Stage 1: Defining a Territory for Mixed Reality

1/17–1/30

The Design Brief

Over the course of the next semester, our team will be working to design a Mixed Reality solution to create “positive cultural impact” for the 2017 Microsoft Design Exposition. The design prompt encourages us to consider concepts such as inclusivity — what is Mixed Reality, who is it for and who is excluded from the new environments, interactions and economies it creates? Our work will be rooted in the project’s technological constraints and will demonstrate the value and differentiation of Mixed Reality. Though we will address a specific opportunity area and business case, the principles that guide our work will be extensible to wider applications.

Exploring Opportunities for Learning

After an initial brainstorm, where we considered a range of opportunity areas for mixed reality from cultural exchange, to disability, to exercise, we settled on education as a shared interest area to explore in more depth. Because the design prompt pushed us to consider inclusivity and opportunities for new economies in Mixed Reality, we pushed ourselves to think beyond learning in a traditional classroom.

In addition to being inspired by the prompt, our research unearthed a unique opportunity for Mixed Reality at the intersection of two big trends in education: 1) a renewed interest in vocational training and skills-based learning and 2) an increase in the prevalence of distance learning — from remote degree programs, to online tutorials, to self-guided MOOCs. From this, we began to consider how Mixed Reality might make education more inclusive for non-college bound students by supporting skills-based learning outside of traditional classroom settings.

Understanding Education

To orient ourselves, and as a way to begin identifying opportunities for Mixed Reality within education more broadly, we developed a framework to understand how and where different types of learning happen, as well as map the challenges associated with each.

The horizontal axis in the framework above describes the structures of various learning platforms, from structured to self-directed. The vertical axis describes the mechanics of learning, from embodied to intellectual. Though still broad, we used this framework to develop an initial territory map, identifying the platforms, motivations, concerns and opportunities for Mixed Reality across both axes.

Narrowing Our Focus

We then took a step back from our broad territory map, returning to the functional benefits of mixed reality as a way to narrow our focus. We also looked at the needs of educators and learners in these alternative, skills-based educational settings to identify the most powerful points for intervention for Mixed Reality.

We identified three key benefits of the technology in this space: 1) providing remote access to tools and technology for skills-based training, 2) increasing safety and reducing cost of this training, and 3) providing immediate feedback in remote learning settings.

Considering these benefits, we decided to focus on embodied learning across the spectrum of structured to self-guided learning. In an attempt to narrow our focus even further, we identified four potential industries that employ embodied learning and have manifestations across the spectrum of structured to self-guided.

Diving into Our Territory

Based on our team’s interest, and our access to stakeholders for exploratory research, we have decided to move forward with auto repair as the problem space for our exploration of mixed reality. From there, we constructed a more specific territory map to guide our exploratory research.

We started by outlining our territory’s key stakeholders — various users, providers and regulators. We then explored the range of platforms these stakeholders engage with, considering both in-person and remote learning environments. From there, we mapped the challenges and opportunities for mixed reality to guide the development of our research protocols.

Plans for Exploratory Research

We will spend the next phase of our project conducting primary and secondary research into automobile repair training and existing mixed reality solutions for alternative format education. We will interview relevant stakeholders across the spectrum of structured to self-guided learning.

Our methods will include a literature review of case studies and research into our problem space. We will conduct contextual inquiry including observation and interviews with relevant stakeholders, and will do touchstone tours of physical spaces and learning experiences.

Questions for Exploratory Research

The goal of our exploratory research will be to answer the following questions:

• Where does Mixed Reality provide maximum benefit to educators and learners across the spectrum of structured to self-guided learning?
• Does a focus on remote or distance learning unearth additional opportunities for Mixed Reality? If so, what might these interventions look like?
• Beyond augmented and virtual reality, what does Mixed Reality mean in this space? What role does the physical world need to play in embodied learning?

Territory Definition Presentation

We made a presentation on our Territory Definition Process to the Microsoft Design team on 1/30. A copy of the presentation can be found here.