InLean
Project Overview
Background
In June 2023, Apple Inc. released a mixed-reality device, the Apple Vision Pro, which enables immersive interaction through eye movements, gestures, and voice control. Considering its market potential, we have developed a project to forecast its future application scenarios through research and analysis and to design an application that can be utilized on the Apple Vision Pro.
My role & contributions
As the UX designer, I led research and design for this project, identifying MR user needs through interviews and market analysis, and translating insights into a user-centered concept. I delivered high-fidelity prototypes and validated them through usability testing.
Action
Conducted market research and user interviews to identify opportunities and pain points in MR learning experiences.
Synthesized insights to develop product strategy and inform design decisions.
Designed mid-fidelity prototypes based on user needs and MR interaction patterns.
Planned and conducted usability testing to optimize and validate design assumptions.
Refined the design based on user feedback and delivered high-fidelity prototypes.
Impact
1% above target in Interactive Interface Satisfaction
Achieved an average score of 8.6/10, exceeding the 8.5 satisfaction benchmark
85% Ease-of-Use Satisfaction Rate
Reached 85% overall ease-of-use satisfaction rate, meeting and exceeding the 80% success criteria
3.5% above target in Learning Content Satisfaction
Achieved an average score of 8.8/10, surpassing the 8.5 benchmark
Final Prototype
Research
Market Analysis
We conducted a global market analysis of the VR/AR industry to identify key opportunities and potential entry points.
The global market for VR/AR devices is growing. idc predicts that the global market will exceed $12.1 billion in 2024.
The global VR/AR market is booming, with hardware adoption rising and VR users projected to reach 120 million by 2025.
Traditional education is rapidly giving way to tech-driven methods. The EdTech industry is projected to reach $680.1 billion by 2027.
Our research points to a clear opportunity to leverage XR technologies to build impactful and scalable solutions in the EdTech sector in the future.
Problem
Existing VR/AR educational content is scattered
As online education advances and expands, an increasing number of diverse learners are seeking knowledge through digital platforms. Given their distinct needs, these learners often explore multiple sources, leading to a fragmented landscape of learning content.
Anything else we missed?
We conducted interviews to better understand their needs
All interviewees had experience using VR and AR devices. After the interviews, we organized and analyzed their feedback using the Affinitization method.
Insights from interviews:
Limited Content and Quality
The current AR/VR ecosystem is limited in terms of content diversity and quality, especially with a lack of educational tools, too few options for users, and few developers contributing to the field.
Lack of Creative Platforms
Users expect to use VR/AR devices for entertainment, education, and business, but currently, there is no such platform available for them.
Poor Concentration
Attention can be enhanced through exercise, and most people find that using VR/AR devices boosts their learning and concentration abilities. Therefore, users hope to use them to increase productivity.
Analysis
Target user analysis
Based on our research and interviews, we identified two key target users: learners and content creators. Learners seek to enhance their learning experience through MR devices, while content creators hope to have a platform where they can publish their own creations.
Learners seeking a higher level of interactivity and immersive learning experiences through XR
Content creators in need of a publishing platform
Design challenge
How might we integrate and elevate MR educational experiences to address market fragmentation, enhance user engagement, and provide robust support for content creators in the mixed reality field?
Competitive analysis
To better understand the current landscape of EdTech VR solutions, We conducted a competitive analysis of two representative products: Prisms and EON-XR.
This competitive analysis revealed two distinct yet complementary gaps in the current EdTech VR landscape: the lack of diverse, learner-centered content in student-facing platforms, and the limited creative freedom in educator-facing tools.
Pain point–Opportunity mapping
Grounded in the preceding research and analysis, we applied a pain point–opportunity mapping approach to structure our solution development.
The Solution
Brainstorm
After identifying the opportunity areas, we conducted brainstorming sessions to further explore potential solution directions.
Solution
A virtual education platform that integrates educational resources into a cohesive and immersive interactive learning environment, addressing the fragmentation of the VR/AR education market and the low engagement with 2D content. Designed to enhance learning engagement and outcomes, it also provides content creators with a dedicated channel to publish and share original educational materials on MR devices.
We prioritized designing a user-facing MVP to validate the feasibility of our solution.
Content Library
A content curation community where users can find anything they wish to learn without being confined by categories and without the need to repeatedly download applications.
Personalized Goals
Users can personalize their learning journey, with the system suggesting content based on individual preferences, making the learning experience both convenient and efficient.
Social Learning
A social learning model emphasizing interaction and active participation, using social media to enhance engagement and collaboration in online learning, thereby improving academic performance.
Success metrics
We defined three key metrics to evaluate the success of our solution.
Platform Interactive Interface Satisfaction ≥ 8.5/10
Defined as the success threshold for evaluating the quality of user interaction with the platform interface.
Ease-of-Use Satisfaction Rate ≥ 80%
Established as the success benchmark for evaluating overall platform usability.
Learning Content Satisfaction ≥ 8.5/10
Set as the success benchmark for evaluating the interactivity and diversity of learning materials.
Storyboard
We created a storyboard to explore how users might interact with our product.
Information architecture
We created an information architecture for the user side to define the overall platform structure, core functions, and information flow. This served as a foundation for the prototype design.
User flow
User Test
The action
Throughout the design process, we engaged 21 participants, conducting 3 usability tests and 2 A/B test. By observing their interactions with the user interface and comprehending their responses to various buttons, we refined the product for enhanced performance and user experience.
Here is a showcase of some of our test tasks and the insights we gained.
Round 1: Start a course
The user initiated the application, selecting their account to access the main menu. They then browsed the content library and identified a course of interest. After reviewing the course details, they clicked 'Confirm', which triggered a seamless transition to the video play page for the selected course.
Test result：
Problem
The progress bar on the video page would be more user-friendly if positioned higher; its current placement makes it difficult to interact with and hard to see.
Solution
Reposition the video page's progress bar to align with the fast-forward, rewind, and pause controls for enhanced usability and accessibility.
Round 2: Select a course
The user selected the 'Subject' option from the menu and navigated to the 'Subject' page, where they chose a course of interest based on specified filters and accessed its detailed page. Here, they discovered it was a pre-recorded video. Subsequently, the user viewed the details of another video, realizing it was a live course.
Test result：
Problem
Pre-recorded and live courses should be distinctly separated into two different categories. Utilizing a single filter for both types of courses can lead to a confusing user experience.
Solution
Remove live courses from the 'Subject' category and establish a separate section exclusively for them, distinctly apart from pre-recorded courses. Each category should follow a completely different user journey.
Final Design
Homepage
Plan A
The homepage has four sections with content filtering at the top, follows a standard format, and is user-friendly. Its viewing mode aligns with the Gutenberg principle.
Plan B
Left: Menu bar. Right: Banner, recommendations, and a screen for trends and latest videos. Bottom: Action buttons. Top: Enlarged content display.
Final Plan
The 'Featured Content' is now the main display on the homepage. The system recommends videos based on user learning, search history, and eye tracking.
Each video indicates its teaching mode, such as Video, 3D, or Experimental, in the top right corner. 'Trends for you' and 'New Arrivals' have been removed, search history is located near the profile picture, and an option to view saved videos has been added.
Impact
This final design enhances user engagement and learning efficiency through personalized, immersive content recommendations and intuitive interactions. By simplifying navigation and encouraging exploration, it helps users connect more deeply with educational materials, ultimately improving learning outcomes.
Playpage
Round 1
Following the Gutenberg principle, the video is placed on the top left; its basic introduction is on the bottom left, while the right side displays other courses from the content creator.
Round 2
After the first round of user testing, we refined the layout based on feedback by updating the bottom left section to feature the content creator’s information and similar videos, and adding themed video reviews to the bottom right. This enhanced both the richness of information and the overall user interaction experience.
Final Plan
After several iterations, we refined the layout by keeping the video top left, moving creator info and the follow button above, merging video details and recommendations bottom left, and adding card-style reviews bottom right.
Impact
This final design greatly improves information clarity and user engagement, encouraging exploration and strengthening the connection between learners and content.
Course model
In the pre-recorded course category, we designed three distinct course modes to address different user needs and provide a diverse viewing experience.
Video Course Mode: Control of light, sound level and fast forward/reverse by gestures.
Experimental Course Mode: Text plus 3D model form to present knowledge to the user users can click on the play button to play the text content; or click on the video button to view the relevant video.
3D Course Mode: Interactive video streaming. Users can pull the content they are interested in out of the video at any time to observe it. All content can be presented in 3D.
Impact
By introducing three distinct course modes, we significantly enhanced flexibility and engagement, allowing users to choose the learning format that best suits their preferences and needs. This diverse approach not only improves content accessibility and comprehension but also creates a more immersive and personalized learning experience.
Data Validation
We invited 10 students who have used VR/AR products to take the test .....
1% above target in Interactive Interface Satisfaction
Achieved an average score of 8.6/10, exceeding the 8.5 satisfaction benchmark
85% Ease-of-Use Satisfaction Rate
Reached 85% overall ease-of-use satisfaction rate, meeting and exceeding the 80% success criteria
3.5% above target in Learning Content Satisfaction
Achieved an average score of 8.8/10, surpassing the 8.5 benchmark
These data demonstrate that our design has been successful in addressing the pain points of our target users, creating value, and is worth further exploration in the next phase of research.
Next Step
Finalize the design of the "Trackable Learning Outcomes" feature.
Optimize the design for community-engaged learning (Live Course Design).
Design the system for content creators.
Enhance the business model, allowing content creators to offer courses as NFTs.
Coming soon……
