Jordan Higgins discusses organic architecture and its application to immersive augmented, virtual, and mixed reality design. Organic architecture seeks harmony between natural and built environments. Higgins explores how to engage multiple human senses in virtual experiences to create memorable and impactful designs. He also examines concepts like compression and release of space, and the peak-end rule of memory to improve virtual experience design.

1. O R G A N I C A R C H I T E C T U R E F O R
I M M E R S I V E A R / V R / M I X E D R E A L I T Y
J O R D A N H I G G I N S
@ J H I G G I N S

2. http://bytecubedlabs.co/

3. ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE: Wright’s philosophy that seeks harmony
between the natural world and the structures we inhabit.

4. Every element is carefully designed as if one unified organism.

8. T R I V I A
FA L L I N G WAT E R H A D A C A M E O I N D I E H A R D

9. S PAT I A L C O M P U T I N G B L E N D S P H Y S I C A L
A N D D I G I TA L W O R L D S T O G E T H E R
Digital content (2D or 3D) overlaid
with physical world on 2D screen
A U G M E N T E D R E A L I T YM I X E D R E A L I T Y
Digital content & physical world
blended together
V I RT U A L R E A L I T Y
Full immersion in a digital world.

10. How can we achieve balance and harmony
as we blend the physical and digital worlds?

12. S K E T C H I N G L I K E A N A R C H I T E C T

13. C O M P R E S S I O N

14. C O M P R E S S I O N
R E L E A S E

15. C O M P R E S S I O N

16. R E L E A S E

18. C O M P R E S S I O N & R E L E A S E

19. 7 S E N S E S O F A R C H I T E C T U R E

20. SIGHT: what we see
SOUND: what we hear
TOUCH: what we feel
SMELL: our perception of scent
TASTE: activated by sight/vision; linked to other senses
VESTIBULAR: our sense of balance
PROPRIOCEPTIVE: bodily awareness; joints, muscles, strength of effort
7 S E N S E S O F A R C H I T E C T U R E

22. Immersive platforms enable us to create more memorable
and impactful experiences by engaging more of our senses.

23. Virtual Speech VR: https://virtualspeech.com/

24. Immersive training can drastically increase retention rates
while reducing time spent in training.*
https://blog.walmart.com/innovation/20180920/how-vr-is-transforming-the-way-we-train-associates
* lot of opportunities for research here!

25. T H E P E A K - E N D R U L E
Our perception and memory of an experience is determined
by the moment of peak intensity and when it ends.

26. We can design our immersive experiences around these
moments of peak intensity to create lasting impact, or
counter real-world pain points.

27. T H E WAY B A C K : H T T P S : / / T H E WAY B A C K V R . C O M /

28. S I G H T

29. S O U N D

31. T O U C HT O U C H

32. T O U C HT O U C H

33. S M E L L

34. S M E L L C A N T R I G G E R M O R E I N T E N S E E M O T I O N S
& M E M O R I E S T H A N O U R O T H E R S E N S E S
IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.thoughtco.com/five-senses-and-how-they-work-3888470

35. TA S T E

39. V E S T I B U L A R

40. V E S T I B U L A R

41. V E S T I B U L A R

42. P R O P R I O C E P T I O N
I Expect You To Die
Schell Games

43. IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.pcmag.com/news/359983/the-secret-to-vr-development-cardboard-box-forts

45. HoloSketch: Prototyping in Mixed Reality
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/mixed-reality/case-study-building-holosketch

47. ” T H E D O O R H A N D L E I S T H E
H A N D S H A K E O F T H E B U I L D I N G ” J U H A N I PA L L A S M A A
IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780847835997/

48. • Explore balance: physical and digital content in harmony
• Use compression and release to move through virtual spaces
• New interaction patterns requires new approaches to accessibility
• Engage multiple senses for memorable & impactful experiences
• Prototype & playtest: early, often, and consistently

49. R E S O U R C E S
Fallingwater Immersive Design Residency
https://fallingwater.org/education/fallingwater-institute/immersive-design-residency/
Getting Started
Microsoft: Design for Mixed Reality
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/mixed-reality/design
Magic Leap Creator Portal
https://creator.magicleap.com
Google
https://designguidelines.withgoogle.com/ar-design/
https://designguidelines.withgoogle.com/cardboard/designing-for-google-cardboard/a-new-dimension.html#
Apple
https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/system-capabilities/augmented-reality/

50. T H A N K Y O U !J O R D A N H I G G I N S
W W W. L I N K E D I N . C O M / I N / J O R D A N H I G G I N S /
@ J H I G G I N S