With XR products and services limited only by the imagination, XR product managers and developers may be tempted to blue sky their design and development process. But keeping within the boundaries of XR user expectations with a design thinking approach will increase your chances of success.
From Hollywood blockbusters to Instagram filters and TikTok effects, today’s audiences are well-versed in consuming content that could never exist in the real world. And the same is true when it comes to extended reality (XR) experiences. In order to deliver user experiences that audiences expect – XR experiences that feel real, that enhance reality but conform to our understanding of how the world works, and that offer tangible value – XR product managers need to perfect their craft.
As an XR product manager or developer with the whole virtual reality world at your fingertips, it may be tempting to create products and services that go beyond the imaginable. But doing so can be a bit risky, and our studies have shown it’s often not reflective of what users really want – an actualization of the imaginable.
Our research process involves extensive user testing, which has enabled us to develop a strong understanding of what works for users – and what doesn’t. We recruit people who are both current users and new users, so we can understand both groups through studies in the lab and in their home.
Our learnings about XR users’ expectations around factors such as avatars and engagement, security and enforcement, and even the experience of unboxing a product or logging in to the metaverse have given us rich insights into the UX of XR. Here are the top three things XR users want and how you can leverage them for your XR products and services.
THE EXPERIENCE NEEDS TO "FEEL REAL"
In our many years of delivering research and human-centred design for XR products and services, we’ve seen several common themes unfold, and this one tops the list: it needs to feel real. As an example, we recently worked with a large athletic wear company to test and provide feedback on several virtual try-on prototypes, and learned that users preferred a grey avatar over actual photographs of people. Although that may seem counter-intuitive, it turns out the photographs felt like two-dimensional stand-ins, while the grey avatars offered the ability to customize elements such as shoulder, waist and hip shape, allowing them to conform more realistically to users’ own body shapes.
Although XR technology tends to appeal to users who are curious and open to new experiences, our studies have shown they still want an experience that matches up with their mental model of how the world works, the way objects move and how things look and feel. This also assures that newer XR users have an easier adoption curve.
The guidance we generally give our clients is to draw on existing paradigms rather than trying to rewrite the laws of physics. That way you can leverage what users already understand and are comfortable with, while adding the unique and valuable qualities of XR. Luckily, there’s a lot of visual history and resources to pull from here, including video games, websites, mobile apps and even film and television examples that offer learnings on what works – and what doesn’t. And the Nielsen Norman Group’s classic usability heuristics for interface design apply equally well to XR.
While human-centred design can guide product and service strategy to ensure it appeals to end users, visual and UI design best practices address the granular details that go into an XR experience that conforms to our understanding of physics without crossing into uncanny valley territory.
IT MUST PROVIDE VALUE
Many industries have successfully implemented XR products and services – or enhanced existing products and services – with XR. For example, health care providers are using virtual reality (VR) to train students in medical procedures that are difficult to practice in real life. And enterprise applications have included employee onboarding and training, as well as remote systems monitoring.
But these experiences shouldn’t just replicate real life. The idea with XR technology is to offer an enhanced experience that is better than reality, and that might not otherwise be possible. Of course, it’s easy to blue-sky here, because the possibilities truly are endless. But rooting the experience in true value over random embellishments is the key to giving users what they’re looking for. And it drives results: retail try-on at home allows better product selection and less likelihood of returns; health care training allows safe exposure to the complex emotional and physical context of medical procedures; and enterprise applications provide greater opportunities for connection and collaboration.
XR USERS WANT TO CONNECT WITH THE REAL WORLD
More and more, XR experiences are being developed to assist users in accomplishing practical tasks or workplace goals with greater access and ease. From virtual training and educational programs to interactive customer service solutions, XR enables organizations to develop immersive experiences that enhance their real-world abilities.
Specific use cases include collaboration for remote workers, recruitment processes that enable employers to better assess candidate capabilities, onboarding processes and workplace training. Accenture, for example, has created a virtual workspace called the Nth Floor, which is a digital twin of its physical spaces around the world. Here, employees can meet up, collaborate and participate in virtual events. And it has facilitated greater retention of learning during employee training.
Our research on the metaverse and social VR has also shown that people appreciate XR experiences that help them to build deep connections with others in spite of barriers such as shyness or disability. It’s much easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger in VR than it is in reality, and there are more opportunities to connect with like-minded people by way of topical rooms, games and experiences. It also opens up opportunities for people with disabilities to travel, explore and participate in ways they simply can’t IRL.
Part of the key in creating XR experiences users want involves finding that valuable connection to the real world. Start with a value proposition you’d like to achieve, and develop specific use cases that drive value for your users.
OPPORTUNITIES ARE GROWING FOR WELL-DESIGNED XR EXPERIENCE
As the XR space continues to grow exponentially, many organizations are looking for opportunities to jump in or expand their XR offerings. There are dozens of existing use cases that could be the right starting point for you, and many offer a good place to start researching and building a case for business value that offers the potential to elevate your products and services and deliver what your end users really want.
Want to learn more about how to build XR products and services that appeal to your customers? Get in touch today to find out how your team can get the most value out of XR.
