Design Process

Immersive exploration simulation creator designed for role-playing games (RPG) that allows game manager (GM) to customize an experience for players.

• Exploration of a new scene typically takes 15-30 minutes

• Originally designed for combat, but now focusing on exploring new scene

More immersive for players

• Exploration takes <10 minutes

• With VR experience, GM can create scenes by being immersed

Competitor analysis of realistic, immersive RPG systems

• Explored competitors to understand problem space and what is already available (e.g. Dungeon Full Dive, Dungeon Maker)

• Identified gaps in the space that allow for immersive VR experience for game managers. My analysis focused on products that offer creative freedom, are interative, and include life-scale of elements (items, characters, setting, etc.)

Brainstorming through initial interface design patterns, involving meta-analysis of designing for designers

• How to create a VR scene?

• How to add elements to scene?

• How to toggle visibility of elements?

Storyboards & sketches

• Finalize features of design solution

• Developed context of solution for game managers creating scene to be explored

• Defined high-level interactions

3D physical prototype & 360 model

• Explored 3-D interactions

• Determined scale of UI elements vs. digital elements

Add items and characters to scene

• Add items to create the scene, including furniture and special, “magical” items

• Add characters, such as villains to fight, non-playable characters as guides, and allies to connect

Toggle visibility of characters

• Make characters visible as players explore the space (e.g. villains hiding behind pillars that become visible as players enter this space)

• Exploration ends as soon as characters are revealed, then game continues outside of VR space

Dialogues and menus should follow user as they move around the space, instead of a banner with alerts that take up visual space

Live game actions should be easy to access and quick to use