The Flow of A Virtual Reality Cinema
*An Excerpt from an MRP by Marisa Tassone to be published in Fall of 2018*
In order to guarantee the most immersive virtual reality cinema experience, it is vital to understand the flow for the guest to minimize hiccups. In essence, a smoother experience outside of the headset translates into a more immersive experience inside the headset. For the flow to be most effective, it is important to employ the 5 E’s model of experience design. The five E’s stand for excitement, entry, engagement, exit, and extension. Excitement is essentially the way a guest finds out about the event/experience and is attracted to it; this is where it is important to capture their attention. Entry is the entrance into the experience. In this case, ticketing and the physical entrance are coupled to form an enticing entrance. Engagement refers to the activities the guest will partake in during the experience. Exit is the physical exit of the experience — in this case, it is when the guest physically leaves the space, as the experience is designed to extend beyond just the headset use. Extension implies a physical or digital object that the guest can take with them that ‘extends’ their experience beyond the space.
Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time for a specific time slot. Pre-booking experiences eliminates the issue of lineups, which is rampant in the current state of virtual reality. Early ticketing streamlines the guests process when they get into the space and allows both spaces to know when they expect to be the busiest. In both cases, walk-ins are allowed but are only fit in around pre-booked timeslots.
Additionally, pre-booking an experience for a specific time allows guests to feel more in control of their virtual reality experience; they are able to control whether a friend will be with them, and they are able to adapt the experience to their availability. This also functions to eliminate much of the confusion that people may have regarding the screening process. Guests should also be encouraged to leave their cell phone numbers upon ticket purchase in order to to receive text message reminders prior to their screening.
Guests should be welcomed into the space and given a brief explanation of what they can expect from the experience; explaining the experience that they are about to have further allays any confusion that the guest may be experiencing. The guests should be encouraged to interact with others and encouraged to take advantage of the amenities that are being offered as a part of the space. At the entrance, guests should have their ticket scanned and then given some sort of memento to serve as a timing reminder, and as a way for the door person of the cinema to verify that the guest is entering the correct screening (bracelets serve this purpose very well). Guests must also sign a waiver on behalf of the cinema and operators to account for all liabilities and risks they undertake as part of the virtual reality experience.
For a narrative experience, guests must be reminded 5 minutes prior to their screening to go to the ‘waiting area.’ The waiting area is directly outside the cinema but is separated from the lounge; it allows guests enough time to prepare for their screening while allowing the door person to check tickets and ensure all attendees are present.
5-minutes prior to screenings, guests are invited to the waiting room. In my research and observation at various VR spaces, I noticed that a few of the spaces had physical waiting rooms where guests were able to lounge prior to their screening, and in other spaces guests were placed in a queue. I observed that in spaces that had any semblance of a waiting room, guests were more patient and willing to watch others in experiences. In direct contrast, I noticed that guests’ moods went from excited to irritated very quickly in spaces where they were forced to wait in a queue. In order to get to the waiting room, guests should move through a long hallway. This hallway will function to separate the lounge from the viewing space, and to prepare the guests for their virtual experience. On the other side of the hallway will be the entrance to the waiting room. At the entrance of the waiting room the door person will check the wristband/ticket of the person to ensure the guest is queing for the correct screening. The waiting area should be comfortable enough for guests to spend a few minutes waiting in case of delay, but should be kept at a low talking volume to discourage excessive discussion.
Guests are ushered into the cinema from the waiting room and, ideally, seats are pre-determined and numbered for guests to find according to their ticket. However, if this is not possible, guests can seat themselves. Guests are taken through a short walk-through by the cinema operator where they learn what their experience will entail, and what to do in case of technical issues. Guests are encouraged to put on their headset, and then the operator starts their experience using a remote device. Guests’ individual headset controls are disabled, which prevents the controls from being touched and disrupting the experience.
Upon the conclusion of the virtual reality experience, guests are ushered out of the theatre. If space allows, the exit hallway should be different than the entrance hallway. The exit should lead guests back to the lounge where they are free to stay and discuss with other guests.
The final exit should be very smooth and should ask very little of the guests. This is a good time to thank the guest and give them a physical momento that pertains to the experience they watched, or to the cinema itself. A physical momento is an excellent way to extend their experience beyond the time spent in the space. The memento should be exciting enough that it will encourage guests to continue talking about the space, and should also encourage guests to share this experience with others online and offline.
Both the cinema exit and final exit work together to create a clear end for the user to feel the closure of the experience. The final exit is coupled with the extension where guests are given a momento to take with them. The physical object they are given not only allows them to share the experience with others, but acts as a physical representation of memory; guests can take this physical object to their own space and will be reminded of their experience by this physical object.
Tassone, M. (2018) Virtual Reality Cinemas: The Challenges of an Individual Medium. Unpublished MRP, Ryerson University.
