INTRO
Holoswitch, a pioneer in connecting smartphones to VR, has been lauded for its innovative approach to seamless communication between the physical and virtual worlds. Their dedication to enhancing the VR experience has led to a range of groundbreaking features, including the ability to seamlessly access and manage notifications in VR.
Holoswitch approached me with a challenging yet exciting task: revolutionize the notification system in VR. By addressing the limitations of traditional notification display methods and enhancing the user experience, my contributions would play a pivotal role in shaping the future of VR communication.
problem
While Holoswitch's previous method of displaying notifications at a distance could be useful, it often required users to break their immersion in virtual reality by physically turning their heads or bodies to see them. This could disrupt their gaming experience or hinder their ability to interact with objects in their virtual environment.
Disruptive Interaction
The timing and placement of notifications in Holoswitch's initial notification display method negatively impacted gaming performance in VR games. Notifications would pop up directly in front of incoming obstacles or enemies, obscuring crucial gameplay elements and potentially causing users to lose the game.
Intrusive Timing
The initial pop-up notification display method was intrusive and lacked clear read-receipts. Notifications would pop up at inopportune moments, obscuring gameplay elements and creating uncertainty about whether notifications had been read. The lack of clear read-receipts further disrupted the user experience.
Limited Readability
For some early users, text was too small or too far away which required them to strain their eyes or physically move closer to read it, leading to a poor user experience. VR displays have limitations in terms of resolution and pixel density. This resulted in text appearing less sharp or clear, making it harder to read and comprehend.
For some early users, text was too small or too far away which required them to strain their eyes or physically move closer to read it, leading to a poor user experience. VR displays have limitations in terms of resolution and pixel density. This resulted in text appearing less sharp or clear, making it harder to read and comprehend.
Incoming notification with app name and logo included.
idea
To address this issue, I came with the concept of Holocom, a smart wearable device that would appear directly in the user's field of view, resembling a virtual smartwatch. This would allow users to check notifications without disrupting their VR experience, making it more seamless and convenient. My goal was to deliver a full working prototype (MVP) of Holocom.
Holocom seen as a virtual smart-watch.
UX/UI
Balancing the need for readable text with maintaining an immersive and unobtrusive experience was crucial from the beginning.
Enhanced Visual Aesthetics
At an early step, I added the app provider's icons to make the experience visually more appealing and easy to recognize, contributing to the overall aesthetic of Holocom and enhancing the user experience.
Optimal Font
The selection of fonts plays a crucial role in readability. I carefully selected a font optimized for VR displays, ensuring clear and legible notifications. Using Unity's Text Mesh Pro, I generated the optimised font for VR.
Hand Gesture-Based Activation
For an intuitive but also immersive User Experience, I implemented a gesture-based activation mechanism for Holocom, allowing users to toggle its visibility with a simple hand movement, but not too simple to interfere with the user's movements in VR.
Comfort and Ergonomics
Introduced an option to allow users to choose which hand Holocom should appear on, accommodating different hand preferences and comfort levels. This enhanced the user's overall VR experience by ensuring a natural and comfortable viewing position.
Gaze-Interaction Notification System
Used gaze-interaction technology to allow users to read notifications directly from Holocom without requiring physical interaction or button presses. This enhanced the seamlessness and convenience of checking notifications while immersed in VR.
Incoming weather notification.
Incoming message and unread messages indicator.
Settings Panel.
case film
See the video tutorial on how to use Holocom and bring your smartphone device into VR.
Special thanks to all the users who participated in our research during pre-production.
All credits go to Triple A Code GmbH.
