KEY RESULTS
We succeeded in enhancing user engagement by 22%.
These key improvements highlight the impactful and user-focused enhancements made to our platform.
35%
Stay Time
22%
User Engagement
48%
User Satisfaction
MY IMPACT/ROLE
I led the project to revamp the VR Viewer UI and oversaw the research and user testing phases
As the project lead, I was given full ownership to steer the revamp of the VR Viewer UI. My role involved coordinating the research process, developing the redesign strategy, and conducting extensive user testing to measure the impact of the changes implemented. This leadership position allowed me to directly influence the project's direction, ensuring the design met both user needs and business objectives effectively.
There's much to tell, but here's
A Brief Rundown
CONTEXT
At iStaging, our VR Viewer is used extensively for virtual exhibitions and real estate tours. As the UIUX Product Designer, I was tasked with enhancing user immersion and simplifying the complex interface to boost user engagement and extend session times.
BUSINESS GOAL
We want higher interaction rates and longer stay times to boost user engagement, for exploration and purchases in clients' virtual showrooms during the pandemic.
iStaging aimed to significantly increase user engagement and session times with the VR Viewer. As the lead designer, I defined success metrics focused on higher interaction rates and longer stay times. These measures were chosen to directly reflect the effectiveness of the interface redesign in creating a more intuitive and engaging user experience, ensuring that enhancements led to measurable improvements in user satisfaction and product usability.
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
1. Complex UI led to low immersion, with unintuitive controls disrupting user engagement.
The interface overwhelmed users with its complexity, overshadowing the content and interrupting the immersive experience. Frequent distractions from unintuitive navigation and control mechanisms hindered users from engaging deeply with the virtual spaces, diminishing the core value of VR.
2. Unclear navigation and poorly defined paths hindered basic explorations.
Inconsistencies and unclear navigational paths in the UI design resulted in a steep learning curve. Users struggled with basic interactions due to poorly defined controls and a layout that did not intuitively guide them, significantly detracting from user satisfaction.
3. Aesthetic inconsistency across brands caused a disjointed feel.
The design failed to consistently represent various brand identities, making the interface feel disjointed.As a B2B Product, adapting the design to accommodate different brand identities without losing aesthetic appeal or functionality presented a significant challenge, particularly in maintaining a balance between neutrality and novelty across various industries.
HYPOTHESIZED SOLUTIONS
I believed minimal interaction and aesthetics would increase engagement by removing confusing workflows.
I proposed a series of design optimizations based on:
Simplifying user interactions to enhance immersion.
Unifying the aesthetic elements to create a coherent visual experience across different brand environments.
Employing modern design principles to improve intuitive use and aesthetic appeal.
USER TESTING INSIGHTS
The original VR interface theoretically aimed to enhance user immersion, but its complexity and design flaws actually reduced usability and engagement.
95% said the VR viewer would increase exploration compared to a real exhibit
88% reported that the interface was overly complex
70% felt the design did not cater to their expectations
Old Designs
"It takes too long to figure out what I'm supposed to do next."
"The controls are everywhere; it's too much to keep track of."
"I expected something sleeker and more intuitive. This feels outdated."
"The look varies too much between different sections. It doesn't feel cohesive."
These are control buttons...
NEXT STEPS
I need to secure approval at each design stage due to the new UI's potential impact on various brands' images.
After presenting data-driven insights from initial user feedback, I successfully convinced the CEO of the necessity for a thorough reevaluation of our VR interface. We agreed on a strategic approach to further research and redesign the VR Viewer to enhance user experience, focusing on simplifying interactions and enriching user immersion, with interior and stakeholders approval in every stage of design.
RESEARCH
1. To inplement VR Viewer from web to future hardwares, research of historical evolution of HCI devices is crucial.
The interface overwhelmed users with its complexity, overshadowing the content and interrupting the immersive experience. Frequent distractions from unintuitive navigation and control mechanisms hindered users from engaging deeply with the virtual spaces, diminishing the core value of VR.
2. To ensure natural interactions, I integrated familiar gestures into Web VR environment.
Touchscreens and their common gestures like swiping and zooming are well ingrained in daily usage. Researching how to adapt these intuitive interactions to VR was critical because it not only made the VR experience more user-friendly but also ensured a smoother transition for users from other devices. This was particularly important for enhancing the natural feel of interactions within the VR space and supporting future expansions in VR gesture controls.
3. To lower to cognitive burden, I aimed to harmonize between the user interaction and the virtual environment.
The VR Viewer exists in a space where the complexity of the environment and the simplicity of the interface must be balanced. The research focused on how to start user interactions simply and then introduce more complex functionalities gradually. The objective was to design a minimalist interface that didn’t overwhelm users with choices but instead enhanced their control over their VR experience, making interactions feel intuitive and engaging.
MY IMPACT/ROLE
I led the project to revamp the VR Viewer and was responsible for overseeing the research and user testing phases
As the project lead, I was given full ownership to steer the revamp of the VR Viewer. My role involved coordinating the research process, developing the redesign strategy, and conducting extensive user testing to measure the impact of the changes implemented. This leadership position allowed me to directly influence the project's direction, ensuring the design met both user needs and business objectives effectively.
A step-by-step overview of the
New VR Viewer
I redesigned VR Viewer interface aimed at enhancing user interaction and simplification
STEP 1
User enters the virtual environment with the visual cues to navigate.
When a user starts the VR experience, the initial interface is minimalistic, featuring only essential navigation cues. This design helps users acclimate to the virtual space without overwhelming them, setting the stage for a more immersive interaction.
Visual cues while hovering help user navigate and explore
STEP 2
Basic tutorials help user with navigation and interaction with elements.
Following the entry into the VR environment, users encounter intuitive gesture controls that mimic common touchscreen interactions. This allows for seamless exploration and interaction within the VR space, with gestures like swiping to rotate the view and pinching to zoom, enhancing the user's sense of control and engagement.
Basic tutorials help user navigate in simple environment
STEP 3
Minimal interaction buttons are folded and designed to lower cognitive burden.
As users become more comfortable within the VR environment, additional navigation options become available. These are designed to be discovered as needed, preventing initial overload and gradually introducing complexity in a user-friendly manner. This step includes more advanced features, such as searching for specific exhibits or accessing detailed information panels.
Interaction buttons are folded in the second layer to provide a clearer view
Testing showed that we
Enhancing User Engagement
The redesign of the VR Viewer led to measurable improvements in user experience metrics
35%
Stay Time
22%
User Engagement
48%
User Satisfaction
Here are some
Key Takeaways
I am profoundly gratified by the transformative impact this project has had on iStaging and the broader realm of virtual reality.
Balancing interactions and environment in VR improves engagement.
Mastering the balance between intuitive user interactions and innovative VR features has refined our design approach, enhancing both usability and engagement.
Simplicity enhances usability and accessibility.
This project illustrated that simplicity in design does not just aid usability—it enhances the entire user experience, making sophisticated technology accessible and enjoyable for all.
Stakeholder engagement can build trust.
The success of this project has strengthened our partnerships, proving that consistent stakeholder engagement is crucial. Their trust has been instrumental in validating and rolling out significant design changes that have broadened our platform’s appeal and functionality.
Evolving with user feedback is a must.
Continuous user testing and feedback have been pivotal in this redesign, highlighting the importance of adapting and evolving based on user interactions to meet and exceed expectations.