Running a VR Installation

LA Phil

Recently, we had the opportunity to showcase our LA Phil VR installation at the Producers Ball, and learned a lot in the process.

Some of the problems we encountered — and the solutions — are counter-intuitive and surprising. We are sharing them so that they might lead to better VR installations in the future.

Let’s begin:

Users don’t understand VR

Most of our users had never experienced VR before, and the few that did had minimal exposure.

• Memorize a speech for on-boarding users. Tell them what to expect, and what they need to do.
• When on-boarding, remind users to turn their heads for the best experience. Many will stare straight ahead, unaware there is more content around them.
• Remind users they can remove the headset and leave the experience at any time. Have functionality to reset the experience when they do.
• Users can react negatively to low resolution, slow frame rates, or other glitches. Have good graphics, or explain the caveats before handing over the headset.
• If the experience is not a game, interactivity should not be required to progress. Avoid menus, lobbies, buttons, hotspots, etc. Program the experience to run itself if the user fails to interact with it.

Conduct a realistic dry run

Everyone knows testing is critical, but it’s easy to cut corners.

• Do a test of your installation with all the final hardware. This includes “secondary” devices like power supplies, extension cords and lights, as well as props and decorations. If you are running an outdoor experience, do a test outdoors.
• Use a realistic number of participants, to practice timing and crowd control. Include people who wear glasses.
• Put each participant through the complete experience. If the experience includes submitting personal info or receiving emails, do that as well. Test all the steps.
• If your experience requires internet access, make sure your venue provides it and you know the login info. Have a plan for when it doesn’t work.
• Establish a plan for all unexpected events, like devices running out of batteries, glitching out, or becoming damaged.

Running a VR booth is a physically strenuous experience

Booth attendants are on their feet constantly. They also spend a lot of time speaking and interacting with users. It’s very easy to get tired without realizing it.

• Bring lots of food and water. You might end up drinking half a litre every hour.
• Having a folding seat for breaks is a good idea.
• Make a list of all the items you need to have at the venue. Have a plan for hauling heavy items.
• Setting up and breaking down the installation can be as much work as running it.

Photo by Emily Cumming

Keep it flowing

If there is a big crowd of people waiting to try the experience, it’s important to keep things moving.

• Your user on-boarding speech should be short and sweet — you will be repeating it a lot.
• Have the users line up. If they bunch together, it becomes hard to keep track of who is next in line.
• If you have more than one person running the booth, ensure each one has strict responsibilities. Sharing tasks can make things confusing.

Keep users happy

Running a live installation means interacting with the public. Expect the unexpected.

• Have a small table for users to put down their food, drinks, purses or backpacks. Leaving them on the floor is a recipe for trouble.
• Some users will want to give attendants their phones so they can take photos/video.
• Some users will want to engage in conversation about the technology.
• Periodically remove abandoned food, drinks and garbage. Keep the installation area clean — especially the headsets.
• A personalized social token can be a great way to collect users’ contact info, but users will skip it if they don’t understand what they’re getting. Show them a sample to sell them on it.
• Keep a smile on and be friendly with all users.

That’s it. Hopefully, following these suggestions will give you better VR experiences and happier users. Good luck!

Originally published at blog.thesecretlocation.com