A Dive into Spatial Design Input
A summary of Spatial Input for designing intuitive interfaces in augmented and virtual reality.
Yesterday, I tuned into Apple’s WWDC 2023 session on Design for Spatial Input, and I’m excited to share some key takeaways that will shape the future of user interactions 🚀. Here are some highlights worth exploring:
New interfaces enabled by virtual and augmented reality (AR/VR) let us interact in 3D space using our eyes, hands and body. This opens new creative possibilities but also poses design challenges to build intuitive experiences.
Let’s explore key principles from Apple’s WWDC 2023 Design for Spatial Input session to create experiences that match how our eyes, hands, and bodies function, sustaining comfortable use over time versus relying on short-lived gimmicks.
1. Optimizing Interfaces for Eyes
Our eyes do most of the heavy lifting in AR/VR. Effective UI adapts to eye physiology and movement patterns by designing apps that fit inside the field of view, minimizing neck and body movement.
2. Keep Essentials in Central Vision
Place primary controls and content within the central visual field, minimizing head/neck motion at extremes. Secondary actions can live at the periphery.
3. Maintain a Comfortable Focal Range
Sustain interactive items at a consistent depth. Rapidly changing focus causes discomfort. Subtle depth variations are fine for visual hierarchy.
4. Guide Eyes with Shape and Space
Use rounded shapes and generous spacing for quick eye targeting. Sharp edges and tight clusters are hard to visually parse.
Center interface text and icons while providing ample padding. Effective spatial UI leads the eyes to each element’s core.
5. Provide Real-time Highlighting
Since eyes move rapidly, subtly highlight any items they gaze over to confirm the selection. This is crucial for custom interfaces.
6. Maintain View Orientation
In VR and AR, how we position things matters for easy reading. Keep interfaces facing you directly, and if they move, make sure they stay readable. This makes virtual reality comfy for your eyes and brain!
7. Use Dynamic Scaling
Scale interface elements proportional to their distance from the viewer. This preserves target sizes versus cluttering central vision or making far items hard to see.
8. Guiding Hands
Hand gestures build on what eyes explore like pinch to select or drag to manipulate.
9. Map Familiar Gestures
Leverage gestures people already know — pinch/zoom, two-finger rotate etc. Invent thoughtfully, picking motions that are easy to communicate, execute and remember. Below are some examples of gestures, including Tap, Pinch & Drag, Zoom and rotate.
10. Combine With Gaze Input
A potent technique is using eyes for spatial targeting and hands for selection/input. For instance, where you look with your eyes can set the centre and location for zooming, and building precision.
11. Direct Touch
While less sustainable than gazes and gestures, direct touch can enable manipulating virtual objects within arm’s reach.
When to use Direct Touch?
Use direct touch in apps for up-close experiences, like inspecting or moving things. It works great for activities that mimic real-world movements, making it perfect when physical action is a big part of the fun!
12. Provide Supporting Depth Cues
When tapping UI buttons without tactile feedback, reinforce proximity by incorporating hover highlighting and audio reactions. These cues help guide and confirm contact.
The world of spatial interfaces is constantly evolving. By applying design principles centred around human senses and body functions, we can craft increasingly intuitive and immersive experiences in the ever-progressing AR/VR landscape.
What are your thoughts on Apple’s innovative design concepts as we venture into the spatial realm? Share your insights below!
