VMU | Virtual Model Unit – Rene Fresquez

VMU | Virtual Model Unit

Brief:

Evolving out of Katerra’s extended reality design reviews. I lead the team to create virtual versions of Katerra’s product line and virtual space which would also serve as a digital showroom for the company’s KOVA products. The completed app would be taken on the road to trade-shows for 3 years running, featured at a major product launch, and planned to be rolled out in the company’s physical showrooms across the country.

Research & Development

User Experience

At the start of the project we focused on how the user experiences exploring space and selecting products. Could these be improved by the freedom we have in VR and still remain familiar? After trial and testing with multiple setups (details in the User Interface section), the method we selected was a simple point and touch tablet interface, a nearly universal interaction method reinforced by smart phones and tablets.

We mapped the user flows as a mix between passively browsing a showroom catalog and the action of actively designing the space around them.

User Interface

“Point and go”, not “point and click”.

To keep the interface as familiar as possible, we focused on providing the user with something tangible in-hand, reinforcing the point and touch method. Our goal was to eliminate controllers completely by using optical hand tracking and a physical tablet. To achieve this we tested multiple configurations of Ultraleap optical tracking, Vive-tracker system, and several digital UI layouts.

Ultimately, in order to simplify hardware and keep the user experience stable, we opted for a fully digital VR tablet with hand tracking via Index controllers. The Index Controller’s full hand and finger tracking allowed the user to both grab the digital tablet and “touch” the tablet buttons without requiring a single click. This setup also allowed us to reserve controller buttons for more complex interactions, including a highlight pointer that allows a user to select a product from across the room. When a product is selected, the digital tablet in their hand displays contextual options for the product.

Keeping the interface as simple as possible allowed, on average for new users to understand all mechanics of the experience in under 30 seconds.