Hello everyone! Welcome to movable feast week 7!
We enjoyed working on our OER and exploring the topic “User Experience”. We mainly discussed user experience design elements and features in extended reality environments and the importance of user experience designers’ role in developing virtual worlds for learning and training.
You can access our OER here.
Our discussion board here
If you would like to participate in the discussion here in WordPress, feel free to comment. Here are some potential prompts:
- Will the Metaverse help define future VR learning experiences?
- How was your experience in Hyper-Reality (activity 3)?
- As a user, what are some of the constraints and/or benefits that you might encounter in extended reality environments?
- What are some of the elements that a UX designer should focus on while building extended reality as a medium for learning and training?
Thank you
We hope that you will learn a little more about the role of user experience design in developing educational environments in virtual worlds and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts and experiences through the activities.
Maria Agop & Jackson Liang
( 0 upvotes and 0 downvotes )
Hi Maria and Jackson,
Fantastic OER! Before going through your OER, I felt like I had a good grasp one the topic, but afterwards I realized that there was so much more to know, explore and expect when considering the future of education. I also found myself feeling excited about the kinds of technologies we may have access to, but also some fear when thinking about some of the more negative side effects of having such a connected environment. The Hyper-Reality video was really intriguing at first, but then I just felt kind of overwhelmed. I think that, personally, I feel overwhelmed knowing that I can communicate with people so easily (as I like my solitude), but at the same time not really seem to have a connection with those around you. I always feel like I am way better at connecting with people in person as I find online and phone communication a bit consuming at times. I also think that there is a big focus on sight and hearing, but I feel like when there’s so much added, how can you connect with the reality around you. I guess you have the stability of your sense of touch and you also probably get used to it pretty quickly.
Jackson & Maria, I wish I could respond to your project sooner this week. The work you’ve done is amazing! There is enriched content for viewers to chew on. With UX in mind, you levelled up to UX in AR, VR, and XR. I’m glad you also talked about XR application in educational settings. All to say, I really enjoyed visiting your website.
In response to your prompt question, “how was your experience in Hyper-Reality (activity 3)”? Even from a third-person point of perspective, I feel so overwhelmed with so much going on, let alone the user. Some people may be intrigued or excited about hyper-reality experiences, but I wouldn’t be one of them. My curiosity about hyper-reality though is the purpose and value of its functionality. In this video, it seems to be a pretty daunting user experience. If however, the user experience is greatly improved, then what would be the drives and motives for participating in hyper-reality? Could it be applied to eLearning contexts and what would it look like? User experience design is a critical element of AR, VR & HR, I believe there is plenty of room for a greater user experience with the emerging technologies.
Again, thank you both for bringing rich content into our learning. I really appreciate your work and the countless hours you put into this project.
Thank you for your kind words! I am glad you gained a bit of knowledge about user experience in XR spaces. I understand your point about a daunting user experience in hyper-reality, however, no one was expecting mobile devices to reach this point of comfort and familiarity in the early stages. XR spaces would have limitless possibilities in all areas of our lives, especially in education where I used “The Magic School Bus” as an example of a future where learners would gain access to information by visuals and object interaction thus the need in closing the gap between UX designers and educators. I have great expectations of UX designers who would achieve the impossible regarding the comfort and safety of people in XR spaces.
What an interesting OER and the Metaverse concept speaks to a more advanced and immersive online space. There has been significant progress in artificial intelligence AI systems. My big questions are that the Metaverse dramatically magnifies every human trait and tendency, both good and bad. An example would be looking at the 360-degree views, the ideas presented in (User In Yer Face) and the concepts of Hyper-reality. One of the big ideas that have come out with technologies and games is to have reminders telling users when they should stop using their products. Many products have reminders, but we would have to have buy-in and what happens when boundaries between the actual and virtual worlds become blurred. What are we reminding ourselves of then?
Thank you, Jennifer! I agree, when the real and virtual worlds become blurred it would be even more complicated for the UX designer to design comfortable and safe XR spaces. UX design is still in the early stages (around 10 years) and I believe we will be able to find solutions for future obstacles. When we begin trusting autonomous cars in transportation, we will trust UX designers and XR spaces in creating a safe environment in full measure.
Hello week 7!
Thank you for this interactive presentation. I love your inclusion of userinyerface.com. I did this exact activity with my students and we explored ideas of how the younger generations are so much more familiar with technology compared to our parents and grandparents. I had several students become extremely frustrated as they weren’t able to complete a task at the pace they usually work at.
Activity 3 was interesting. A big part of usability comes from distraction. I was over stimulated and found it hard to focus on a single moving thing. However, I am easily distracted on a regular basis and I am not familiar with VR gaming.
Hi Megan. Thanks for sharing. Yes! Students are bright individuals; it’s even better when I see them working together to try solving the problems together. I wonder as time goes forward, how the older generations can work and stay up-to-date. I think Activity 3 was distracting for everyone so it really isn’t just you.
Hi Jackson and Maria, I learnt a lot from your website and encouraged me to think more in depth about actual “experiences” and how users respond to them. Previously I wasn’t familiar with the distinction between UX and UI, your explanation was very clear and concise! I found activity 2 to be quite intriguing as it really showed the potential of using XR to learn beyond the classroom (especially for viewing “out of reach” events such as the Historical videos, dinosaurs, outer space or touring the Carnegie Hall). This proves that engaging user experiences are still possible without the use of fancy tech and the question of “how to” design a good user experience is quite complicated with lots of factors to consider. Activity 3 was a good thought provoker, I would personally be quite distracted if I went into public and saw all these AR infographics pop up. There’s simply too much information and ends up having the the opposite effect where the user experience is hampered instead of enhanced by technology. It’s weird if I can’t even focus on what’s in front of me (maybe it’s a vehicle, elderly person or escaped zoo animal). Shopping for groceries becomes somewhat “inorganic” as I’m unable to enjoy the process, select what foods I like without the interference of a UX overlay. I appreciated how you brought up The Magic School Bus (my childhood…) as an example and metaphor for UX learning, the parallels are clear and works as a real life version of an immersive vehicle that brings learning directly to students.
Thank you John for your insights. I agree that UX designers’ task is really complicated and they need to consider every detail possible. I believe in the future we will be able to catch up with all the infographics popping up, especially if we get familiar with the design and the visual cues, it will be exactly like your phone with all the apps and pop-up messages but instead, they would be projected in front of you. I also think that some physical spaces would be clear areas of white walls to support AR digital objects and infographics.
Thanks for the extensive review of the promise of XR as an educational tool and a cornerstone to the Metaverse. As educators meet their students in the Metaverse, the boundaries between the actual and virtual worlds become blurred. These smart classrooms will permit an automated customized, and personal learning experience for each student, especially as they incorporate other emerging technologies such as Dojo computing. Yet these advances belong to technological titans vying to be the users’ choice. Thus, this competitiveness results in the lack of interoperability and data portability. The lack of ownership of our own mined data will pose problems for students transferring between educational environments. How will the educational system established safety to define the human experience, privacy, bias, and fairness? Will educators be able to build and maintain the necessary digital foundations to be full partners in designing our smart learning spaces?
Hi Elizabeth. You offer an excellent point on data and mined data. I don’t have an answer to the questions you pose, but I have an experience that is similar. I wanted to consider the viability of procuring a class set of VR headsets. The problem with that was each headset required a real Facebook account. This would breach FOIPPA rules in Canada about personal data being stored in US servers. Upon talking to customer support, they said there is currently NO workarounds to this issue. I had to scrap the whole plan. Right now, I don’t think it will be easy for certain technologies to be introduced in the classroom.
Hi Maria and Jackson. I found the Google Arts and Culture activity very engaging. I used the India experience and found myself turning my phone to see the limitations of the views and was surprised that I could perform a 360-degree turn. I’ve seen this on Google Earth and, to a lesser extent, on real estate listings. The difference between the Arts and Culture activity and the other two applications is the sound and movement, which added to the immersive experience. My experience in the Hyper-Reality activity was that I was in cognitive overload. Too many lights, sounds, advertisements, prompts, and overlays competed for my attention. I felt very agitated. I think UX designers must remember that XR does not mean that you can teach faster and be less engaged with your students. The India experience reminded me that seeing alone does not equate to understanding the culture without a guide to explain it. The visuals only add a dimension, and the role of instructors will still be vital.
Hi Tamaka. Thanks for mentioning the role of the instructor. I feel Google Arts and Culture can work very well with talking about place-based learning and history. It would make a great discussion topic to have everyone share their discoveries and how they felt in those places.
Hi Jackson and Maria:
What an interesting OER. Though I have had some experience with VR, the hyper reality was new to me. Ihave had some VR experience, so exploring in Activity 2 wasn’t new to me. Although, learning about how they use the washroom in space was interesting to me (in a humorous way). I knew to move my phone around for the 360 view (which reminded me of the 360 google view when it was first introduced).
For Activity 3, I appreciated the reminder or warning of the flashing light at the different times. It was extremely blinding. I noticed the different decorative inclusions in the hyper-reality, the reminders that cars were incoming, the choice of rating the current ride and the addition of having a pet join you on your grocery shopping experience. I guess as I was experiencing it from a perspective that I need to spot pros and cons, I easily separated myself from virtual and reality. This hyper-reality reminds me of a reading I did on Tapscott who discusses the current generation as net-generation. That is, the current generation that can multitask and have multiple technology active at a time. This experience of multitasking and having multiple functions to choose and do at a time is much like the over stimulation that our current generation experiences their day (watching a movie, while doing homework, suddenly google search or texting, while chatting). This also makes me think about the Smart Lens that one of our colleagues have been exploring and that if it become reality, it would be much like the other uses that the main player was witnessing, where people were swiping and pinching in the air.
My worry would be the distractions that may occur from hyper reality. I can imagine someone so immersed that they don’t realize they are stepping onto the road or knocking into people with their shopping carts, missing their stop or not realizing danger is ahead or around them.
Hi Rika! Thanks for sharing. You bring up a great point on distractions of hyper reality. In the future, I wonder if it would become the user’s, producer’s or government’s role to self-regulate distracted behaviour. For example, the government brings laws into place to protect drivers from distracting themselves. Some technologies and games have reminders telling users when they should stop using their products. However, there is also just the rule of one’s own, which is to manage your own behaviour. The evolution of user experience is going to have to confront that question as it advances.
An afterthought, how do you think Hyper Reality might change aesthetics of things? Will people bother decorating when hyper reality can do it for you? Or are people’s hyper reality linked so that you see the virtual decorations that I have set up? Will this become more cost efficient in term of interior and exterior decor? (My husband is a realtor, so I’ve been exposed to a lot of decor problems lately). This will also be very interesting to see what becomes of it knowing the shifts that technology takes in culture.
I find VR/AR tours for viewing properties/housing to be extremely handy, especially during times such as a pandemic. In particular, I’m liking the trend of using AR to reconstruct showrooms for empty properties (eg: the original photo has no furniture where as the hyper reality version would be fully decorated and used to give users inspiration as to how this particular room could be utilized
Hi Rika. That’s an interesting afterthought especially with the emergency of the Metaverse, where people can design their own homes to their liking. I imagine this would work well for decoration, but practical things such as heating, electricity and utilities probably wouldn’t be replaceable. I expect when Hyper reality becomes mainstream that these decorations will also become more common
Regulation is an interesting point, as most forms of hyper reality media is most likely to be commercial, I don’t think governments will step in unless there’s a sudden increase in hyper reality related accidents or crimes (eg: cryptocurrency). Nonetheless, as a starting point for all emerging tech, it’ll probably fall into the hands of the users to self regulate and determine how to practice self control/using it within safe environments. Then again simple digital aspects such as digital footprints or social media contributes to the decentralized nature of the Internet. If you look at trends such as Metaverse or Bitcoin, these products blur the lines between distractions and how hyper reality seamlessly integrates itself into our lives.
Hi Maria and Jackson, thanks for a great resource! I discovered a new interest in augmented reality over the first few weeks of the course and appreciated the insights into UX in that particular area, especially the differentiation of AR categories based on the usable spaces. . For Activity 1 (UserInyerface), I have come across this before in another previous MET course and am still so infuriated that I could not bring myself to click on it. That emotional response really highlighted for me the need for proper UX development, as the best educational resources could be completely disregarded if their interface is not equally a focus for developers. A side note, on the XR & Education page, there was a Google Slides presentation that I could not view because it said I did not have access. Not sure if this is just a me problem! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Braden! I am also very interested in the field of extended reality and I noticed the gap in educational platforms and appropriate UX design elements. It was a bit difficult to find relevant resources around this issue because of how recent XR is in education and UX design thinking in educational resources. However, we tried our best to present elements and features that would help educators in designing their own XR environments. As soon as we have access to Adobe Aero and other similar applications, we will be able to create our own XR spaces without the need to code thus the need to get educated about the important UX design elements for a smooth experience. I apologize for the inconvenience with Google Slides, thank you for letting us know, it should be working now.
Hello Maria and Jackson, I’ve already left a comment on the Padlet, but wanted to congratulate you on your OER. Fantastic job! The OER itself is an example of good UX practices, as it was engaging, easy to navigate, and well-balanced content-wise. It was interesting to dive into XR and its educational potential. Since this course started, I’ve become more interested in XR and have only explored the educational potential conceptually. Entering the Google VR environments allowed me to experience more directly the affordances of VR. Exploring these locations in 3D and the amount of information and impressions I was able to experience by far exceeds what we can get from a textbook or an image. The Bruegel example showed how we can even go beyond just experiencing an object in 3D, but see it being decomposed and almost feel we go into the painting. This was an experience that is unique to XR because it could not be possible in the real world. I can see more clearly now that, as technologies develop and become more accessible, XR will revolutionize how we learn through these highly immersive experiences.
Thank you, Eduardo! We really tried our best to accomplish the UX design elements as much as we can, I really wanted to embed a progress bar in the OER, but it was almost impossible with the limitations of Google Sites. As visual learners, XR environments would reshape the learning experience into a fun and enjoyable occurrence, especially for children. Nevertheless, the negative sides of those spaces are still unknown and that’s why UX designers need to pay extra attention to privacy issues when designing, particularly for younger users, and that was one of the reasons Google Glass failed during its consumer release in 2013.
Hi Maria. Progress bar – great idea! I will keep that in mind for future projects. I remember I once took a course that incorporated that element and it was helpful as well as motivating. Yes, I remember reading about privacy being one of the reasons of Google Glass’ failure while doing research for my A1. Another reason was that people didn’t find the glasses to be comfortable and criticized the aesthetics. I think this would also be within UX considerations, would you agree?
Yes, the power bar is a really powerful tool! There’s a small section in the “UX in XR Gamification” tab you can check out (https://sites.google.com/view/user-experience-design-xr/home/ux-in-xr/ux-in-xr-gamification). I wonder what platforms allow you to incorporate that element, have you encountered it on Wix while creating the OER? About Google Glass, comfort and safety are a priority in UX design, especially while wearing headsets and being immersed in the virtual world, you can find a video of VR fails on this page (https://sites.google.com/view/user-experience-design-xr/home/ux-in-xr).
I haven’t seen a progress bar feature in Wix. However, one could create a kind of simulation. The progress bar I saw in the course I took a few months ago was actually a picture. It was a course in Canvas and what the learning designers did was to put an image of a progress bar at the top of each page. As you progressed in the course, the progress bar looked more and more completed. Of course, it would be better to have a program that does this, however, this still worked. For the designers, It was just a matter of calculating how much time it would take a user to go through a page and then represent that in the progress bar. To do this you would end up creating multiple images with different progress levels. A little bit of extra work but it’s worth a try! Maybe I’ll try it for A3 🙂
Congratulations on this very interesting OER! I learned a lot.
How was your experience in Hyper-Reality (activity 3)?
It’s too much. It’s even scary. I understand that’s an exaggeration, but at the same time, it reminds me of shows like Black Mirror and Upload which depict a hyper-realistic future where it has more problems than benefits. I like certain aspects of hyper-reality, like being able to see relevant information or world news, or having a built-in smartphone, but where is the limit? Advertising, the lottery, the possibility of being observed, followed and the worst, the grading on 5 stars according to daily behavior is alarming!!! I believe that bringing this experience to my 16-year-old students and starting the debate “for or against” to explore the advantages and the dangers is an excellent educational activity. I will definitely use this video. Thanks! In my opinion, young people are already hyper stimulated by mobile technology and it is difficult for the teacher to capture attention for a long period of time. I feel like my class will have to become a hyper-realistic video game if I want everyone’s attention!
Thanks for your response Sebastien and the connection to Black Mirror. Data usage and FOIPPA concerns will probably become an even more contentious issue for schools as districts have to decide between joining or staying in the traditional. Perhaps eventually there will be a limit to technology where some gadgets just can’t be allowed in school? Mobile technology is definitely an issue at my school and meeting that stimulation is always something that is hard to achieve.
Excellent presentation! For activity 3, the Hyper-Reality experience, I was overstimulated by the sounds and the distractions. Possibly because I was sitting at my desk, and unprepared to be on a city bus than in a grocery store. In the grocery store, it seemed as though numerous customers were making eye contact with me. Seeing how realistic the people in the simulation were, accompanied by the realistic perspective if I was pushing a shopping cart made me think that if I was doing this for more than 15 minutes I feel like I may have a hard time distinguishing reality from the simulation. I think that there would be even more impact if I was able to control the direction of my character, instead of it being automated because I am watching a video. Another really cool part of your presentation was when you compared and showed educational games from my childhood! I loved playing ‘Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego’ and ‘Math Blaster’. My children’s experience with games in education is certainly going to be quite a bit different than mine.
Hi Agnes and thanks for your thoughts on Hyper-Reality and games. Even if it isn’t Hyper-Reality, there are some interesting comparisons between reality and the graphical fidelity of games. For example, the PS5 has graphics that has been compared to real life on YouTube, making watchers wonder just how close technology has come. Second, educational games have gone a long way, commercial-off-the-shelf games can even provide educational value compared to just educational games. I still remember playing JumpStart or Leapfrog books as part of my childhood.
I quite enjoyed reading through your resource throughout the week. For activity 1 (User in Yer Face), I became frustrated with navigating and progressing through the site. It makes me reflect on past experiences when online shopping, and feeling frustrated and deciding to just exit the site because it was poorly designed. On the flip side, the easier it is to shop, add items to the cart, view the cart and view suggestions, I certainly shop longer and more efficiently. The activity made me reflect on the incredible value of UX in online commerce!