June 20, 2019 at 18:44Prototyping in VR: 5 Ways to Test a Hypothesis
In anticipation of the launch of the new course “ Designing VR Interfaces ”, we asked the authors of the course, specialists of Modum Lab Denis Tambovtsev and Igor Zyuzin, about the importance of prototyping when creating VR projects. Experts told which VR technologies are used in b2c and b2b, why hypotheses need to be tested, and what methods of verification exist .
The first modern versions of VR devices appeared in 2016. The introduction of VR technology in b2c continues , albeit slowly. Manufacturers have to deal with ergonomics, good resolution, lack of wires and the production of a large amount of content. With each new release, modern VR is getting closer to the image that a potential audience has a request for.
In parallel, VR is actively developing in the b2b segment. Ever since the first HTC Vive and Oculus Rift models, the technology has already provided opportunities for efficiently solving certain business problems. In 2016-2017, companies created prototypes that tested various hypotheses, together with contractors launched pilot projects to familiarize themselves with the technology, and examined how it could be applied in personnel training, marketing and communications, and other areas.
In 2018, there was a trend towards the use of platform solutions in b2b. These decisions involved the development of VR projects based on pre-built modules, which also include a content delivery and administration system on the customer’s device fleet, access rights, assignment of tasks for passing simulations to employees, analytics systems for passing simulations and the ability to run projects on various devices. Projects work both on HTC Vive, and on Oculus Go or Vive Focus (and now also Oculus Quest and Vive Focus Plus).
The growth of the fleet of devices, which significantly differ from each other in terms of the ability to track and operate input systems, makes prototyping and testing mechanics in VR even more important.
In most articles on UX in VR, the authors advise beginning as early as possible to test any hypotheses regarding moving systems, individual mechanics of interacting with an interactive environment using controllers, scripting and visualization. We are talking about the possibility of being inside the simulation from the position of the user to see how he perceives the created virtual reality.
To start all the processes, it is necessary to solve many problems: take into account the numerous testing iterations in the development planning, provide key specialists with the necessary equipment, supply VR devices to remote employees and organize test spaces in the office.
Equipment should be provided not only to UX-designers and testers, but also to 3D-artists and programmers who check the proportions of scenes and environments, the logic of various systems of interaction - the code itself. Ways to test hypotheses on VR projects
There are several approaches to prototyping solutions. They depend on the goals, objectives and capabilities of the specialist who hypothesizes.
Classic sketches are effective for quickly checking ideas - they must be done quickly, be accurate, and suggestive. They are useful when you need to convey ideas to a team or client (although not always clients can correctly evaluate them due to inaccuracies, the dissimilarity of the sketch to the final result). Sketches are suitable for searching for common ideas on the implementation of the interface, location in space and other similar tasks. This is a good starting point to start a discussion of a possible implementation .
For the development of user scenarios in the early stages, it is convenient to use a graphical script - storyboards. They are useful for VR in that they show how the user interacts with objects, reaches their goals, without going into details. Describing scene by scene, we are working on a scenario of interaction. Already at the stage of storyboards, you can take into account comfortable areas of visibility and accessibility for the user to prevent such mistakes at subsequent stages of the process.
Typically, classic sketches remain on paper. But when designing VR applications, it is important to see the drafts in the VR headset as early as possible. Panoramic prototypes are suitable in cases where little time has been allocated to testing a hypothesis and there is no way to go deep into the field of software development.
To do this, 360 ° panoramas will help us - projections of spherical images onto a plane, which can be quickly viewed in VR glasses or a 360 ° player.
There are two common methods for projecting spherical images. First: the cubic projection - 6 squares-faces of the cube, which are obtained when the camera rotates 90 °.
The second method is equidistant projection. It is a rectangular image with 2: 1 aspect ratios and a specific distortion grid. Vertical lines correspond to a rotation angle of 10 degrees vertically, curved lines - 10 degrees horizontally. Along the horizon, minimal distortion is obtained, maximum above and below.
Equidistant projection is convenient for sketching. You can print it and draw with a pen , in a graphic editor , or in specialized programs, for example, Microsoft Sketch 360. The concept can be viewed on a computer in a 360 ° player, for example, in GoPro VR Player. In a browser, for example through vizor.io, or in glasses through a browser and vizor, or through any application for viewing panoramas in VR glasses.
Panoramic prototypes do not have to be drawn by hand, 3d-artists can create them using three-dimensional graphics editors, which allow them to render in the form of a spherical panorama. This is convenient, for example, for quickly checking the position of the camera in the scene, the scale of the environment, and so on.
A panorama-based solution is more effective in understanding how the various interface elements or objects are located in the scene. This can be appreciated while viewing the environment in 360-format. It is also possible to create simple animations and track the user's path through transitions between panoramas.
Many ideas regarding interaction systems cannot be verified without significant interactivity in the prototype. There are various ways to implement this.
Ideally, you need to be able to build prototypes directly in the environment in which the project is created: for example, in Unity or Unreal Engine.
There are separate services that can be used for prototyping with viewing the result in VR, for example, A-Frame , where there is a relatively small input threshold to get started.
How much such solutions can be useful on a project depends on specific tasks. Most likely, other programs or extensions for existing editors and services will appear.
So, thanks to the creation of interactive prototypes, you can test the work of simple solutions, which are mainly tied to the movement of the user's gaze in the virtual space. For more serious hypotheses, the use of the same Unity is indispensable.
But there are two more approaches to creating prototypes that I need to talk about.
This is a logical and very understandable decision - to create prototypes for VR, while in VR. Outlines of virtual space, environment elements and interface solutions can be created right inside the virtual environment.
This will help to immediately correlate their scales and proportions, as well as in real time to change the position relative to each other and the user.
There are a number of projects that can provide the necessary tools for this:
Sketchbox
Tilt brush
Tvori
Brownboxing is a term coined by the developers of the VR game “I Expect You to Die” by analogy with the “gray box” and “white box” stages in the process of designing game levels . Under brownboxing'om understand the creation of full-sized physical prototypes of the future virtual environment. For this, cardboard is used, hence the “brown” in the name.
The process looks rather comical, but such a solution can be very useful in situations where it is not possible to quickly implement an interactive prototype. Often it is used in projects where tasks are strongly tied to large motor skills, and if they are limited in time. On such a cardboard prototype, you can evaluate the dimensions of the elements, understand whether it is possible to reach them from the user's position in the scene, determine the time interval for which this can be done, build around this game time limits, and so on.
Existing prototyping options cover most of the needs of specialists in various fields working on VR projects. At the initial stage, designers and artists can check their interface concepts and watch the proportions of the basic geometry of three-dimensional locations on panoramas.
Professionals without skills in working with game engines can use relatively simple tools for creating interactivity, for example, in A-Frame. It will be convenient for someone to test their ideas inside VR-editors. And many 3D-artists who are familiar with Unity or Unreal can assemble simple interactivity in editors without connecting programmers to evaluate their current work on the organization of scenes, the work of light and, in general, solutions in the design of virtual locations.
Briefly about the development of VR
The first modern versions of VR devices appeared in 2016. The introduction of VR technology in b2c continues , albeit slowly. Manufacturers have to deal with ergonomics, good resolution, lack of wires and the production of a large amount of content. With each new release, modern VR is getting closer to the image that a potential audience has a request for.
In parallel, VR is actively developing in the b2b segment. Ever since the first HTC Vive and Oculus Rift models, the technology has already provided opportunities for efficiently solving certain business problems. In 2016-2017, companies created prototypes that tested various hypotheses, together with contractors launched pilot projects to familiarize themselves with the technology, and examined how it could be applied in personnel training, marketing and communications, and other areas.
With the creation of new models of glasses, there are even more opportunities for using VR in business. This became real in the first place thanks to standalone devices - completely standalone solutions that do not need a computer connection or a telephone.
In 2018, there was a trend towards the use of platform solutions in b2b. These decisions involved the development of VR projects based on pre-built modules, which also include a content delivery and administration system on the customer’s device fleet, access rights, assignment of tasks for passing simulations to employees, analytics systems for passing simulations and the ability to run projects on various devices. Projects work both on HTC Vive, and on Oculus Go or Vive Focus (and now also Oculus Quest and Vive Focus Plus).
The growth of the fleet of devices, which significantly differ from each other in terms of the ability to track and operate input systems, makes prototyping and testing mechanics in VR even more important.
This is also true in b2c - to reach the maximum audience, which in b2c is not very large, you need to provide for porting the project to the maximum number of existing systems.
The Importance of Prototyping and Testing in VR Development
In most articles on UX in VR, the authors advise beginning as early as possible to test any hypotheses regarding moving systems, individual mechanics of interacting with an interactive environment using controllers, scripting and visualization. We are talking about the possibility of being inside the simulation from the position of the user to see how he perceives the created virtual reality.
To start all the processes, it is necessary to solve many problems: take into account the numerous testing iterations in the development planning, provide key specialists with the necessary equipment, supply VR devices to remote employees and organize test spaces in the office.
Equipment should be provided not only to UX-designers and testers, but also to 3D-artists and programmers who check the proportions of scenes and environments, the logic of various systems of interaction - the code itself. Ways to test hypotheses on VR projects
There are several approaches to prototyping solutions. They depend on the goals, objectives and capabilities of the specialist who hypothesizes.
1. Search sketches and storyboards
Classic sketches are effective for quickly checking ideas - they must be done quickly, be accurate, and suggestive. They are useful when you need to convey ideas to a team or client (although not always clients can correctly evaluate them due to inaccuracies, the dissimilarity of the sketch to the final result). Sketches are suitable for searching for common ideas on the implementation of the interface, location in space and other similar tasks. This is a good starting point to start a discussion of a possible implementation .
For the development of user scenarios in the early stages, it is convenient to use a graphical script - storyboards. They are useful for VR in that they show how the user interacts with objects, reaches their goals, without going into details. Describing scene by scene, we are working on a scenario of interaction. Already at the stage of storyboards, you can take into account comfortable areas of visibility and accessibility for the user to prevent such mistakes at subsequent stages of the process.
2. Panoramic prototypes
Typically, classic sketches remain on paper. But when designing VR applications, it is important to see the drafts in the VR headset as early as possible. Panoramic prototypes are suitable in cases where little time has been allocated to testing a hypothesis and there is no way to go deep into the field of software development.
To do this, 360 ° panoramas will help us - projections of spherical images onto a plane, which can be quickly viewed in VR glasses or a 360 ° player.
There are two common methods for projecting spherical images. First: the cubic projection - 6 squares-faces of the cube, which are obtained when the camera rotates 90 °.
The second method is equidistant projection. It is a rectangular image with 2: 1 aspect ratios and a specific distortion grid. Vertical lines correspond to a rotation angle of 10 degrees vertically, curved lines - 10 degrees horizontally. Along the horizon, minimal distortion is obtained, maximum above and below.
Equidistant projection is convenient for sketching. You can print it and draw with a pen , in a graphic editor , or in specialized programs, for example, Microsoft Sketch 360. The concept can be viewed on a computer in a 360 ° player, for example, in GoPro VR Player. In a browser, for example through vizor.io, or in glasses through a browser and vizor, or through any application for viewing panoramas in VR glasses.
Panoramic prototypes do not have to be drawn by hand, 3d-artists can create them using three-dimensional graphics editors, which allow them to render in the form of a spherical panorama. This is convenient, for example, for quickly checking the position of the camera in the scene, the scale of the environment, and so on.
A panorama-based solution is more effective in understanding how the various interface elements or objects are located in the scene. This can be appreciated while viewing the environment in 360-format. It is also possible to create simple animations and track the user's path through transitions between panoramas.
3. Interactive prototypes
Many ideas regarding interaction systems cannot be verified without significant interactivity in the prototype. There are various ways to implement this.
Ideally, you need to be able to build prototypes directly in the environment in which the project is created: for example, in Unity or Unreal Engine.
In the future, the tasks of interface designers on VR projects can expand to the point that when applying for work in studios involved in VR development, expertise in 3D modeling and content assembly knowledge in Unity will become a mandatory requirement.
There are separate services that can be used for prototyping with viewing the result in VR, for example, A-Frame , where there is a relatively small input threshold to get started.
How much such solutions can be useful on a project depends on specific tasks. Most likely, other programs or extensions for existing editors and services will appear.
So, thanks to the creation of interactive prototypes, you can test the work of simple solutions, which are mainly tied to the movement of the user's gaze in the virtual space. For more serious hypotheses, the use of the same Unity is indispensable.
But there are two more approaches to creating prototypes that I need to talk about.
4. Prototyping in VR
This is a logical and very understandable decision - to create prototypes for VR, while in VR. Outlines of virtual space, environment elements and interface solutions can be created right inside the virtual environment.
This will help to immediately correlate their scales and proportions, as well as in real time to change the position relative to each other and the user.
There are a number of projects that can provide the necessary tools for this:
Sketchbox
Tilt brush
Tvori
5. Brownboxing
Brownboxing is a term coined by the developers of the VR game “I Expect You to Die” by analogy with the “gray box” and “white box” stages in the process of designing game levels . Under brownboxing'om understand the creation of full-sized physical prototypes of the future virtual environment. For this, cardboard is used, hence the “brown” in the name.
The process looks rather comical, but such a solution can be very useful in situations where it is not possible to quickly implement an interactive prototype. Often it is used in projects where tasks are strongly tied to large motor skills, and if they are limited in time. On such a cardboard prototype, you can evaluate the dimensions of the elements, understand whether it is possible to reach them from the user's position in the scene, determine the time interval for which this can be done, build around this game time limits, and so on.
Total
Existing prototyping options cover most of the needs of specialists in various fields working on VR projects. At the initial stage, designers and artists can check their interface concepts and watch the proportions of the basic geometry of three-dimensional locations on panoramas.
Professionals without skills in working with game engines can use relatively simple tools for creating interactivity, for example, in A-Frame. It will be convenient for someone to test their ideas inside VR-editors. And many 3D-artists who are familiar with Unity or Unreal can assemble simple interactivity in editors without connecting programmers to evaluate their current work on the organization of scenes, the work of light and, in general, solutions in the design of virtual locations.
From the editors
- online profession “ Designing VR-interfaces ”
- Online Profession “ Motion Design, 3D and VFX Basics ”
- online profession " Game designer "