1. Designing VR for Humans
MikeAlger

2. Welcome to the spaceship
We found this primitive human
species.
We decided to keep it as a pet.
But it seems to freak out in our
strange environment.

3. Welcome to the spaceship
So we created this device to keep
it happy.
Here’s the results of our tests,
based on our findings of human
evolution…

4. This is a typical human shape.
very strange.

5. Input
43º C
Main Outputs
Sweat

6. Input
Breakfast
Main Outputs
Energy
😀
💩

7. Input
Mismatched vestibular
and ocular information
Main Outputs
Breakfast

8. Input
Scary object close
to face
Main Outputs
Dodge
Scream
Adrenaline

9. Input
Confusing UI
Main Outputs
Frustration
😠

10. Input
Easy UI
Main Outputs
Fast Task
Completion

11. Input
Good Experience
Main Outputs
Happiness
😀

12. Input
Marketing for
Good Experience
Main Outputs
Money
💵 💷 💶

13. If you want to try to make
humans happy…
Try relying on nature first and nurture second

14. object features to draw attention
understandable spatial relationships
color with evolutionary reasons - i.e. blood red
nesting instincts
exploration instincts
defensive, food gathering, reproductive, parental, etc.

15. Field of View

18. Source: Alex Chu, Josh Carpenter, Jody Medich

19. Range of Motion

22. Combine FOV and Rotation
to get
Content Zones

24. Lessons from other
mediums

25. Traditional Art
color palettes
composition
lighting
texture
Animation
easing curves
illusion of weight

26. Print Design
headlines
typography
line length
contrast
imagery
Web Design
white space
clear interactions
hover states
don’t just make it work

27. Theater
storytelling
suspension of disbelief
staging & blocking
pacing
Film
shot types
editing
production workflows
fore- mid- background
compositing
Television
journalism
monetization techniques
episodic form
standardization
photosensitive epilepsy

28. Architecture
materials
distances
information design
support structure
landscaping
paths
Interior Design
space
customization
feng shui
cloth

29. Game Design
asset optimization
gamification
interactive storytelling

30. Consolidated Pro-Tips
for your human’s User Interface
not canon
take it or leave it

31. Use line of sight to reveal information
PRO-TIP
Source: Elite: Dangerous, LEAP Motion Planetarium, Siemens Demo
Animals in environments with too
much going on are more likely to
miss a critical detail and die, so the
brain sends signals to escape.
Also, humans fear the unknown
and have a desire to explore and
understand so they don’t die.
WHY

32. Take care of humans responsibly
Minimalism helps keep the environment simple, and thus
less stressful.
But having information available immediately is pleasing.

33. Don’t show what you don’t know
PRO-TIP
Source: Stanford Human Interaction Lab, Altpace VR, Jody Medich
Proprioceptive Disparity; If a human ate
something poisonous, it might cause
mismatched signals in their senses. The
brain reacts by making the body sick to
vomit what they ate. This is why
vestibular and ocular mismatch makes
humans sick. This also breaks suspension
of disbelief.
WHY

34. Take care of humans responsibly
You’re better off not showing an elbow rather than
showing one in the wrong place.

35. Looking left and right is easier standing;
Up and down is easier sitting
PRO-TIP
Source: Jody Medich
It’s the way human muscles
and tendons evolved
WHY

36. Take care of humans responsibly
Format content for the experience.
Use rows and columns where they make sense.
vs

37. 5cm separation on near UI elements is as
clear as a drop-shadow in 2D
PRO-TIP
Source: Josh Carpenter
object identification based on
parallax and convergence is hard-
wired into the human’s brain
WHY

38. Take care of humans responsibly
Use z-depth for hierarchical UI elements

39. Flat planes look convex from distortion;
Compensate with dynamic plane curvature
PRO-TIP
Source: Steam VR, Jody Medich
The brain breaks suspension of
disbelief with unexpected physical
characteristics
WHY

40. Take care of humans responsibly
Adjust 2D plane curvature based on distance from user
Use a reference grid to test

41. Sound helps for lack of tactile feedback
PRO-TIP
Source: Jody Medich
Synesthesia; The human’s senses
work together. Smelling things can
give it the illusion of taste. Sound
feedback on actions helps (but
doesn’t always solve)
WHY

42. Take care of humans responsibly
If they touch something, play a corresponding sound

43. Human scale helps spatial cognition
PRO-TIP
Source: Jody Medich
Humans come automatically
trained to recognize distances
relative to themselves.
WHY

44. Take care of humans responsibly
Help your human navigate, remember,
and find things by using real sizes

45. Podiums help them feel balanced
PRO-TIP
Source: Alex Chu
Vertigo; When a human is near an
e d g e , t h e y m a y b e c o m e
unbalanced, making them want to
grab something for support.
Having a railing, podium or object
near helps them feel more
comfortable.
WHY

46. Take care of humans responsibly
Ground them with elements in the foreground plane,
particularly for standing experiences
Foreground Midground Background

47. Use aspects of physical reality, even if
your art style is not photorealism
PRO-TIP
Source: Jody Medich, Alex Chu, Tony Davidson
Presence is involuntary subconscious
suspension of disbelief. The brain
accepts a presented reality more
readily if physical properties behave
appropriately.
WHY

48. Take care of humans responsibly
Pay attention to the way light bounces.
Add imperfections and reflections.
Use optimized normal maps and shaders to achieve
believable materials and corners.
Bake ambient occlusion and raytracing where possible.

49. More UX/UI Resources
Josh Carpenter - Mozilla
youtube.com/watch?v=ZOaOYTOpwyM
Jody Medich - LEAP Motion
youtube.com/watch?v=f0PCyyfbJpw
Alex Chu - Samsung
youtube.com/watch?v=XjnHr_6WSqo

50. one more thing…

51. Don’t forget to feed them
and keep them watered.

52. MikeAlger
mike@mikealger.com
Ravensbourne
MA/MSc
London
mikealger.com/professional