Ruby Wu
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Team
team
KEY RESULTS
We succeeded in enhancing user engagement by 22%.
These key improvements highlight the impactful and user-focused enhancements made to our platform.
35% ↑
Stay Time
22% ↑
User Engagement
48% ↑
User Satisfaction
MY IMPACT/ROLE
I led the project to revamp the VR Viewer UI and oversaw the research and user testing phases.
As the project lead, I was given full ownership to steer the revamp of the VR Viewer UI. My role involved coordinating the research process, developing the redesign strategy, and conducting extensive user testing to measure the impact of the changes implemented. This leadership position allowed me to directly influence the project's direction, ensuring the design met both user needs and business objectives effectively.
CONTEXT
We are building a product for luxury brands and real estates to build their virtual tours.
At iStaging, our VR Viewer is used extensively for virtual exhibitions and real estate tours. As the UIUX Product Designer, I was tasked with enhancing user immersion and simplifying the complex interface to boost user engagement and extend session times.
BUSINESS GOAL
We want higher interaction rates and longer stay times to boost user engagement, for exploration and purchases in clients' virtual showrooms during the pandemic.
iStaging aimed to significantly increase user engagement and session times with the VR Viewer. As the lead designer, I defined success metrics focused on higher interaction rates and longer stay times. These measures were chosen to directly reflect the effectiveness of the interface redesign in creating a more intuitive and engaging user experience, ensuring that enhancements led to measurable improvements in user satisfaction and product usability.
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
What are the problems?
The interface overwhelmed users with its complexity, overshadowing the content and interrupting the immersive experience. Frequent distractions from unintuitive navigation and control mechanisms hindered users from engaging deeply with the virtual spaces, diminishing the core value of VR.
Inconsistencies and unclear navigational paths in the UI design resulted in a steep learning curve. Users struggled with basic interactions due to poorly defined controls and a layout that did not intuitively guide them, significantly detracting from user satisfaction.
The design failed to consistently represent various brand identities, making the interface feel disjointed.As a B2B Product, adapting the design to accommodate different brand identities without losing aesthetic appeal or functionality presented a significant challenge, particularly in maintaining a balance between neutrality and novelty across various industries.
HYPOTHESIZED SOLUTIONS
I believed minimal interaction and aesthetics would increase engagement by removing confusing workflows.
I proposed a series of design optimizations as follows.
Simple
Simplifying user interactions to enhance immersion
Coherent
Unifying the elements across different brand environments.
Intuitive
Applying design principles to improve intuitive use.
USER TESTING INSIGHTS
The original VR interface theoretically aimed to enhance user immersion, but its complexity and design flaws actually reduced usability and engagement.
95% said the VR viewer would increase exploration compared to a real exhibit
88% reported that the interface was overly complex
70% felt the design did not cater to their expectations
NEXT STEPS
I need to secure approval at each design stage due to the new UI's potential impact on various brands' images.
After presenting data-driven insights from initial user feedback, I successfully convinced the CEO of the necessity for a thorough reevaluation of our VR interface. We agreed on a strategic approach to further research and redesign the VR Viewer to enhance user experience, focusing on simplifying interactions and enriching user immersion, with interior and stakeholders approval in every stage of design.
RESEARCH
Researching HCI Devices for Future VR Hardware
Understanding the evolution of HCI devices was key to adapting the VR Viewer for future hardware. The original interface was overly complex, disrupting the immersive experience and making navigation frustrating.
Integrating Familiar Gestures for Web VR
I introduced common touchscreen gestures like swiping and zooming to Web VR, making interactions intuitive and easing the transition from other devices. This improved usability and set the stage for future VR gesture controls.
Balancing Simplicity and Depth in Interactions
To reduce cognitive load, I designed a minimalist interface that started simple and gradually introduced advanced features. This approach created a seamless and engaging user experience, enhancing control without overwhelming users.
MY IMPACT/ROLE
I led the project to revamp the VR Viewer and was responsible for overseeing the research and user testing phases
As the project lead, I was given full ownership to steer the revamp of the VR Viewer. My role involved coordinating the research process, developing the redesign strategy, and conducting extensive user testing to measure the impact of the changes implemented. This leadership position allowed me to directly influence the project's direction, ensuring the design met both user needs and business objectives effectively.
REDESIGN ONE
User enters the virtual environment with the visual cues to navigate.
When a user starts the VR experience, the initial interface is minimalistic, featuring only essential navigation cues. This design helps users acclimate to the virtual space without overwhelming them, setting the stage for a more immersive interaction.
REDESIGN TWO
Basic tutorials help user with navigation and interaction with elements.
Following the entry into the VR environment, users encounter intuitive gesture controls that mimic common touchscreen interactions. This allows for seamless exploration and interaction within the VR space, with gestures like swiping to rotate the view and pinching to zoom, enhancing the user's sense of control and engagement.
REDESIGN THREE
Minimal interaction buttons are folded and designed to lower cognitive burden.
As users become more comfortable within the VR environment, additional navigation options become available. These are designed to be discovered as needed, preventing initial overload and gradually introducing complexity in a user-friendly manner. This step includes more advanced features, such as searching for specific exhibits or accessing detailed information panels.
KEY RESULTS
Testing showed that we enhanced user engagement.
The redesign of the VR Viewer led to measurable improvements in user experience metrics.
35% ↑
Stay Time
22% ↑
User Engagement
48% ↑
User Satisfaction
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Balancing interactions and environment in VR improves engagement.
Mastering the balance between intuitive user interactions and innovative VR features has refined our design approach, enhancing both usability and engagement.
Simplicity enhances usability and accessibility.
This project illustrated that simplicity in design does not just aid usability—it enhances the entire user experience, making sophisticated technology accessible and enjoyable for all.
Stakeholder engagement can build trust.
The success of this project has strengthened our partnerships, proving that consistent stakeholder engagement is crucial. Their trust has been instrumental in validating and rolling out significant design changes that have broadened our platform’s appeal and functionality.
Evolving with user feedback is a must.
Continuous user testing and feedback have been pivotal in this redesign, highlighting the importance of adapting and evolving based on user interactions to meet and exceed expectations.