Elements of XR Prototyping: Characterizing the Role and Use of Prototypes in Augmented and Virtual Reality Design

Document Title

Elements of XR Prototyping: Characterizing the Role and Use of Prototypes in Augmented and Virtual Reality Design

Document Information

• Subject Area: Research on design and prototyping tools for Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (XR)
• Keywords: Prototyping, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Cross-Reality (XR), Creation Tools, Interaction Design, Interface Design

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems or Challenges:

  • The XR design field lacks tools suitable for both technical and non-technical designers, particularly during the prototyping phase.
  • Extensive research focuses on novice designers, while experienced industry practitioners are often overlooked.
  • Current XR toolchains, development processes, and design practices remain unstandardized.

• Significance:

  • As XR hardware and software rapidly evolve, the design industry requires tools and processes that can adapt to these changes.
  • A better understanding of prototyping practices in the XR field can contribute to designing more effective support tools.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • While there is substantial research on novice designers, there is insufficient study on the experiences and challenges faced by professional practitioners.
  • Prototyping has been proven as a critical method for exploring design problems in interaction design research, but theoretical and practical gaps remain in the XR domain.

Solution

• Proposed Method or Solution:

  • Conduct interviews with 17 industry practitioners to analyze their experiences with prototyping in XR projects.
  • Develop a taxonomy of XR prototypes, exploring different types, representations, and design elements.
  • Identify key issues for future research on XR tools.

• Innovations:

  • Defined dimensional elements of XR prototypes (e.g., spatiality, control, interactivity).
  • Revealed the complex nature of XR prototypes through structural and semantic analysis, aiding the design of tools better suited for XR.
  • Proposed a model for transitioning prototypes from low fidelity to high fidelity and examined its practical applications in various projects.

• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:

  • Interviewed professionals from Europe and North America to discuss their projects and prototyping processes.
  • Collected prototype samples and conducted structured analysis, summarizing eight forms of prototype representation and ten dimensional design elements.
  • Data collection tools included video interviews, shared screen demonstrations, and virtual whiteboards for concept mapping discussions.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:

  • Summarized prototype usage across 23 XR industry projects.
  • Proposed a taxonomy of XR prototypes, categorizing them into offline, online, and hybrid types, further subdivided into eight forms of representation.
  • Extracted ten key design elements of XR prototypes, such as spatiality, interactivity, and control.

• Advantages Compared to Existing Solutions:

  • Provides an industry-based perspective on prototyping practices, complementing research focused on novice designers.
  • Offers specific recommendations to address challenges in current design practices, including tool design and method selection.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • Interviews revealed that practitioners employ various prototyping methods in their work, such as low-fidelity prototypes for initial concept design and high-fidelity prototypes for client communication.
  • Demonstrated the importance of prototypes in communicating design intent, evaluating technical feasibility, and fostering knowledge sharing.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Limitations:
    • The study sample primarily consists of designers from Europe and North America, lacking a global perspective.
    • Some projects were restricted by confidentiality agreements, limiting data availability.
    • The interview method may be subject to self-report bias; observational studies are recommended for future research.
  • Future Directions:
    • Develop XR design tools that support "thinking" and "creating."
    • Investigate better ways to decompose and represent various design elements in XR prototypes.
    • Explore community-based design tool libraries to enhance interactive design solutions.

In conclusion, this study provides practical insights into prototyping practices within the XR tools and design community, offers suggestions for improving applicable tools, and lays the groundwork for further research.