Virtual Reality

By mixing hardware (like headsets) and software, virtual reality (VR) lets users fully immerse themselves in a simulated world.

Virtual reality (VR) experiences, like virtual museums, are made by creators to put people in 3D worlds where they can move around and interact freely to do pre-planned activities and reach pre-planned goals. (e.g., learning).

For the best results, VR experiences need to be made with a first-person point of view in mind.

Using Devices to Get to New Worlds

In designing for virtual reality (VR), you want people to use as many of their senses as possible to feel like they are in a different place.

The more senses your design uses, especially sight, sound, and touch, the more your users will feel like they are in virtual reality. So, you should keep buyers as far away from the outside world as possible.

In the 1950s, the View-Master, a stereoscopic visual model, and Morton Heilig's Sensorama multi-experience theater were the first examples of virtual reality (VR).

In 1968, the first head-mounted display, or HMD, was made. In the 1970s and 1980s, designers focused on making apps for professionals. With better technology, they might change the computerized VR experiences used for flight modeling, medical training, and military training.

After 1990, when the word "virtual reality" became popular, video games helped spread virtual reality (VR) to a wider group of people. Since then, VR has become more advanced and easier to use.

A comparison is made between mixed reality, augmented reality, and virtual reality.

In virtual reality, the person using it is cut off from the rest of the world and feels like they are there.

Augmented reality (AR) is different from virtual reality (VR). In AR, people interact with digital overlays while staying in the real world. Extended reality is the term for augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), all of which let people connect with digital parts that are anchored in the real world. (XR).

In augmented reality, people use devices (like smartphones) to look at parts of the real world (like a room) that have computer-made information added to them.

Designers add digital features like images and GPS overlays that respond instantly to changes in the user's surroundings. (such as movement). Users of MR have a more advanced experience because digital content can connect with real content.

For example, surgeons can operate on patients while ultrasound images are shown on a screen. The way the user's real-world movements are translated into VR environments lets them communicate with illusions that look real. As a result, VR design lets people escape almost completely.

How to Trick the Senses with Virtual Reality

In virtual reality, there are three "genres" that can be used to reach users:

1. design that is empathetic or very realistic (which can involve scents).

2. Live-action films that are told from the first-person point of view. (e.g., exploring virtual rainforests).

3. Activities and events that are like games.

For creating VR experiences, you need to know about human physiology and psychology, like what users want, what they can't do, etc., and what makes VR experiences fun or boring.

Pay close attention to:

1. Include visual and audio features that fully immerse users in 3D worlds.

2. Make designs that people can connect with and get rid of any outside noise. When adding new environments, the way users connect with them must match how they act in the real world. (e.g., punches are still punches).

3. Explorability: Make sure users can easily move around and learn about the "reality" being shown.

4. By using the above features, you can achieve your goal of putting users at the center of your design.

When you are creating, you should think about the following:

1. Stop virtual-reality sickness, which is like motion sickness but is caused by sensory conflict or stimulation from artificial settings. The person must be completely submerged in a room with no air flow.

They can, however, get confused. Users' physiques change. They can also be in different places when they use virtual reality. Because your design lets them move around easily, they run into obstacles, trip over them, and even fall over.

Even if a piece of technology like the HTC Vive warns users of possible risks, they shouldn't ignore safety. Putting on headphones can make your neck hurt.

• Allow users to see menus and options and use them.
• Don't change the brightness or speed. (do not use flashing lights or drive too quickly).
• Keep the frame rates high.
• Users can usually see in all directions, so movement on the edges should be kept to a minimum.

2. Design for how people naturally connect with and move around things. The system's hand controllers, head-tracking, motion-tracking, and (possibly) eye-tracking sensors must act quickly.

Because of this, they have to give instant control that looks like real behavior. Because users' arms can reach 50 to 70 cm, this is where important exchanges should be.

3. Image and Text Scale: Make images more detailed as the user gets closer to ease eye strain and help the user find their way around by giving them a better sense of depth.

Use writing that stands out. Most of the time, you can focus well from 0.5 to 20 meters away.

4. Sound: Use sound to set the mood, place people in their surroundings, and give hints.

As VR becomes more popular and more users come to expect to be taken to exciting new places, there will be a shift in the types of people who use it. As they become less aware of your interaction, they become more immersed.