Virtual Reality UX
Immersive Experiences in Product Design
As a Human-Centered Designer, I believe that relationships form the foundation of how we experience the world. They shape our expectations, enable us to empathize with one another, and foster both physiological and emotional connections - not necessarily in that order.
My curiosity about understanding the journey behind those connections, from start to finish, pushed me to look for the right tools or methods that would provide the knowledge needed to drive innovation and impact people's lives.
The main challenge of this quest is to get as close to the real scenario as possible while observing, testing, interviewing, etc. At a certain point, I realized that I wanted to immerse myself in the experience to better understand it, just like a "fly" in the room, an Operator (opens in a new tab) from Matrix, or Being John Malkovich (opens in a new tab)-style.
That drove my interest in Virtual Reality since I could combine people’s imagination with immersive scenarios.
Please enjoy a few milestones from my journey below.
Early Experimentation
Back in 2014, architecture firms began using Unreal Engine for architectural visualization (ArchViz) following the release of UE4. Having experimented with Adobe Flash, OpenGL, and Unity3D, I found UE4 to be a significant step forward, offering more realistic graphics with lower performance requirements. I started experimenting with importing CAD models into UE4 - a tedious and complex process. However, the outcome exceeded my expectations, even though it wasn’t yet good enough to integrate into the product development process.
Product used to import CAD into UE4 - Electrolux PA21G (opens in a new tab)
New Dishwasher Feature
In 2017, Epic announced Datasmith, a tool that simplified importing CAD data into UE. The open beta, released in 2018, paved the way for VR in product development. I built the first proof of concept and started to convince and engage Electrolux in the VR world. We created our first concept studies and tested them with real users in a lab. From here, we began to see the potential benefits of virtual prototyping, which allowed us to brainstorm and test ideas quickly without development constraints.
Testing Prototype
User Feedback
Fridge Concept
Another significant benefit for product development was the substantial cost savings from not having to build physical prototypes-at least at the beginning of the development. VR created an agile environment with rapid iterations, allowing the team to make real-time improvements based on qualitative user feedback. We built dozens of virtual prototypes before deciding on the final ones, giving us the confidence that we were heading in the right direction. The best part was the relief from the anxiety that the prototype might break.
User Feedback
The development was so successful that the team decided to produce two prototypes to be presented at one of the biggest kitchen fairs in Europe, EuroCucina.
Physical Prototype at Fair
At the same time, I started exploring quicker and simpler ways to deploy VR prototypes. Below, you can see a simple 360 image that was used with regular smartphones and Google Cardboard, where people didn't need to have a full VR setup to be able to experience and provide feedback. The intention was to provide the team with an immersive sensation, offering a closer connection to reality compared to viewing a render on a monitor, which made it difficult to perceive the product’s true scale.
360 View (interactive)
Interactive Wine Cellar
For a wine cellar, I tried something more interactive and paired it with digital products. An important aspect of a wine cellar is how users manage their inventory. I developed a prototype that allowed users to interact with the shelves, place bottles, and use a mobile app. In this project I also started to give more attention to the UIs, both on the VR UI and the simulated product UI.
Prototype Demo
To gather user feedback, I adopted a more scientific approach, focusing on metrics and usability performance. A pilot test was conducted as a learning session. Fun fact: people loved juggling the bottles without the risk of breaking them.
User Test
Project Development
VR was also utilized for internal presentations and demos, as well as for project alignment and design reviews. The video below highlights its role in the development of the current Electrolux Fridge & Freezer 500-900 series.
Mixed Reality
One of my goals was to explore mixed reality by creating physical mockups, enhancing the sense of immersion in the virtual world. I also considered incorporating elements like scent, temperature variations, tactile feedback, and wind.
A parallel intention was to provide a better observer camera, as most people felt sick from the headset video feed. The idea was to use an external camera with a greenscreen.
Below is one of the inspirations for the idea.
Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed it.