UX/UI designer conducting research, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iterating on designs, and determining information architecture.
Mikan Lei, Tina lu
May 2022 (1 Week)
Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Google Forms
The SpeakUP VR website is a virtual reality platform geared towards 18-35-year-old students and professionals. Our main goal is to help users improve their public speaking skills and alleviate motion sickness while using VR headsets. To address health concerns, we believe it is crucial to limit users' screen time to specific hours and implement break sessions when their screen time exceeds the designated time frame.
When comparing available educational VR products like MeetinVR and VirtualSpeech, we found that they offer limited features for users in the metaverse. Additionally, these platforms cannot teach public speaking skills in an engaging and captivating manner.
Our objective is to create an immersive and user- friendly VR educational website that incorporates clear navigation and provides a relaxing environment. Furthermore, we aim to mitigate health-related issues such as eye strain caused by excessive VR usage.
To gain a deeper understanding of our target users and their needs, we conducted two surveys at the start of the project and transformed them into empathy maps. We discovered that many of our target users view educational VR websites as a means to learn subjects not covered in school or at their convenience. However, most VR websites solely concentrate on learning and lack additional features, leading to frustration among our target users. This frustration transforms what should be an engaging and interactive learning experience into a dull one, discouraging them from using the VR website for education.
As Metaverse VR products are still relatively new technology, users have expressed that they find it more challenging to use compared to traditional gaming consoles.
Currently, most VR educational websites are solely focused on providing educational functions. However, users have expressed their desire for these websites to be more interesting and exciting.
Users have high expectations for VR games, wanting them to be captivating and thrilling. If VR educational websites fail to entertain them, users feel like their time is being wasted.
Liana is a college student who needs a 2-in-1 application combines educational and social features because she wants to advance her speaking skills and stay connected with friends.
Jacob is a marketing strategist who needs a tool to improve his public speaking skills without going outdoor because he can't go out during the COVID lockdown.
I developed a user journey map based on Jacob's experience using the website to identify potential pain points and areas for improvement.
One of the main pain points for users was the complexity of the VR website's functions and navigation. To address this, we created a sitemap based on four different scenarios.
Our objective was to make strategic decisions regarding the information architecture and improve overall website navigation. The chosen structure aims to provide a simple and user-friendly experience.
After completing the sitemap scenarios, we proceeded to create rough sketches of the screens for the VR website on paper.
During our brainstorming session, we explored various possibilities and ideas to ensure that the users have the best possible experience.
To address these issues identified through the usability study, we implemented various improvements. One of the changes we made was to enhance the design of buttons. As part of this, we relocated the store button from the bottom right corner to the top menu. By rearranging the buttons, users can now locate the store button more conveniently, reducing the time they spend searching for it.
Another insight from the usability study was that users were confused about the time limit feature in the practice room. To address this, we introduced an additional page that provides a detailed description of the lesson. Additionally, we added a pop-up window to alert users about the timing.
1. Voice typing functionality was implemented to assist users who rely on assistive technology.
2. We also utilized icons to simplify navigation and used alt-text for images and icons to provide additional context.
Our target audience has provided feedback indicating that they find SpeakUP to be user-friendly and engaging. They can fully immerse themselves in the platform and easily interact with other users. Additionally, SpeakUP effectively organizes its features in a visually hierarchical manner, allowing users to navigate through them easily.
We have discovered that even minor details such as button placements and feature wording can have a significant impact on the user experience. Therefore, it is crucial for us to thoroughly understand the unique characteristics of the metaverse product and assist users in maintaining healthy learning habits. As the metaverse is a new technology, it is our responsibility to continuously iterate on the features and design based on user feedback.
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