The Laws of Simplicity Applied to VR
1. Reduce
The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.
VR offers the opportunity for infinite virtual displays. But managing them in a tridimensional space can be a drama.
Tom Cruise in Minority Report is usually the first image that comes to people’s mind when thinking about multitasking in AR or VR. The movie introduced the idea that one day we’ll be able to surround ourselves with dozens of virtual displays and seamlessly control them with hand gestures. But while we are not far from that technically, window management in tridimensional space can be very complex.
The ability to open, minimize, close or move application windows is already challenging in computers today. Different operating systems have tried to manage that complexity by creating multiple redundant ways to organize, group, or switch window focus, like the Exposé, Mission Control, or Command-Tab on macOS. Browser developers also have noticed the “where’s that tab” problem and are finding ways to allow better grouping and instance management. It seems like we went too far in the pursuit of multitasking, and are now trying to get it under control.
In VR, limiting the number of virtual displays — and the tridimensional layers in which they appear — can significantly reduce complexity and improve ergonomics. Today, there aren’t many use cases to justify having more than three virtual displays opened concurrently. Besides, there is a max number of displays that can fit comfortably side by side within one’s field of view. Going beyond that limit would require a lot of repositioning and head movement which makes for great Hollywood drama but bad product ergonomics.
More displays does not mean a better multitasking experience. The beauty of VR is not in its ability to have an infinite number of displays open at the same time, but in the ability for the displays to adapt to an infinite number of use cases — from watching a movie on a big screen, to working on documents side by side, to video-conferencing with a friend on a small screen while playing an immersive game. Fewer displays means less complexity to manage and therefore better productivity. I’m sure there will be a time when resolution will be higher, inputs will be more precise, and more productivity apps will be available in VR. Until then, just keep it simple.
The Laws of Simplicity Applied to VR
Introduction: Inspired by John Maeda’s Laws of Simplicity.
- Reduce: The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.
- Organize: Organization makes a system of many appear fewer.
- Time: Savings in time feel like simplicity.
- Learn: Knowledge makes everything simple.
- Differences: Simplicity and complexity need each other.
- Context: What lies on the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral.
- Emotion: More emotions are better than less.
- Trust: In simplicity we trust.
- Failure: Some things can never be made simple.
- The One: Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.
