Designing for delight
Thoughts on VR design, I'm back in Barcelona, and dumbphones are back
The magic of virtual reality is its physicality and sense of presence. Unlike desktop, mobile, TV, or any other technical medium where users interact through a screen, VR places users inside the world you create.
As the guy on my team with the designer role, I’ve been learning to design for presence. It’s already an old adage in VR design: don’t use the buttons on the face of the controller. Instead, design only for grabbing or the triggers. The control scheme should always be intuitive, natural, and as physical as possible to not break the illusion.
In VR, since the user really feels like they’re there it makes sense to add as much realism as possible. In a recent project my team and I were working on we added grabbable couch cushions in a lounge scene. It was a simple detail, but it led to impromptu pillow fights during playtesting with the team. Moments like this create delight and immersion, reminding users that they’re not just watching—they’re there. Adding delight through small details has been a part of video game and film design for decades now, but in VR it’s not just about the small visual details, it’s about the small interactions that you can add to the scene that insert a little touch of delight. Every object in a VR world is an opportunity to enhance its sense of presence. Think beyond visuals—what can be touched, moved, or played with? Every detail matters.
In VR, as in many things in life, it’s the small, thoughtfully designed touches that make an experience unforgettable, and truly delightful.
Back in Barcelona
I was in California on an extended working vacation for the last month and it was simultaneously wonderful and horrible. My wife and I did not plan it well enough, so we spent too much time juggling work and kids and not enough quality time on either.
The kids are back in school now, and I’m back to long, uninterrupted stretches to work, think, and write.
GenZ buying dumbphones
Here’s a trend that’s been increasingly popular in my algorithm….
… going back to dumbphones to limit screen time. Intriguing!! I might need to try this.
Left and Right don’t marry anymore
In a surprise to no one, new research shows that in the US, Republicans and Democrats are very, very unlikely to be married to each other.
Longer term, this probably isn’t a great trend, and I’ve written extensively about political polarization before. I might dig more into this later this year.
Till next time!