Spatial Awareness & Responsible Spatial Computing

AI + Spatial Design = The Future

Can we teach a machine what it means to have cultural and historical spatial awareness? Can we combine the power of this headset with latest release of AI platforms as we race towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and quantum computing? Should we? AGI, an intelligence capable of understanding, learning, and executing tasks across diverse domains, has the potential to significantly enhance spatial computing by enabling machines to comprehend and navigate complex three-dimensional environments with unprecedented adaptability. I hope that AGI is laying the foundation for informed inquiry about society. That means a machine that is informed about spatial awareness and it should question gaps, lead discovery, suggest change, and educate. Like any good student it needs to ask why? We need to be ready to answer.

Enter the Apple Vision Pro

Today the world is being introduced to the latest head mounted display for Apple and developers are scrambling to create new experiences for every field from education to construction. As we design and participate in these new worlds, I wonder how much emphasis is being placed on context within these spaces?

No two people have the same lived experience, they may be similar but the memory of them gets stored as historical data in our brains. Do you remember the first time you were scared? how you felt on a roller coaster or even curiosity as you traveled to a new city? This is generally referred to as episodic memory and will usually include emotion.?The XR apps we will interact with on devices like the vision pro will typically be episodic, short intervals of learning and play, utilizing tools for design and innovation.

How does this change when we are re-enacting moments in history, reimagining cultural events and ultimately preserving digital heritage for the world to share? Will it be accurate? Can you experience the same visceral emotions that another user has had? As the technology grows we will soon find out how far we can go beyond theme parks, and surgeries conducted in augmented reality. Even as I type this plans are underway for the next mission to the moon, are we taking XR with us to the stars?

The foundation of any good immersive application or game gives you the opportunity to explore on your own and a guide or UI to help you on your journey. That can come in the form of an avatar, a menu, audio or other indicators that you need to make a choice to go to the next experience. These selections are designed and planned out by ux researchers and product design teams. We actively investigate these choices with an expressed goal pre-determined by the app such as shopping, games, or interacting with the environment.

Spatial Equity & Accessibility

At some point, you may wonder why the design choices lead you to a certain end point. Although they are invisible, they feel tangible. This is where spatial equity and accessibility come into play, these are critical design factors and they are often overlooked.

Spatial equity ensures fair access to opportunities, benefits, and resources within a physical or digital space. In the context of immersive applications, considering spatial equity involves addressing accessibility challenges to make the experiences inclusive for users with diverse needs and abilities. Let's explore some potential points to help bridge this gap:

Diverse Perspectives in Spatial Design:

Considering diverse perspectives during the design phase is good practice. It is particularly important as head mounted displays are being used for industrial training as well as entertainment. A range of user experiences and backgrounds should be taken into account to avoid unintentional biases.

Inclusive User Interfaces:

Discuss how accessibility features in UI design, such as voice commands, haptic feedback, or customizable interfaces, can enhance the user experience for individuals with different abilities.

Universal Design Principles:

Integrate the concept of universal design, which aims to create products and environments that are usable by all people, to stress the idea that accessibility benefits everyone, all while continuing to design for those with specific needs.

While it is not mainstream yet, navigating immersive spaces and using HMDs (Head Mounted Displays) or other XR hardware will become a requirement in education and up-skilling for the workforce of the future.

Ethical Considerations & Spatial Design for Good

It is the ethical responsibility of designers to create technologies that prioritize inclusivity and avoid perpetuating discriminatory practices, some of which can include gender and cultural history.? Consider the design firm Architektoniczki, which serves as a notable instance of spatial equity and design research. They are currently investigating the influence of gender bias on schoolyard design and its implications for life trajectories in their ongoing study.

Other noteworthy instances of spatial equity and design research include the award winning Immersive cultural preservation hackathon project NOIR by the 2024 MIT RealityHackathon?team

the Institute for Developing Aross Differences blog on inter-cultrual design, Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction newsletter by the Sustera Foundation and new book with a collection of essays documenting the lived experiences of Queer architects, "Out in Architecture" and the queer spatial justice movement. These initiatives collectively contribute to a comprehensive understanding of how spatial design intricately intertwines with various aspects of human experience.

The Apple Vision Pro is promoted as an immersive encounter involving eyes, hands, and voice, where interactions are described as intuitive and magical. I anticipate that designers will not only adhere to this philosophy but also prioritize the creation of experiences that emphasize inclusion, accessibility, and a diverse range of user experiences for social good.

Collaborative Community Design = Responsible Spatial Equity

Being an inclusive spatial designer means equity is at the top of your list. To prevent this, fostering diverse research and design practices should be a part of an evolving playbook, ensuring that the benefits of spatial advancements are shared inclusively across all communities. This is one way Artificial Intelligence can potentially play a role in mitigating these disparities. It's also crucial to acknowledge that such technology is not universally accessible.

We run the risk of unintentionally creating a new digital divide, in this case a spatial divide, neglecting diverse communities in design which includes a wide spectrum of people who are neurodivergent, the historical experiences of various cultures, queer individuals, disabled, and various gender identities.?

Solicit feedback as much as possible while you incorporate and consider co-designing for the Apple Vision Pro with these communities. In navigating the future of immersive technology, the anticipation is not merely for intuitive and magical interactions but for conscientious design that prioritizes inclusion, accessibility, and a diverse range of user experiences for the betterment of society.

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