A talk from the Creator Track at AWE USA 2019 - the World's #1 XR Conference & Expo in Santa Clara, California May 29-31, 2019. Google: Rapid Prototyping for AR Austin McCasland | Google Diane Wang | Google With many unknowns and opportunities in AR, rapid prototyping has been critical to understand and define what makes immersive experiences valuable and usable. This talk will take a peek into how we approach rapidly designing and building prototypes for AR applications. https://awexr.com

1. Augmented
AWE 2019
Reality
Rapid Prototyping for

2. UX Designer and Prototyper
Google Daydream
Lead UX Designer
Google Daydream
dianedelion@ diane.ioaustastic@ austastic.com

3. 3

4. Today...
What is and for AR?
What does our team use to quickly make effective
prototypes
An overview of for prototyping in the context of a
product
for making awesome AR prototypes fast

6. So…
what is a
prototype?

7. What is a prototype’s job?
● Get everyone on the same page about a design
● Test out new interaction and visual design techniques
● Create a tool for research to use before investing in a feature
● Technical proof of concepts
● Help elevate a feature or product proposal for stakeholders (Product teams,
Investors, Engineers)

8. What is rapid
prototyping?

9. Why is rapid
prototyping
important for
AR?

10. How does this
fit into the
product life
cycle?

12. People are
critical for
velocity
Try to get the smallest amount of
the right people

13. Testing is
critical for
quality

14. Scope is
critical
for delivery

15. Tools matter

16. How our team uses rapid prototyping to create awesome AR features.

17. Here’s what our process looks like
1. Brainstorm (Where are there AR opportunities?)
2. Decide (Why is this be better in AR?)
3. Sketch
4. Physical Testing (if possible)
5. Begin design and development
6. Test early and often
7. Polish and think about supporting functionality

18. Brainstorm post its
Brainstorm

19. Brainstorm post its
Decide

20. Storyboard here
Sketch

21. Real-world testing

22. Design mocks & tech
investigations here
Begin design & development

23. Design mocks & tech
investigations here
Test early and often

24. Design mocks & tech
investigations here
Polish and supporting functionality

26. Common visuals
are key to
collaboration.
Spatial computing requires a
tricky-to-master vocabulary, so it’s
good to get everyone looking at a
common visual.
1

27. Hit the ground,
even if you’re
not running.
It’s better to just start making things
than to deliberate over every detail.
2

28. Lo-fi is great,
but there’s a
limit.
Never start in high-fidelity, but
recognize when it’s time to upgrade.
3

29. Having a design
framework is a
speed multiplier.
Sticker sheets make creating
believable prototypes a quick and
easy design task.
4

30. Combine design
and
development.
Design and development are
completely intertwined in spatial
computing.
5

31. Always look for
shortcuts.
AR industry moves so fast that new
things are constantly available which
solve hard problems.
6

32. Keep your
pods small.
Big teams are for products, small
teams are for prototypes. We
prototype in pods of 1 or 2.
7

33. Don’t prototype
native.
Existing 3D engine support means
you can move much much faster by
using an engine like Unity.
8

34. Don’t be a
one tool
wonder.
Different concepts need different
types of prototypes.
Not everything has to ‘work work.’
9

35. Unicorns have
never been
better.
A prototyper who has the ability to be
a self-sustaining pod of one can move
incredibly quickly.
10

37. Rapid
prototyping is
an important
AR skillset

38. It’s feasible to
integrate rapid
prototyping into
your process

39. It’s easier than
you think to
prototype for
AR