How can you teach AR UX design to students?

Here are some principles for AR UX design: 1. Understand the Environment: • Consider the user’s physical surroundings and design interactions that seamlessly integrate with the real world. 2. User-Centered Design: • Prioritize user needs and ensure that AR experiences enhance and simplify their interactions. 3. Spatial Awareness: • Leverage spatial cues to guide users through the AR environment, providing context and orientation. 4. Intuitive Interactions: • Design gestures and controls that feel natural and intuitive in the context of the physical space.

The key thing about spatial UX design is that you can’t do it in 2d. Today designers are still taught to use tools like Figma, which is built for flat web design and has its inspiration in magazine and newspaper layouts (as all digital design tools tend to). If you look at an analogous 3d design field like architecture, however, you’ll notice that a huge variety of tools are used, from blueprints (an attempt to capture 3d specifications in 2d), to illustrations, to maquettes and full 3d models. There’s a reason those tools have become standard in an industry that specializes in 3d. Spatial design will have sufficiently matured when we take our craft as seriously as architects take theirs.

Key Principles of UX Design: 1. Scale of Spatial Experience: Consider whether it's room-scale, building-scale, area, or city-wide. 2. Type of Spatial Experience: Identify the type of experience, such as social games, family activities, educational learning, industrial training, or events and engagement. 3. Take participants demographics into account: including age, gender, physical abilities, and motor skills. 4. Incorporate movement into the experience 5. Avoid Cognitive Load: Design for natural interactions and aim for a seamless blend of usability and immersion to minimize cognitive load. 6. Invest in Onboarding: Prioritize creating a smooth onboarding process to guide users effectively into the experience.

keep in mind the affordance rule .focus on clear visual and interactive cues that guide your users on how to interact with AR elements and navigate the experience. This is paramount for an optimum user expereince

when teaching keep two important principles in mind. 01 .Spatial Awareness: Teach the concept of spatial computing. Cover depth perception, spatial mapping, and the essence of environmental cues in AR interactions. Provide hands-on exercises. Include real-life case studies for effective communication. 2. User-Centered Design: Cover user research methods and persona development for understanding user needs. Guide students through iterative design processes, emphasizing usability testing and feedback. Encourage collaboration between interdisciplinary teams to address unique AR design challenges.

I will introduce students to established AR design frameworks such as the ARCS model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) or the ARUX framework (Awareness, Understanding, Experience). I guide them through applying these frameworks to analyze, design, and evaluate AR experiences effectively.

Utilizing the AR design framework offers a structured approach to teaching AR UX design. Through its Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Evaluate phases, students learn to identify user needs, generate design concepts, prototype solutions, and evaluate outcomes. This systematic process instills essential design thinking skills and encourages iterative problem-solving. By integrating the framework into their learning, students gain a holistic understanding of AR design principles and practices, preparing them for real-world design challenges.

1. Problem Identification and User Research: Start with identifying real-world problems that AR can solve. Teach methods for conducting user research, including interviews, surveys, and observational studies specific to AR environments. 2. Ideation and Concept Development: Facilitate workshops on ideation techniques like sketching, storyboarding, and journey mapping tailored to AR. Encourage the exploration of different scenarios where AR can enhance user experiences. 3. Prototyping and User Testing: Dive into rapid prototyping methods for AR, using tools that allow for quick iteration. Discuss strategies for effective user testing, including both in-lab and in-field testing, to gather feedback on usability and engagement.

Teaching me how to use the AR design framework is incredibly valuable for structuring my approach to AR UX design. This systematic framework comprises four phases: Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Evaluate. In the Define phase, I identify the design problem, user needs, and goals. During Ideate, I generate and evaluate design concepts and features. The Prototype phase involves testing design solutions using low or high-fidelity methods. Finally, in Evaluate, I refine designs based on user feedback and data. By teaching me this framework, I learn to apply AR design principles effectively throughout the design process, enhancing my skills and outcomes.

I would suggest to adopt a generalist development framework that relates to other realtime 3D usage, such as Unity 3D. Then, you can learn the fundamentals of interactive 3D experiences, and evolve between VR / AR use cases. Within Unity framework, the AR Foundation package features floor detection, offline image recognition, and more, ready to deploy on Android / IOS platforms. On top of these core features, Unity AR Companion app can alleviate the workflow by acquiring anchors, room set-up and even point clouds (IOS only) that can be imported right away into your project!

When we do a AR design we need to factor the following a. The 3D Model creation - we can consider free tools like Blender for creation of the 3D models with required Animation . Also the 3D models can be created with help of 3DSMax and Maya, b. Next important is UI/UX design - We need to come up with a intutive UI for AR application since there is minimal discomfort, lighting and surrounding. c. Next is implementation of AR solutions so based on whether it marker based or markerless we will need identify the right SDK library for implementation like vuforia which works in Unity/Unreal platform or using ARKit/ARcore from iOS and Android. Also the selection of the SDK depends upon the platforms to be supported.

Core to grasping AR design tools is understanding 3D modelling principles. I would kick-off with an intro to form, detail, materiality, 3D photography, 3D printing!

As I learn AR UX, it’s crucial to acquaint myself with the various AR tools available. These include platforms: Unity, UE, ARKit, ARCore, and libraries such as Vuforia, AR Foundation, or Wikitude. Understanding these tools’ capabilities empowers me to create and test my AR applications effectively. I need to understand the software tools for testing and debugging my designs, such as Xcode, Android Studio, or Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK). Proficiency in these tools enables me to identify and resolve technical issues during the development process, ensuring the functionality and performance of my AR applications. By mastering these tools, I can implement my design solutions and learn the technical aspects of AR development effectively.

I will provide hands-on experience with popular AR design tools like Unity, ARKit, ARCore or Adobe Aero. I encourage students to prototype, iterate, and refine their AR designs using these tools, fostering practical skills in the process.

Teaching AR UX design involves integrating essential AR design tools like Unity, Unreal Engine, ARKit, ARCore, Vuforia, AR Foundation, and Wikitude. Students must grasp hardware devices such as smartphones, tablets, headsets, or glasses for user experience. Additionally, familiarity with software tools like Xcode, Android Studio, or MRTK aids in testing and debugging. Mastering these tools equips students with practical skills for implementing and refining their AR designs.

Use visual, tactile (vibration) and sound indicators to guide and alert users through the experience. be mindful of user safety and comfort and remind them to take breaks after long sessions in the experience.

I will share real-world AR design challenges with students, encouraging them to apply problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Students learn to translate theory into practice by designing AR experiences for specific use cases or target audiences.

Incorporating real-world challenges into AR UX design education prepares students for the complexities they'll encounter. From user diversity to safety and adoption, addressing these challenges hones critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students learn to accommodate diverse backgrounds, prioritize safety and privacy, optimize for comfort, and persuade users. This approach equips them for success in the dynamic AR UX design landscape.

1. Interaction Design: Discuss the challenges of designing intuitive interactions in AR, such as gesture recognition, voice commands, and haptic feedback. Explore case studies that showcase effective interaction design in AR. 2. Environmental Variation: Address designing for various physical environments, including challenges like lighting conditions, indoor vs. outdoor settings, and dynamic vs. static environments. 3. Performance and Accessibility: Tackle the technical challenges of AR, such as ensuring smooth performance across different devices and making AR experiences accessible to users with disabilities.

Teaching AR UX design, I like to have a focus on the spatial aspects to inspire innovation and creativity among students: - Emphasizing the significance of spatial cognition and human-computer interaction principles. - Encourage exploration of spatial interaction techniques like gesture recognition and spatial audio. - Foster interdisciplinary learning, drawing inspiration from fields like architecture and game design. - Iterative design processes, integrating user feedback to refine prototypes. => Ultimately, instill a mindset that challenges students to push the boundaries of AR UX design, and creativity to this vast and creative space.

It is important to experiment and test! AR is relatively new and there is no "golden path". Yes, you should think about relevant UX design principles and so on, but there are no limits to the experience. You are in a 3D space, just have fun! But - test it afterwards with a valid and good audience!

I will motivate my students to experiment with different interaction patterns, visual styles, and storytelling techniques to create original and memorable AR experiences.

One of the most important thing when you are about to learn AR is : THE COMMUNITY AR community is strong and really helpful at each step of your learning process, from the begining to the end of your process. You can access and speak to AR creators through different channels but I would recommend Reddit, Facebook groups (Meta Spark Community) and the last but not least AR IRL meetups. It’s a wip technology, that means you can learn from anyone at anytime and this is the strength of AR. I learnt from all the bests via those places so I would have one thing to say : if you did not go to this groups and threads what are you waiting for ☀️

Encouraging AR design creativity is vital in AR UX education. Expose students to diverse examples across domains. Challenge them to think beyond conventions and explore AR's unexpected aspects. Support experimentation and iteration to foster learning. Cultivating creativity empowers students to develop their unique AR design style, contributing to the field's growth and innovation.

Based on my experience, to effectively teach students AR/UX design, it's critical to immerse them in the AR world. They need to experience firsthand both the convenience and discomfort of interacting with augmented reality. Equally important is exposing them to negative experiences, not through presentations but via live interaction with poor UX designs, so they can personally understand the significance of UX in augmented reality.

I will incorporate guest lectures, industry projects, or collaborative assignments to expose students to real-world AR design practices and industry insights. I will focus on the importance of user feedback, iteration, and continuous learning to cultivate a growth mindset in AR UX design.

1. Ethical Considerations and Privacy: Deep dive into case studies where AR has raised ethical and privacy concerns, and facilitate discussions on how to design AR experiences that respect user privacy and data security. 2. Continuous Professional Development: Guide students on building a professional portfolio in AR design, and advise on attending AR/VR conferences, participating in online communities, and following leading AR professionals and companies. 3. Collaboration with Industry: Establish partnerships with AR companies for guest lectures, internships, and real-world projects. This provides students with valuable industry insights and networking opportunities.