Virtual Reality (VR) is a simulated, digital experience that can be similar to or completely different from the real world. VR experiences are created with computer technology and presented to the user through a VR headset or head-mounted display (HMD), which creates an immersive and interactive three-dimensional environment. VR should be experienced and interacted with as if that virtual environment were real.
The concept of virtual reality first emerged with the development of stereoscopic images in the 1800s. Learn more about the origins and evolution of VR in this video:
Virtual reality offers infinite opportunities and has the potential to reshape how we learn, train, and socialize. Here are some of the opportunities and limits of virtual reality.
"Virtual reality is the 'ultimate empathy machine'. These experiences are more than documentaries. They're opportunities to walk a mile in someone else's shoes."
— Chris Milk, CEO of Within
Training and Education: VR provides a safe and controlled environment for training in various fields, such as medical procedures, industrial processes, and emergency response. It enables learners to practice and learn from mistakes without real-world consequences.
Google Earth VR: Allows users to explore real-world locations in a virtual environment, making it an educational tool for geography and exploration.
Medical Realities: Offers surgical training in VR, allowing medical professionals to practice procedures in a risk-free environment.
Immersive Entertainment: VR provides opportunities for immersive entertainment experiences, such as gaming, interactive storytelling, and virtual tourism. VR allows users to become active participants in their favorite stories and explore new worlds.
Beat Saber: A popular VR rhythm game that combines music and lightsabers for an immersive gaming experience.
Half-Life: Alyx: A first-person shooter game set in the Half-Life universe, offering an engaging narrative and interactive gameplay.
Remote Collaboration and Interaction: VR facilitates remote collaboration and socializing—users from different locations can meet, work, and chat together in shared virtual spaces.
VRChat: A social platform that allows users to create and customize avatars and engage with others in various virtual worlds.
Rec Room: A virtual social club where users can participate in various activities and games.
Health and Well-Being: VR has shown promise in therapeutic applications, including counseling, exposure therapy for phobias, stress reduction, and pain management.
Meditation and Relaxation Apps: VR apps like "Guided Meditation VR" provide calming environments for relaxation and stress relief.
PTSD Therapy: Virtual reality apps like Amelia are used for exposure therapy to treat PTSD in veterans and first responders.
VR expert Mel Slater describes how VR can help with our mental health and facilitate self-counseling.
Design and Prototyping: VR can transform product design as it enables designers to create and interact with virtual prototypes.
IrisVR: A platform that enables architects and designers to visualize and walk through 3D models of their creations in VR.
Tilt Brush: An application for 3D painting and art creation in virtual reality.
Hardware Requirements: High-quality VR experiences often require powerful and expensive hardware, such as high-end virtual reality headsets and powerful computers. This can limit accessibility and adoption, particularly for users who cannot afford the necessary equipment.
Adverse Health Effects: Motion sickness is a well-known issue of VR. However, eye strain and even seizures are less well-known, among other adverse health effects. Illness and discomfort can hinder the adoption of VR.
VR presents unique challenges and considerations compared to traditional 2D design. These considerations encompass the technical, experiential, and ethical aspects of VR design to create immersive, enjoyable, and safe virtual reality experiences.
User Comfort and Safety: Prevent motion sickness, eye strain and other discomfort with optimized frame rates, reduced latency, and comfort features like teleportation for locomotion.
Immersive Audio: Pay attention to 3D spatial audio to enhance the sense of presence and immersion within the virtual environment.
User Interface (UI) Design: Design intuitive and easily navigable user interfaces that are seamlessly integrated into the VR environment, which ensures clarity and accessibility.
Interaction Design: Implement natural and intuitive interaction methods such as hand tracking, gesture recognition, and motion controllers to enhance user engagement.
Scale and Proportion: Ensure that objects and spaces in the VR environment maintain realistic scale and proportion to create a convincing sense of presence.
Performance Optimization: Optimize assets and code to maintain smooth performance and reduce hardware requirements, making the VR experience accessible to a broader audience.
Navigation and Wayfinding: Create clear visual cues and landmarks to guide users through the virtual environment, ensuring they can easily orient themselves.
Storytelling and Narrative: Utilize storytelling techniques to engage users emotionally and guide them through the experience, fostering a deeper connection.
Content Creation: Take full advantage of the VR medium to offer unique experiences that are not possible in traditional media.
Accessibility and Inclusivity: Consider diverse audiences and accessibility features, such as adjustable font sizes, voice commands, or custom controller mappings.
© Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0
Testing and Feedback: Continuously test and gather user feedback to identify and address design flaws, comfort issues, and usability concerns.
Performance Feedback: Provide users with feedback on their interactions, such as haptic feedback, visual cues, and audio responses, to enhance the feeling of agency.
VR differs from augmented reality, where users remain anchored in the real world but experience computerized overlays. VR and AR, along with mixed reality (MR), where users interact with digital elements that are anchored to the real world, come under the umbrella term extended reality (XR).
In AR, users employ devices (e.g., smartphones) to find parts of the real world (e.g., a room) overlaid with computer-generated input. Designers insert a range of digital elements such as graphics and GPS overlays, which adjust to changes in the user’s environment (e.g., movement) in real-time. In MR, users have a more sophisticated experience where digital interplays with real-world content, e.g., surgeons operating on patients via projected ultrasound images.
In VR, users’ real-life movements fully translate to preprogrammed environments, letting them play with convincing VR illusions. So, in VR design, you offer users deeper immersion.
“Virtual Reality is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.”
— Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta
Learn how to design your own VR experiences with our course: UX Design for Virtual Reality.
Read Jason Jerald’s comprehensive book on VR, The VR Book: Human-Centered Design for Virtual Reality.
Cornel Hillmann’s book UX for XR: User Experience Design and Strategies for Immersive Technologies, provides an in-depth examination of UX design for VR and beyond.
Check out Smashing Magazine’s approach to VR UX design.
A well-stocked resource on VR design, including finer points (e.g., terrain features)
Take a look at this blog, “Designing User Experience for Virtual Reality (VR) applications”.
Learn more about the future of UX design in this LinkedIn article, “Navigating the Future of UX Design: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)”.
Discover “How to Use Narrative as a Design Tool” in VR.
Here’s the entire UX literature on Virtual Reality by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:
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