Considering Interactions in VR

Movement

40-70%

Most

50%

of first time VR users experience motion sickness

of this disappears after repeat sessions

of people who play 3D video games for 45+ mins

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What causes motion Sickness

• Motion sickness happens when you body moves without expecting to move, or moves quickly
• Your body calculates balance through your ears, and fast movements can disturb this balance causing nausea
• If you look at a moving 3D image your body can be tricked into thinking it’s moving when it is not, causing more of an imbalance, and more nausea. This is referred to as cybersickness

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Initial sickness/confusion

• VR is a new “motor program” that people have to learn
• People do not know what to expect when they enter VR, they don’t know how the headset will move
• Different application move to different extents, and this movement always has to potential to disturb people

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Major causes of Motion Sickness: Rotation

• All forms of rotation can be disorienting
• Never rotate the player on the X or Z axis or force them to look a certain way

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Locomotion Solution: Make app stationary

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Rotation Solution: Snap Rotations

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Major causes of Motion Sickness: Acceleration

• Avoid acceleration unless necessary
• Never unexpectedly accelerate or push the player
• Never let the the player free fall
• Don’t move if it’s not necessary

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If you want to use acceleration

• Avoid unexpectedly accelerating or pushing the player
• Never let the the player free fall
• Forward acceleration is more natural than other directions

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Locomotion Solution: Teleportation

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Keep it simple

• Limit movement to what your app needs
• Only include acceleration and rotation if you have large environments or action based gameplay
• Make a good first impression

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Spatial Audio

What is Sound?

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2-Channel Systems (Stereo)

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Multi-Channel Systems (Surround Sound)

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Sound is in 3D

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360 Surround Sound?

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The Human Auditory System

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Pinna - Channeling Sound into Your Ear

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Cochlea - Hair Receptors Detect Vibrations

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Generating a Spatial Sound

Consider…

• Amplitude
• Synchronization
• Frequency

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Amplitude

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Synchronization

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Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF)

• Allows you to use headphones to simulate natural hearing of 3D sound
• Uses digital signal processing to filter and derive what sounds you would hear in left ear vs. right ear
• Relies on comprehensive database of sound transformation measurements.

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UX Considerations

Viewing Zone

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Viewing Zone

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Make use of the medium

• VR is about immersion!!!!
• Use motion controllers (or hands)
• Haptic feedback on controllers to simulate touch/interaction
• Use spatial audio
• Consider unique features of target device
• 3DOF vs. 6DOF
• Eye tracking, full body tracking, etc.

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Keep it simple and Easy to Understand

• Have button prompts
• Use as few buttons as possible for small scale/demo style apps
• Explain every feature explicitly
• Use triggers on controllers > buttons

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Design Heuristics for Virtual Reality

Good VR is…

• Honest
• Inclusive from start to finish
• Physically and digitally safe
• Protective of the user’s wellness
• Understandable
• Aesthetically pleasing

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Design Heuristics for Virtual Reality

Good VR is…

• Shapeable
• Consistent
• Meaningful and mindful
• Accessible
• Balanced in comfort and realism
• Sensitive to the capabilities of the medium

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Thanks!

Any questions?

You can find us at:

Office Hours

Piazza

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Credits

Special thanks to all the people who made and released these awesome resources for free:

• Presentation template by SlidesCarnival

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