VR metaphors — A new trend in Interaction Design.

Just in the last week or so, I’ve noticed a new trend in Interaction Design. ID is probably the least developed portion of the VR Design space so it excites me when I discover something new!

Internalization of the Action

This internalization action actually makes great sense as a metaphor. By grabbing an object (it can be an action, or a place, or just an object in its traditional sense), and internalizing it (by putting it up to your face), you embody it.

This metaphor works great for actions like:

Teleporting to new environment.

Accessing a layer on top of the world you’re in (Fantastic Contraption)

And Even exiting the game (Job Simulator)

In essence, it’s a way to not use Menus for actions. Up until now, we haven’t had the language or the space to experiment in such an abstract way. Even in VR, up until now, we’ve been trying to simulate our reality in a virtual reality. We don’t need to do that, and in a sense, it’s quite boring.

Take an action, break down the concept, and apply it to a physical interaction. It makes for a much more interesting experience.

Showing intent through internalizing is a great place to start. These examples above should help give you a basis as to where to go from here. For a more indepth talk about these concepts, watch this: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023668/Menus

As always, you can find more indepth conversations about VR, the current Design, Economic, and Research trends in the industry on the ResearchVR Podcast. Latest Episode: VR User Interfaces and Interactions

Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @ResearchVRcast