User Experience & Interaction Design for AR/VR/MR/XR

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/user-experience-interaction-design-augmented-virtual-mixed-extended-reality

Introduction

# Course Review: User Experience & Interaction Design for AR/VR/MR/XR **Overview** In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, the ability to create compelling user experiences using Extended Reality (XR) formats is becoming increasingly vital. The course "User Experience & Interaction Design for AR/VR/MR/XR," offered as the second segment of the XR for Everybody specialization on Coursera, is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to develop skills in this cutting-edge field. This course equips learners with a robust design thinking mindset and essential prototyping techniques, providing a comprehensive overview of the XR design process. The course's outline is structured to take you through the foundational aspects of XR, moving from theoretical concepts to practical applications. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or a newcomer to the field, this course promises to offer both foundational insights and hands-on experience in designing XR applications. **Syllabus Breakdown** 1. **XR Design Process** The course begins with an introduction to the XR design and development process. It delineates the difference between user experience design and interaction design. By drawing on filmmaking analogies, learners are guided through the essential requirements and steps in creating XR experiences, all designed to kickstart their journey without overwhelming them with unnecessary complexity. 2. **Design Thinking, Ethics, and Guidelines for XR** The second module dives into design thinking, focusing on developing empathy for users and addressing ethical concerns in XR design. Students are introduced to best practices and guidelines, along with practical exercises like design critiques and collaborative design jams. Notably, the honors track offers a hands-on critique of a VR or AR experience from Google’s Expeditions XR app, allowing students to explore real-world applications of user-centered design principles. 3. **Storyboarding & Physical Prototyping for XR Experiences** Transitioning from theory to practice, this module emphasizes sketching and physical prototyping. Students will engage in brainstorming sessions and build storyboards that articulate their design concepts, fostering creativity using physical materials. This hands-on approach makes the learning experience feel tangible and accessible, providing students with the freedom to explore ideas without the constraints of digital tools. 4. **Digital Prototyping & Evaluation of XR Experiences** The final module focuses on advanced prototyping and user evaluation techniques. Learners will explore digital tools that simplify the creation of AR and VR experiences, alongside usability evaluation methods. The course culminates in project work, where students develop and submit their digital prototypes for peer review. The review process is invaluable, cultivating necessary feedback skills and fostering a sense of community among learners. **Pros of the Course:** - **Comprehensive Learning Experience:** This course combines theory and practice effectively, making it suitable for a wide range of learners. - **Hands-on Projects:** The inclusion of critiques, storyboarding, and prototyping provides a hands-on approach, ensuring that learners can apply what they’ve learned instantly. - **Community Engagement:** Through peer reviews, students engage with fellow learners’ works, enabling a collaborative learning atmosphere that is vital for creative fields. - **Diverse Tool Exposure:** The course introduces various prototyping tools that cater to digital experience creation without requiring extensive programming knowledge. **Cons of the Course:** - **Time Investment:** As it involves a structured approach to design thinking and practical application, learners should be ready to devote significant time and effort to complete the course successfully. - **Prerequisite Knowledge:** Some basic understanding of design principles may be beneficial for absolute beginners who might find certain concepts challenging. **Recommendation** Overall, "User Experience & Interaction Design for AR/VR/MR/XR" is a course that I highly recommend for anyone serious about delving into XR technologies. Its systematic approach prepares learners not only to think like designers but also equips them with the practical skills necessary to produce real XR experiences. Whether you wish to enhance your career or build a foundation for potential projects in AR, VR, or MR, this course is worth every minute invested in it. Join this course to advance your understanding of XR design and interaction—your future projects will thank you!

Syllabus

XR Design Process

This module will provide you with an introduction to XR design and development. When I say design, I usually mean user experience design or interaction design. Some designers have quite specific definitions of each of those terms, but I think of them broadly as forms of design focused on the creation of new user interfaces. While I think of many parts of this course as providing the theory and background to XR design, I will focus on the practical aspects of XR creation. I will start by making an analogy to filmmaking to establish key requirements, before going on to talk about the main steps part of a larger process and how to get started with doing XR. As we are just getting started, this first module does not have an honors track component associated with it. The honors track will start in the second module.

The second module will introduce you to design thinking and how common methods and techniques can be adapted for XR. This will help us build the right mindset for designing novel and compelling XR experiences. We will talk about building empathy with your users, ethical and responsible design, and best practices and design guidelines. I will also cover how to conduct and formulate design critiques in an effort to learn from existing interfaces. Finally, we will look at design jams as a way of solving design challenges collaboratively. Our first exercise in the honors track associated with this course will be a design critique of a VR or AR expedition as part of Google’s Expeditions XR app. You will be asked to develop one new idea that you will then take forward as you start prototyping your design concept next week.

We are moving from the conceptual to the practical, from thinking to doing. The next two parts of this course are dedicated to prototyping. In this first part on physical prototyping, I will emphasize paper a lot and also talk a lot about sketching. In my mind, brainstorming translates to sketching alternate ideas. Rather than creating, for example, a mind map, I sketch to ideate. This is a practice that I will emphasize. We’ll start flat on paper but will quickly become more physical using specific paper templates and dioramas. We’ll also see how to create mostly physical prototypes, but how to enhance them with AR techniques, to move closer to our envisioned final XR experience. In the honors track, you will have two major exercises. You will first create an XR storyboard based on the XR app you have previously critiqued. The design critique and storyboarding will help you develop a new idea of improving the existing XR interface. You will then prototype your design concept using physical materials including paper, cardboard, Play-Doh, and transparency. I hope you will appreciate the freedom and flexibility that physical prototyping gives you, allowing you to create a new XR experience without many of the constraints of digital tools.

The last module of this course will cover digital prototyping and user experience evaluation techniques for XR. While it is recommended to start prototyping on paper, it is crucial to experience a design concept for XR with XR technologies. I will introduce you to digital prototyping techniques as a way of increasing the fidelity of your prototype designs. You will learn about digital prototyping tools that support creating initial VR or AR experiences without the need for programming. Some tools support immersive authoring, which enables prototyping of XR experiences directly inside VR or AR. We will also learn about usability evaluation techniques and how to design and conduct a user study. Our final lecture will be on creating your XR portfolio as a way of effectively communicating and showcasing your design work. In the honors track, we will finalize our XR project with a digital prototype and submit our work for peer review. The peer review will not only provide important feedback on your work but also allow you to review and critique your peers’ work in a constructive way. I consider formulating good feedback and acting on critical feedback two vital skills for any designer but especially for those working in a space as rapidly evolving as XR.