{"id":14019,"date":"2018-01-02T11:30:04","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T11:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marvel7077.wpengine.com\/?p=14019"},"modified":"2021-02-11T12:00:25","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T12:00:25","slug":"designing-vr-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvelapp.com\/blog\/designing-vr-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing for VR: A Beginners Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

The VR age is rapidly approaching.<\/p>\n

When the world\u2019s largest tech companies (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple) are investing billions into VR development\u00a0<\/span>technologies, you know something big is on the horizon. Experts say that this VR revolution will be bigger than the advent of the mobile phone, and the first company to design a consumer virtual reality product that is adopted by the masses will win big. Really big.<\/p>\n

So why should designers care?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Designers should care because the market that has provided them with reliable work over the past few decades and is about to shift towards a new paradigm of immersive 3D content. Sound, touch, depth, and emotion will all be integral to the VR experience, making even the most novel 2D screen experiences feel boring and dated.<\/p>\n

*Note: Realizing there is a lot of overlap between virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality (VR\/AR\/MR), I\u2019ve decided just to use the term \u2018VR\u2019 in this article for the sake of simplicity. I will explore AR\/MR in more detail in a future article.<\/em><\/p>\n

Getting Started with Virtual Reality Design<\/h2>\n

I wrote this article to help people get oriented with the processes, tools, and principles when creating VR experiences. Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n

The Best Way to Learn about VR design\u2026Is in\u00a0VR<\/h2>\n

In VR you\u2019re not just an observer, but you\u2019re a participant in the story with an option to influence its outcome. Pretty cool, right? So before you even start thinking about designing for VR, it\u2019s critical to experience it first hand and really understand how it works.<\/p>\n

Google Cardboard<\/a> is a great entry point for newbies, as it is affordable ($15) and works with any smart phone. For people who want the best quality experience and are willing to pay for it, Oculus Rift<\/a> or HTC Vive<\/a> are the best options. The Oculus and Vive both have natural hand controllers, which let\u2019s you interact with your virtual spaces. The Tilt Brush<\/a> and Google Earth VR<\/a> apps are great interactive experiences to try first.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Tilt<\/a>

Tilt Brush<\/p><\/div>\n

"We\u2019re finally going to be free of the 2D monitor. It\u2019s been a window into virtual reality that we\u2019ve all looked into for 30\u201340\u00a0years." \u2014 Brendan\u00a0Iribe<\/span><\/p>\n

Think Beyond the Rectangle<\/h2>\n

After you have an idea of what VR feels like, it\u2019s time to think about what kind of experience you want to design. We\u2019ve all grown so used to designing for rectangles because every viewing device is a rectangle. When you\u2019re in immersive 360 space, your environment is boundless.<\/p>\n

Do you want to create a first person game? Maybe an educational VR app? An interactive movie? Whatever it is, start simple and think about what you need to start an MVP.<\/p>\n

\"Oculus<\/a>

Oculus Home\u00a0UI<\/p><\/div>\n

Sketch Ideas<\/h2>\n

Getting started designing your VR experience isn\u2019t too different than the process for designing applications or a web or mobile product. You will need user personas, conceptual flows, wireframes<\/a>, a VR prototype<\/a> and an interaction model.<\/p>\n

As you ideate on design ideas, consider some of these fundamental questions:<\/p>\n