Google Blocks - VR Modelling Experience

Interaction Design:

Three main questions:

- What do you do? – How do you affect the world?

- What do you feel? – What do you sense of the world?

- What do you know? – What do you learn?

Interaction Design Process:

1) Identify needs/establish requirements

2) Design (Re-Design if you need to)

3) Build an interactive version (Prototyping?)

4) Evaluate (Feel free to go back to stage one if needed to).

Note: This process is never progressive, there a lot of setbacks to the previous step. It is all about developing and iterating.

Once you are happy, final step is to create the final product.

- Develop alternative prototypes/concepts and compare them, and iterate, iterate, iterate…

How to make quick mixed reality experiences with little to no coding?

Importance of Prototyping:

- Quick visual design

- Capture key interactions

- Focus on user experience

- Communicate design ideas

- “Learn by doing/experiencing”

Design/Prototyping Tools:

Low fidelity vs. High fidelity

- Low fidelity; Sketching, Bodystorming, Roomstorming, Paper Prototyping

- Low/High Fidelity (Mid); Design Studio, Wireframing, Video Prototyping, etc.

- High Fidelity; Wizard of Oz Prototyping, Interaction Prototyping, Semi-Functional Prototype

Typical Development Steps:

This ideal form of development sees an increase in fidelity:

- Sketching

- Storyboards

- UI Mockups

- Interaction Flows

- Video Prototyping

- Interactive Prototypes

- Final Native Application

Mixed Realities Prototyping Tools:

Low Fidelity:

- Sketching

- Photoshop

- Powerpoint

- Video

High Fidelity:

- Wikitude

- Amazon Sumerian

- Tvori

- Microsoft Marquette

- Unity

Mark made a great lecture, touching base on the importance of Interactive Design and how the development phases of the Interaction Process can benefit both the designer; to gain more knowledge and insight on their client, as well as the client themselves; gaining maximum satisfaction on their needs. We were taught ways of prototyping that can be useful, no matter what level of budget you have - fidelity. Low fidelity prototypes can be proven just as useful for many designers who are wanting quick and easy ways to convey their work!

Image from Perez, J, 2017.

The Google Blocks software, a new way to create, manipulate and have fun in Virtual Reality experience. The user is given the ability to create models that were a nuisance to be made in 2D. Now they are free to however they want their models to look like - through six tools; shape, stroke, paint, modify, grab and erase. A powerful tool that can turn your imaginations into a reality.

There are countless ways to use the tool, and it gives the user the freedom to express themselves.

I chose this software because it is user-friendly, with the way it provides a easy-to-use mechanism. Tutorials and helpful tips are provided, and it is forever being updated through the Google company, so it provides for the community that have any situations with the program. Models can also be shared through files, and GIF links, to display their pieces to their friends and family.

#MixedRealities #DES241

Google Blocks makes VR design easy. (2017, August 11). Retrieved from https://www.vrfilmpro.com/google-blocks-makes-vr-design-easy/

Perez, J. (2017, November 20). Getting Started with Google Blocks and Unreal Engine. Retrieved from https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/tech-blog/getting-started-with-google-blocks-and-unreal-engine