The Puzzler VR Project
Background
As part of the course on Udacity’s VR Developer Nanodegree, I was assigned to create a mobile VR Puzzler game that consisted of assembling a dungeon, designing Start and Restart UI interfaces and setting up a game mechanic to implement a Simon Says game.
This project allowed me to hone my design skills and dig deep into user testing. It took two and half weeks to complete and posed some design challenges along the way. But through a series user tests I was able to learn from my mistakes, iterate and refine my design to create a fun, immersive experience.
Skills: C#, Audio, Visual and UI Design
Tools: Unity, Xcode, and Sketch
Head Mounted Display: Google Cardboard
Type: 2 1/2 week project
The Puzzler
Below is the design process of the Puzzler, covering design sketches and persona, the mood and ambience of my scene and three iterations of user testing.
Statement of Purpose
Puzzler is a mobile VR applications for VR users which challenges them to solve a familiar type of puzzle in a new way.
Persona

Design Sketches
Simply using pen, paper and colored pencil for my design sketches, I mapped out Puzzler’s start and end course, positioning objects inside the dungeon and establishing a mountainous desert filled landscape. The Start and Restart UI interfaces are shaded in cool tones, so they compliment the arid environment.


User Testing Outcomes and Iteration
These tests were conducted with three first-time VR users. Their feedback allowed me to make design and mechanical adjustments that improved after every iteration.
Test One — Scale, Lighting, Distance and Comfort
My questions involved the scale, lighting, distance and comfort of the VR experience.
Number of users: 3
My questions focused on:
- The mood and scale of the environment
- Their initial reactions
- Field of view issues
Feedback:
The users found the mood dark and claustrophobic, yet the scale was at an appropriate distance. However, they wanted movement in the experience.
One issue was that the walls would flicker whenever users glanced over at an object inside the dungeon.

Changes: After inspecting the interior of the dungeon, I noticed that some parts of the wall and the floorboard were overlapping, which overall caused the flickering. Adjusting parts of the wall and floorboard resolved this issue.
Test Two — Graphic User Interface
My second user test focused on Puzzler’s Graphic User Interface. I made sure to explain the function of the gaze trigger, which allows users to click on a specific object with the viewer.
My questions focused on:
- The intuitiveness of the experience
- Their impression of the UI design
Feedback:
The users had no trouble interacting with the interface and felt that the functionality was overall intuitive. The one issue was that interface needed to be moved back a couple of meters.
Also, users complained that the color of the interface was too dark and didn’t compliment with the Start and Restart button. They said this issue caused eye strain.

Changes:
I moved the interface about two meters back, giving it a better field of view, and changed the color of the interface from black into turquoise, which reduced eye strain, making it more pleasing to the eye.
Test Three — Movement
This third user test dealt with two stages of movement within the game:
(1) Start Interface to Dungeon
(2) Dungeon to Restart Interface
Before starting my third user test, I informed the users about simulator sickness and instructed them to take off the Google Cardboard if they felt any nausea or dizziness.
My questions focused on:
- The speed of the VR movement
- The transition from one place to the other in the game
- If users felt any signs of simulator sickness
Feedback:
The transition from the Start Interface to the Dungeon was seamless, but the transition from the Dungeon to the Restart Interface was a little fast and even caused a bit of dizziness for one user.
Changes:
I went into the gameLogic script and adjusted the game speed from 3 to 2.5. This adjustment smoothed the transition from the Dungeon to the Restart Interface for the game player.


Final User Test and Iteration
For the final user test, the users were instructed on the rules of the Puzzler game.
My questions focused on:
- The game mechanic
- The audio and visual feedback
- The overall experience
Feedback:
Users found the game intuitive and the transition from each stage of movement seamless and not too fast or too slow. They enjoyed the audio and visual performance of the game, saying that it created an immersive and fun game environment.
Breakdown of final piece

Use the viewer on the Cardboard as a trigger to click the Start button to move into the dungeon.

First, you’ll watch five orbs glow and gong in a sequential pattern. Then, using the viewer trigger, you’ll repeat the same pattern. Do it successfully, and you win the game. If you fail to repeat the pattern, you’ll hear a fail sound and see the same pattern repeated again. Try again until successful.

When you win the game, you’ll move from inside the dungeon to outside where an interface will appear and allow you to the restart the game.
Takeaways
User Testing allowed me to gather relevant qualitative data. User feedback was invaluable because it enabled me to make adjustments to my design, iterate, and create a smooth and comfortable VR experience.
Documentation is essential in showcasing the iteration process of any project. This allowed me to see the evolution of my design from a simple sketch to a fully functioning and user-friendly VR experience.
VR Design played an important role in the overall presentation of the experience. It made me put myself in the users’ shoes as I sketched, designed and revised the game.
Next Steps
I plan to change the design of the dungeon into a haunted mansion and set it in a different environment. I’ll also experiment with the audio and visual design to give the experience a supernatural feel. Additionally, I’ll continue to iterate during each stage of the design process and focus on achieving an intuitive and user-friendly VR experience.