Laura
Creative Strategy
(ex UX/UI)
@lolaacortes
Cyriele
UX/UI & IA Designer
(ex Developer)
@cyro

A Virtual Reality (VR)
What does it mean?

A screen that never ends...

Experiencing sensations...

Experiencing things...And places...

VR Experiences
What types of experiences can we do?

1. Hyper-immersive emotional

Hyper-immersive emotional
5Gum Erlebe
Multi-sensory virtual reality
installation that lets you fly through
virtual worlds and shoot
thunderbolts from your fingertips.

1. hyper-immersive emotional
2. pov-documentary live action

Pov-educational live action
British Columbia
A journey through the breath taking
natural beauty of British Columbia in
high definition 360º virtual reality
video.

1. Hyper-immersive emotional
2. Pov-documentary live action
3. Games

Game
BlazeRush
BlazeRush is an arcade style racing
survival game in the same vain as the
Micro Machines racing franchise.

VR Tech
What’s possible?

Oculus Rift Google CardboardSamsung Gear VR

Haptic Feedback

Haptic Feedback Technology
Research and installation level

Short visual spectacles like a visit to Iceland or a song from a Paul McCartney concert.
Matthew Schnipper
at theverge.com/a/virtual-reality
Passive Experiences difficult to monetize

How to design
for VR tools
Our Findings

Game Design
Learnings
Navigate within immaterial displays

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Ex8oApXyw
Sound Design

Reference: http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/12/8021733/3d-
audio-3dio-binaural-immersive-vr-sound-times-square-new-
york
Binaural Sound
Binaural sound makes the experience
much more immersive and can even
sometimes replace some level of
tactile feedback.

VR Learnings
(Game Design)
360 environment and no markers

UI
The UI should be displayed directly in the
3D environment versus on a 2D Layer on
top.
Elements should also scale and move
depending on head positioning.
Draw indicators should be placed at the
same depth than the object they’re
targeting.
Different than Game Design

Avatars
They have pros and cons. They
increase immersion but can be weird or
disappointing if the avatar doesn’t
follow the user’s body movement or
doesn’t look realistic.
Different than Game Design

Controllers
With a headset on, you can’t see
what’s in your hands.
Input devices have to be suitable for
a “blind mode” use.
Different than Game Design

Content
Users are able to look all around at any
time, which is a big change from a
desktop/mobile screen.
Different than Game Design

Real World Learnings
360 environment and no markers

Animation
Immersion can be quickly broken if
animations and transitions are not
done in a progressive way.
Use fading to black before the
tracking is lost.
Use Real Life as reference

Latency
Latency is a big issue so the world
needs to move immediately and
exactly as the same time as the user’s
head movements.
If not we cause simulator sickness.
Use Real Life as reference

Movement
Accelerations, zooms, shaking,
jerking… everything has to be
controlled by the user.
Use Real Life as reference

Test
“As a developer, you’re the worst test subject”
And finally

Do’s / Don’ts

What Next?
Where are we heading?

A screen that never ends...
Passive > Interactive

Virtual & Augmented

A screen that never ends...

Two types of users
Creative + UX + Tech
Gamified, Emotional, Educational?
Passive or active?
What tools?

We can’t expect people to know
what to do and where to go.

1. Slow and progressive familiarization
2. Visual clues
3. Guidance and help

A screen that never ends...Right now, we can’t really control it

HTC Valve New Headset

Heartbeat Gaze Geolocation
Brain activityPerspirationHead motion
A computer to read and interact with the human interface

Identify the new grammar

Thank you!
Cyriele
UX and IA at UNIT9
@cyro
Laura
Creative Strategy at UNIT9
@lolaacortes

Appendix
VR Work References

ERLEBE 5GUM combines Oculus Rift + Kinect camera +
Live 3D visuals + Bespoke sound design + Scented air +
A Harness + A Shipping container to create a sensory
overload that culminates in letting users experience the
sensation of flight.
http://www.unit9.com/project/5gum
TARGET MARKET: GERMANY | TECHNOLOGY: OCULUS & KINECT INSTALLATION

Visitors are loaded into a specially built
harness inside a customized shipping
container. Users touch, smell, see, and hear
their way through futuristic, abstract, and
atmospheric worlds. Each of the worlds are
based on one of 5Gum’s flavours -
Peppermint, Orange, Citrus, and Berry -
exploring and interacting with frozen,
volcanic, lava, and electric landscapes.

YOUTUBE VIDEO:
01:10

WEAR THE ROSE is the world’s first immersive 360º
live action gaming experience created using Oculus
Rift technology, designed by UNIT9 Films. It allows
fans to train with the England team, participating in
genuine drills directed by England Attacking Skills
Coach Mike Catt.
http://www.unit9.com/project/wear-the-rose
TARGET MARKET: UNITED KINGDOM | TECHNOLOGY: VIRTUAL REALITY 3D LIVE ACTION

YOUTUBE VIDEO:
01:10

CHASE THE THRILL is a new virtual reality experience
powered by Oculus Rift, gives users the opportunity to
become a rollerblading android in a Blade Runner-esque
simulated city.
http://www.unit9.com/project/nissan-juke-chase-the-thrill
TARGET MARKET: FRANCE | TECHNOLOGY: UNITY 3D VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE

The WizDish!
The WizDish!Kinect Tracking
Oculus POV - DK2

YOUTUBE VIDEO:
01:20