ARVR DL
IBM AR/VR Design Guidelines
Design Guidelines for Creating an Augmented or Virtual Reality IBM Product
Problem
There are no existing IBM guidelines for creating AR or VR products.
Our Solution
Create an AR/VR Design Guidelines website to ensure consistency across the company.
My contribution
Helped the team come up with the guidelines themselves
designed illustrations and animations
Created written content to explain those guidelines
Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Github
Sketch
Final Designs
user comfort page
The user comfort page focuses on setting ground rules to ensure the best positioning for both the user and objects in the virtual space. Placing objects in 3D space is not commonly learned in traditional design, so it is important for us to provide instructions on the best way to organize the layout. After using a VR headset people frequently tend to get motion sickness, which is something we want to actively avoid. These guidelines ensure that people design for the space properly from the start.
ux patterns page
The UX patterns page explains best practices. These are concepts that we, as AR/VR designers, derived after much trial and error. We agreed on 7 patterns that apply to any situation.
Illustrations and Animations
Foyer
It is important to design an initial entry space for the experience that provides clear auditory and visual cues, guiding the user to an optimal position and direction.
Personal Space
People value their personal space in both real and virtual environments. Keeping all UI elements at least 0.75m away from the user ensures a comfortable distance.
Waypoint
It is necessary to have a simple motion mechanic that prevents VR newbies from getting lost or disoriented while moving through a VR space. Providing visual “waypoint” targets in the environment to indicate travel destinations helps reduce confusion.
Working Zone
The “working zone” is where users spend most of their time consuming information and interacting with content. It is important to minimize head movement and use easy gestures to avoid fatigue.
Challenges
The most difficult part of this experience was creating the guidelines themselves. It is extremely challenging to construct concrete rules in a field where everything is constantly changing. We are still navigating our way through this. However, the team is confident in our work so far and we feel as though this is a great foundation for a design language that will continue to evolve over time.
Outcome
This website is still in the process of getting approved by the IBM Design Guidelines team to ensure consistency with the rest of the IBM-style guidelines. We hope it will be published soon!