What are some best practices for designing user interfaces and interactions for VR and AR?

1 Understand the context

The first step to designing user interfaces and interactions for VR and AR is to understand the context of the user, the environment, and the content. What is the goal of the experience? Who is the target audience? What are the constraints and opportunities of the hardware and software? How will the user interact with the physical and virtual elements? These questions will help you define the scope, purpose, and tone of your design, as well as inform your choices of layout, navigation, feedback, and aesthetics.

2 Use natural and consistent interactions

One of the main advantages of VR and AR is that they allow users to interact with virtual objects and environments in a natural and intuitive way, using gestures, voice, gaze, or controllers. However, this also means that you need to design interactions that are consistent with the user's expectations and the logic of the virtual world. For example, if you want users to pick up and manipulate objects, you should provide clear affordances, such as size, shape, color, and texture, that indicate how they can be used. You should also avoid breaking the immersion by using abstract or arbitrary interactions, such as floating menus or buttons, unless they are justified by the context or the content.

3 Balance realism and abstraction

Another challenge of designing user interfaces and interactions for VR and AR is to balance realism and abstraction. On one hand, you want to create immersive and believable experiences that make users feel present and engaged in the virtual world. On the other hand, you also want to provide useful and relevant information and feedback that help users understand and navigate the experience. Therefore, you need to find a balance between realism and abstraction that suits your design goals and your user's needs. For example, you can use realistic sounds, lighting, and shadows to enhance the sense of presence, but you can also use abstract symbols, icons, or text to convey important messages or instructions.

4 Optimize for performance and comfort

Designing user interfaces and interactions for VR and AR also requires optimizing for performance and comfort. Since VR and AR are demanding technologies that rely on high-quality graphics, audio, and motion tracking, you need to ensure that your design runs smoothly and efficiently on the target device and platform. You also need to consider the user's comfort and well-being, as VR and AR can cause motion sickness, eye strain, or fatigue if not designed properly. Therefore, you need to follow some best practices, such as avoiding fast or sudden movements, maintaining a stable horizon line, providing clear focal points, and allowing users to control the pace and duration of the experience.

5 Test and iterate

Finally, the best way to design user interfaces and interactions for VR and AR is to test and iterate. VR and AR are complex and dynamic mediums that can be hard to predict or simulate on a screen or a paper. Therefore, you need to test your design with real users and real devices as early and as often as possible. You need to observe how users behave, react, and feel in your VR or AR experience, and collect feedback and data that can help you improve your design. You also need to be flexible and willing to adapt your design to the changing needs and preferences of your users and the evolving capabilities and limitations of the technology.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?