Project background

This educational VR application is a revolutionary tool designed to enhance learning and provide an immersive experience to students. With the use of VR technology, we offer students the opportunity to explore and understand historical events, geography, art, and much more in a new and exciting way. By stepping through portals in virtual reality, students can witness firsthand events and experiences that were previously impossible to recreate in the classroom.

The possibilities with this VR app are endless. For instance, students can travel through time and experience historical events like the American Revolution, World War II, or the Renaissance period. They can also visit famous landmarks and cultural sites from around the world, allowing them to gain a better understanding of geography and world cultures. Additionally, students can step into the minds of famous painters and experience their art in a new way, gaining a deeper appreciation and understanding of art history.

This VR app provides an immersive learning experience that can increase students’ engagement and retention. It is designed to be a supplementary tool for teachers and educators to make learning more interactive and fun. It can be used in conjunction with existing lesson plans or as a standalone learning tool.

My role

As the UX/UI designer, XR designer, researcher, and 3D designer all in one person, my role is vital to the development of the VR educational application. I am responsible for designing and implementing the user experience and user interface of the application, ensuring that it is easy to use and intuitive for all users, regardless of their technical background.

As the XR designer, I am in charge of creating immersive and interactive experiences for the users by using the latest XR technologies such as virtual and augmented reality. I also conduct extensive research to understand the needs and preferences of the target audience and incorporate those findings into the design of the application.

Moreover, as a 3D designer, I am responsible for creating the virtual environments, objects, and characters that will be used in the application. I work closely with the development team to ensure that the 3D models are optimized for the VR platform and provide an immersive experience for the users.

The problem

One of the main problems for the project is ensuring that the VR educational application is accessible for everyone, regardless of their physical abilities or technical skills. This is a significant challenge as VR and AR technologies are still relatively new and may not be accessible or user-friendly for all individuals.

For example, individuals with disabilities, such as vision or hearing impairments, may have difficulty using VR headsets or interacting with the virtual environments. Additionally, not all students may have access to the necessary technology, such as high-end computers or VR headsets, to use the application.

Another challenge is making sure that the application is easy to use and understand for all users, including those who may not have experience with VR or AR technologies. The user interface and navigation of the application must be designed in a way that is intuitive and straightforward, without overwhelming or confusing the user.

Finally, a significant pain point for VR/AR applications, in general, is the potential for motion sickness or discomfort when using the technology for extended periods. This is especially important to consider in an educational context where students may be using the application for an extended period of time.

To address these challenges and pain points, it is essential to design the VR educational application with accessibility in mind. This may involve incorporating accessibility features such as text-to-speech or closed captioning, ensuring that the application is compatible with a range of devices and technologies, and conducting user testing to identify and address any potential issues with motion sickness or discomfort.

By prioritizing accessibility and ease of use, I can ensure that the VR educational application is a valuable and inclusive tool for all students, regardless of their abilities or experience with VR/AR technologies.

The goal

The goal of the project is to create an educational VR application that offers immersive and interactive experiences for students to better understand historical events, geography, arts, and other subjects. The application will utilize XR technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to allow users to experience these subjects in a unique and engaging way.

As the UX/UI designer, XR designer, researcher, and 3D designer, my role is to create an intuitive and user-friendly interface, design immersive experiences using XR technologies, conduct extensive research to understand the needs and preferences of the target audience, and create 3D models of virtual environments, objects, and characters.

However, the project’s goal is not only limited to creating an engaging and immersive learning experience but also ensuring that the application is accessible for everyone, regardless of their physical abilities or technical skills. To achieve this goal, you will need to consider accessibility features, compatibility with a range of devices and technologies, and user testing to identify and address any potential issues.

Project duration

February 2023 to May 2023.

Meet our Personas

The Research

The research for the VR educational application included a comprehensive approach to ensure accessibility and inclusivity for all users. We recognized the importance of making education more fun, accessible, and better for everyone, regardless of their age, background, or location.

To achieve this goal, we conducted user interviews, seeking feedback from a diverse group of people from around the world. We also searched for participants in Facebook user groups, Oculus forums, VR chat, and other online communities to get a broad range of perspectives.

During the wireframing and greyboxing phase, we focused on designing a virtual space that was intuitive and easy to navigate. We wanted to ensure that users would be able to access the educational content without encountering any barriers.

After creating hi-fi designs and prototypes directly in virtual spaces, we conducted usability tests around the world. We wanted to ensure that the application was accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. To that end, we made a concerted effort to test our prototypes with as many elderly people as possible in our area.

Throughout the research process, we paid close attention to the accessibility of the application. We recognized that accessibility was crucial to ensuring that everyone could benefit from the educational content. We made a concerted effort to design the application with accessibility in mind, and we conducted extensive testing to ensure that it met the needs of a broad range of users. Overall, our research approach aimed to create an inclusive and accessible VR educational application that could help people around the world learn in a fun and engaging way.

The most important pain points

Accessibility: One of the key challenges of the project is ensuring that the VR educational application is accessible to everyone, regardless of their age, background, or location. This involves designing a virtual space that is intuitive and easy to navigate, as well as ensuring that the application meets the needs of users with disabilities.

User Engagement: Another important pain point is ensuring that users are engaged with the educational content. This requires creating content that is both informative and engaging, as well as providing users with a range of interactive features and tools to enhance their learning experience.

Technical Issues: VR and AR technologies are still relatively new and can be prone to technical issues. Ensuring that the application runs smoothly and without glitches can be a significant challenge, and requires extensive testing and quality assurance measures.

Content Creation: Creating high-quality educational content can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. Ensuring that the content is accurate, engaging, and informative requires a significant investment of time and effort.

User Adoption: Finally, one of the most significant challenges facing the project is ensuring that users adopt and continue to use the application. This requires creating a compelling value proposition, as well as providing ongoing support and engagement to users to keep them coming back to the platform.

My problem statements

Maria (user) is a/an student (user characteristics), who needs engaging and interactive content (user need) because this will make learning more fun and effective (insight).

Kwame (user) is a/an teacher (user characteristics), who needs interactive and engaging content (user need) because this will make teaching more effective and enjoyable (insight).

Elsie (user) is a/an retired person(user characteristics), who needs a more immersive and interactive way to experience art (user need) because this will make art more accessible and enjoyable despite mobility issues (insight).

Usability study

Study type: Moderated usability study

Location: Remote (each participant will complete the study in their own home). Participants will be recruited from Facebook user groups, Oculus forums, VR chat and other online communities.

Participants: Participants are students and educators from around the world, with varying levels of familiarity with virtual reality. Two males and one female, aged 25-55, with diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.

Duration: Each session will last 10-15 minutes, based on a list of prompts.

Results: Users had difficulty navigating the virtual reality environment, with some struggling to find their way around and others becoming disoriented. Additionally, some users had difficulty interacting with certain elements of the virtual environment, such as opening doors or activating portals. However, users generally found the content to be engaging and informative, with many expressing a desire to use the platform for future educational purposes.

2nd round of Usability study

Study type: Moderated usability study

Location: Remote (each participant will complete the study in their own home). Participants will be recruited from the same online communities as the first study.

Participants: Participants are students and educators from around the world, with varying levels of familiarity with virtual reality. Two males and one female, aged 25-55, with diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.

Duration: Each session will last 15-20 minutes, based on a list of prompts.

Study Goals: To evaluate the effectiveness of changes made based on feedback and results from the first round of testing, and to identify any additional pain points or usability issues.

Participants: Participants will be asked to complete a series of tasks within the virtual reality environment, such as navigating to specific locations, interacting with objects, and completing quizzes. During the study, participants will be asked to think out loud and provide feedback on their experience. The moderator will take notes and ask follow-up questions as needed.

Expected Results: We hope to see improvements in user navigation and interaction with the virtual environment, as well as increased ease of use for the ingredient check feature. We also hope to identify any remaining pain points or issues that may need to be addressed in future iterations of the platform.

VR Concept

Greyboxing (ShapesXR)

High-fidelity designs (Bezel)

Prototype (Bezel)

Reasoning behind decisions

EduPortals is a Virtual Reality (VR) application designed to provide an immersive learning experience for students who want to explore and learn in a more engaging and interactive way. The application uses joystick movement to allow users to navigate and explore the virtual environment in a seamless and intuitive way.

The joystick movement allows users to move around the virtual environment easily, without the need for physical movement, which is ideal for users who may have mobility issues or are restricted to a particular space. This also makes it ideal for classroom settings, where students can’t move around much but still want to explore and learn in a more interactive way. Also, the portals are not further from each other, to minimize the possibility of motion sickness. In the future we will add vignetting to movement, since this is a good way to reduce the motion sickness.

In the future, EduPortals plans to add teleporting and direct camera looks using a user interface (UI) to further enhance the user experience. Teleporting will allow users to move around the virtual environment quickly and easily without using a joystick, while direct camera looks will enable them to look at specific objects or areas in the virtual environment without having to physically move their heads or bodies.

These features were added with the personas in mind, as they are easily distracted and require an immersive learning experience that can hold their attention for longer periods of time. By adding these features, EduPortals hopes to make the learning experience more interactive, engaging, and accessible for all users.

We used a dark enviorment to ensure people with sensitivity to light can enjoy without problems the experience. This shceme is better for eyes as well. Also used small lights to emphasize the information about every portal.

Accessibility considerations

The application should provide multiple ways for users to interact with the virtual world. This can include options for different types of input devices such as game controllers, keyboards or touchscreens.

Virtual reality can cause discomfort or motion sickness for some users. We considered providing options to adjust the brightness, contrast, and field of view to accommodate different users’ comfort levels.

We considered the physical space needed for the VR experience. We ensured that the VR setup is accessible for all users, including those who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility.

In the future we will provide clear instructions using the user interface on how to use the VR equipment and application to ensure that all users can access and use the educational content effectively.

Conclusion

After analyzing the project and all its aspects, I can say that it has been an exciting and challenging experience. As a UX/UI designer, XR designer, researcher, and 3D designer, I had the opportunity to work on a project with a noble cause – making education accessible and engaging for everyone.

Throughout the process, I have encountered many obstacles and pain points, but thanks to the research and usability testing we conducted, we were able to make significant improvements and create a user-friendly application. We paid close attention to accessibility considerations, ensuring that the app could be used by people with different abilities and in different environments, such as in a classroom.

I am confident that this educational VR app will be a valuable addition to the learning experience, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way we educate students in history, geography, and arts. I am proud to have been part of such a meaningful project and look forward to seeing it being used by students and educators around the world.

Tools used

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