Background

Virtual Reality (VR) immerses a person in a completely computer generated world, it is an artificial 3D (3-dimensional) visual **environment which may allow interaction. Such an immersion is possible with a set of interactive devices like HMDs, controllers and haptic devices.

Augmented Reality (AR) is is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information. Both of these technologies have some overlap when it comes down to the interface, although, neither of them appear as the ultimate goal for digital reality for me. Although AR is presumed to be an interaction with the world through a smartphone screen in form of Instagram or Snapchat filters, they're good examples of Mixed Reality.

XR or Extended Reality is an umbrella term for Virtual and Augmented Reality, or a mix of both. It’s a combination of physical and digital entities, which facilitate 3D human, computer, and environment interactions, and creates an experience of a digital reality around you, either partially or fully occupying your senses. This is achieved through an HMD (Head Mounted Display).

Mixed Reality is a step beyond Augmented Reality, the physical and virtual worlds interact, and users can interact with them as well. Intel explains that XR “provides the ability to have one foot (or hand) in the real world, and the other in an imaginary place.” While AR enhances a user’s perception of the real world, MR can make users question what is real and what is not.

The first concept of Mixed Reality was introduced back in 1994 by Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino. Their research paper can be viewed here:

mr.pdf

XR interfaces are highly inspired from traditional interfaces that do not take advantage of space, and are generally not accessibility forward. In order to build an accessible design system for XR, users with disabilities need to be consulted for an insight into their daily lives. The way they navigate their surroundings and the tools they use could be applied to XR. Also, additional insight could be gained from the users who have had challenges using a VR or AR interface.

Guidance

This user research is based on extracting insights to develop accessible XR interfaces. It involves finding the correct positioning, typography, colors, and customization.

• XR Interfaces, especially on the Oculus Quest, don’t make the use of available 3D space, and rather rely on traditional flat interfaces with buried menus.
• XR should utilize the concept of muscle memory for quicker interactions, by spacing out commonly used functions that can be directly accessed.
• XR Interfaces require multiple input methods, such as a controller, voice, or gaze. Either input method could be affected by disabilities to different extents. They require clear sight and motor functions to navigate, this can leave a lot of users behind with respect to this emerging technology.
• Captions can get in the way of interactable content; traditional closed captioning systems are built for passive content consumption, and are not ideal for active interaction.
• The all-inclusive design system should not only be accessible for the disabled, but also easier and more efficient for everyone else.
• This design system can act as a reference or base for HMD manufacturers/OEMs and also app developers, for a consistent and accessible experience

Internal stakeholders

Guidance

• Prof. Roland Dubois (Advanced Research: Usability and Testing)