR is a new medium, and we shouldn't be aiming for feeling like the person is next to us, just how we don't feel like the person is next to us when play World of Warcraft. We are together, without being together, or tricking us being together. VR UI elements should be larger, physical and more tactile.

What I read

UX Planet Has a focus on closer physical presence and and emphasis on testing. Also explains that UIs should be active, like Minority Report, because that's exhausting. Emphasis on using the center of the field for viewing, and a step away from lots of text, mostly due to limited resolution of today's headsets. Buttons should be large, and spaced well apart.

uxdesign.cc Heavy on the word metaverse, but that's probably the best path. UI/UX designers tend to be super corporate, and there's nothing more corpo than metaverse, thanks to Meta. But, raises some good points. Namely:

It's not 2D, it's a large and flexible space.
No buttons, no screens, you're supposed to be there.
Alternative and a multitude of different interaction methods, voice, gestures, touch.
Again, immersive, and should apply real world feedback to the user.

This article focuses on being immersive, which I agree is a very important takeaway. This article also lists 5 areas of focus for designing in a VR space.

*. Functional objects. Objects has presence, and can use used as their real world analogues. Objects aren't just set pieces, but are expected to be interactable.

*. Navigation Questions like how big is the space, how far apart should things be, when and how should people be visiting them. This is much more analogous to designing real world spaces. These things carry over. Interior designers could probably make a killing designing VR spaces.

*. Interactivity There is a change for nearly endless interactivity. However as of now, both voice and gestures have won out. In my personal experience, gestures have won out, I don't see much voice interactivity unless I'm directly communicating with another person.

*. Immersion Again, this leads back to designing just like a real world space. Going back to skeuomorphic designs.

Collectibles The NFTs have reared up, but it raises a good point. People like collecting things, and people like having mementos of their travels and visits. I'm not sure that NFTs are a good choice, but the idea behind them, namely the collectibles are a good starting point.

Adobe Lots of similar points, with one addition that's very true. Don't expect users to read text instructions. Sigh.

https://www.uxofvr.com/ Awesome site detailing dozens of videos and articles. This where I'll end today, since there's just so much for me to got through in this site alone.