Doom3VR — PSVR Game

How to take an  Iconic First person  shooter to VR?




USER
Doom Fans
FPS fans 
PSVR Owners


MY ROLE
UX Designer
UI Designer

Localization
TOOLS
ID tech Engine
Adobe Flash
Photoshop,
XD & Illustrator
Miro Digital Whiteboard
TEAM
Archiact Team
Doom3VR team
ID Tech team
Bethsda QA team


︎WHAT
Our goal was to bring the Iconic DOOM3 First person shooter to VR, that is everything the fans love & expect. Create VR game, that will be a benchmark in the category on PlayStation VR.  It was launched in March 2021 on the PlayStation store. Aim controller brings the immersive Diegetic UX and UI Experience, that makes player feel and live as the Doom Marine.


︎TASK

To take the iconic Doom4 to PSVR and create an thrilling immersive experince that fans love & expect.



︎TRAILER
︎DIEGETIC UI
Working closely with the Creative director I proposed a Diegetic UI approach, for a more immersive experience in the game. It helped us create a much-loved sense of presence in VR.



︎WRIST DEVICE
We created this wrist device working closely with ID and Betehseda Teams. Goal was to create a wrist-mounted device to keep players appraised with critical information about their vitals. It's on their wrist so the player can get details on demand in heat of a demon battle, with just a glance.



︎REVIEWS
We had some great reviews. But this particular one made me really happy. 

“There is something about being so immersed in virtual reality that is hard to explain, I felt like I was ‘there’,”

-PSU Doom3VR Review

As a UX Designer for VR, this is as good as it gets.
Presence & Immersion: Done ✅





Doom 3 VR currently has a User rating of 7.3/10 & overall rating of 67/100 on Metacritic ︎




︎UI RESEARCH
UI Research & Benchmarking

UI Styleguide
Included: HUD, PDA, Spatial UI, Weapons UI, Typography, Iconography and User data UI references, 


This UI Research & Benchmarking gave team a good idea of what we needed to build and scope out UI requirements in terms of Art, Animation & Engineering Requirements


︎UI PROCESS
I recomended DIEGETIC UI after evalution risks for for maximum immersion on DOOM 3 VR. Some elements from dynamic UI were also added in final production.

Diegetic UI
No persistent UI available all the time in the game. HUD will not be visible and player sees the Health, armour and ammo count on the weapons itself in a diegetic UI. Expert Player senses the information based on ingame signifiers.
Player Type: Expert | Immersion: Highest

  • No persistent UI available all the time in the game.
  • Player sees the information based on a combination of ingame signifiers and ephemeral UI as text and icons
  • HUD will not be visible on floating 2D format. Health, Armour and Ammo count is visible on the weapons itself as a diegetic UI.
  • +VEs Green glow when player picks up health (or weapon UI)
  • -VEs Red glow when health is low or payer is taking damage (or weapon UI)
  • Red Scratches when enemy attacks
  • Pickups Eg, shells, health & PDA info appear as ephemeral UI for a few seconds and vanish.

Player Type: VR Expert & Intermediate
Immersion: Highest
Risk: High - Unplanned work required to implement

Other Options presented for low scope:

Dynamic UI
UI is visible in game only when there is a change in Health and Armour information.  Ammo is displayed on the weapons itself in a diegetic UI. Player sees the information that flashes for a few seconds when the information is updated. Player Type: Intermediate | Immersion: High


Original UI
UI is visible all the time in game. Similar to Doom 3 BFG edition. HUD is visible at all times and pickups & PDA info is displayed for a certain no of time and they disappear.
Player Type: Novice | Immersion: Moderate to low


︎PSVR STORE LINK

PSVR Store Link ︎
Check out the VR game on Playstation store.



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Journey to Foundation - Quest2 &  PSVR Game

How to create the iconic Foundation world in VR?




USER
Foundation IP Fans
PSVR Owners
Meta(Oculus) Quest2 Owners

MY ROLE
UX UI Design Lead

UX Designer
UI Designer


TOOLS
Unreal Engine
Adobe Creative Suite
Jira & Confluence
Miro Digital Whiteboard
TEAM
Archiact Team
Outsourcer


︎WHAT
Our goal was to bring the Iconic Foundation Universe to VR, that is everything the fans love & expect. Create VR game, that will be a benchmark in the category on PlayStation VR. Embark on a clandestine mission as Agent Ward, a spy sent to the edge of the Galactic Empire to infiltrate a group of deserters… only to uncover a dire truth that could change the course of history.

Armed with the best tools and weapons the Empire has to offer, you'll have to decide who to trust. Gain information using an intricate conversation system, or let your weapon do the talking.

Will you fight for a dying Empire, or will you join the Foundation to help rebuild what has been lost?

Coming to PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 2, and Pico 4 this Autumn.


AUTUMN 2023

More details and casestudy coming closer  to the release date


︎TASK

To take the iconic Foundation Universe to PSVR, Meta Quest2 and create an thrilling immersive experince that fans love & expect.



︎TRAILER
︎DIEGETIC UI
Working closely with the Creative director I proposed a Diegetic UI approach, for a more immersive experience in the game. It helped us create a much-loved sense of presence in VR.



Take a look at some more of my work ︎

   

Deep Space Battle — VR Game

How to create an immersive space shooter in VR?






USER
Casual Gamers
Shooter fans 
Oculus Go Owners


MY ROLE
UX Designer
UI Designer

Video Editor
Narrative Writer
TOOLS
Unity 3D
Adobe After effects, Photoshop,
XD & Illustrator
Sketch & Invision
Miro Digital Whiteboard
TEAM
Chance Archiact Team



︎WHAT
Our goal was to create the most thrilling & immersive space shooter in VR game, that will be a benchmark in the category on Oculus GO. It is a 3DOF VR headset that is seen as an emerging platform for Casual VR enthusiast. It was launched in January 2020 on the Oculus go store.


︎TASK

To create an thrilling immersive Space Shooter VR game for OculusGo.



︎DEMO
︎OCULUS STORE ASSETS


︎REVIEWS
Deep space battle - Outpost Orion currently has a 5  star rating on Oculus store.




︎OCULUS LINK

Oculus Store Link ︎
Check out the VR game on Oculus store.
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/2508772699236258

Case Study coming soon...



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Slots In De Nile - VR Game

How to create VR slots for casual gamers?






USER
Casual Gamers
Slots Players
Oculus Go Owners


MY ROLE
UX Designer
UI Designer

Video Editor
Product Owner
TOOLS
Unity 3D
Adobe After effects, Photoshop,
XD & Illustrator
Sketch & Invision
Miro Digital Whiteboard
TEAM
Chance Archiact Team



︎WHAT
OculusGO is a latest portable VR headset that is taking the VR world by a storm. We set out to create an immersive VR game, that will be a benchmark when it comes to casual slots game in VR. It is currently the highest rated slots game currently on  the Oculus store, enjoying 4.5/5 rating & stellar user reviews.


︎TASK

To create an immersive Slots experince in VR for casual gamers.



︎DEMO
︎OCULUS LINK


︎REVIEW

Slots in De Nile currently enjoys a 5 Star rating on Oculus store




︎OCULUS STORE

Oculus Store Link ︎
Check out the VR game on Oculus store.
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/1709291162510841/?locale=en_US


Case Study coming soon...



Take a look at some more of my work ︎



   
ChkOUT- Mixed Reality Retail

How to make shopping more immersive?




USER
18-34 year old shoppers

Tech Savvy 
Millenials


MY ROLE
UX Designer
Product Designer

UI Designer

Co-Founder
TOOLS
Paper prototyping
Whiteboards, Post-its
Slack + Airtable
Google Photos
Sketch + Invision
Adobe Illustrator,
Unity Game Engine


TEAM
Thofeek A - Developer
laine Lau - Project Manager

︎WHAT
ChkOUT is a Virtual Reality Retail platform that enables Retailers to sell their products in Immersive environments & provides In-depth analytics for valuable insights into buyer retail behavior.
For Shoppers, ChkOUT provides the next generation of shopping experience that takes the benefits of Brick and Mortar stores and convenience of Online shopping using VR.
In the future, ChkOUT will further evolve into a Mixed Reality Experience.


︎DEMO



︎BRIEF
How might we create the next generation of retail experince, using technology such as Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality?

︎TASK

To create the most immersive retail shopping experince.


︎CHALLENGE
RETAIL IS CHANGING

TURBULENT MARKET
In 2017,  nearly 7,000 major stores  had a closing announcement.  However, online retail had a great year, and larger retailers show promising signs of growth. Source: FGRT

EXPERIENCE IS KING
Today’s consumers are more focused on the overall shopping experience. Experience-based retailers are powering ahead in terms of customer growth and conversion rates. Source: PWC SKYROCKETING

REAL ESTATE COSTS
Commercial real estate costs are increasing rapidly on an annual basis in major cities worldwide.


︎PROCESS
We kicked off the project with a 3-day design sprint and followed a rapid iteration process. Scrum roles were identified according to strengths and weaknesses of the team.

We followed a simple version of a design thinking approach to get more clarity on this project.




We  use Air Table and Slack for project management.




︎RESEARCH

“Retail landscape is changing & it’s  growing at an exponential rate around the world”





︎PROBLEM

Mid-sized retailers are struggling to compete



︎USER PERSONA #1
To test the buying cycle and create a shopping user flow we interviewed a number of  shoppers. Based on this we realised there are 2 main distinctive type of personalities of users. Strictly online shoppers & some who switch to a OmniChannel (combination of Online & Brick-N-Mortar shoppers). We decided to go with the latter audience as most users we interviewed identified closely with this user group.
The proto persona we created is: Jane, who is tasked with buying a Yoga mat from the both the Brick-and-Mortar and Online store



︎USER ANALYSIS #1
To get a better understanding of Buyer’s & Retailer’s journey we mapped out both the Buyers’s & the retailers journey in great detail.


We mapped out the same user journey of Jane buying a Yoga mat in both an online shopping along with Brick-and-mortar space for easy comparision. This gave us an insight into the Onmichannel world of retail our users shop in currently. 


︎DEFINE
The Problem we are solving 

Mid-sized retailers are struggling to compete in the current retail landscape.


They are plagued with many problems. The key issued we identified are:

EXPENSIVE FLOOR SPACE
Showcasing inventory takes up a lot of space.  Opening a new store to reach a larger audience is expensive.

MINIMAL PERSONALIZATION
Unable to  tailor experiences, and offer personal touches for customers without having to hire more staff. This is easier to do online, but not as compelling.
BORING EXPERIENCES
Retail is transitioning into a wider community of commerce, one that combines entertainment with shopping. Retailers need to find ways to keep customers engaged, both in-store, and online.

LACK OF REAL CUSTOMER INSIGHT
No effective method to get deeper, personalized insights into real-world shopping behaviour, and act on them.
INCONSISTENT
OMNI-CHANNEL
Customers demand consistent experiences. Most retailers either fail at it, or find it almost impossible to do due to the nature of their product offerings.

︎USER ANAYSIS #2

We started mapping out the user analysis for one type of a client we aere in contact with, famous A baby store in Richmond called “Baby on route”. This would be a begining for us to understand the Online reail as a ctategory & give insights we could build on as we progrees to build out Mixed reality Shopping platform.

User Journey - Buyer (Current - Baby on Route )


User Journey - Retailer (Current - Baby on Route )




︎COMPETITION
A lot of great work has been done in online retail space. To understand this we studied the competetion thoroughly.


Competetive landscape was thoroughly studied.
User flow from leading online retailers such as Amazon, Ikea, Asos & our client Baby En route store was analysed in detail.


︎SOLUTION


Value offering

︎PLATFORM
Why VR as a platform ? We used a 5whys process to arrive at VR as a platform. We conducted an A/B test, where we built the same interaction for product views in Augumented Reality & Virtual Reality. VR tested as a preferred alternative, as it was seen as more immersive & user got a better sense of scale of the products tested. 
Infinite Showroom Space
Showcase your tents at a campsite. Display your leather couch in a nice cigar lounge. All of this without having to invest in more space. The environment plays a huge part in showcasing your product, so why compromise?


Compelling Experience
Use storytelling and narrative to build an emotional connection with your customers. Create compelling virtual experiences that showcase both the product and the experience behind it.


Powerful Analytics
Access in-depth insights into consumer shopping behaviour. Tailor experiences to each type of customer and fine-tune your product offerings for maximum conversion.




︎USER EXPERINCE
Proposed User Journey - Buyer (ChkOUT)

PROTOTYPE 1: Sketch - User Journey Storyboard- Buyer  

PROTOTYPE 2: 3D Greyboxing Using SketchboxVR & Unity3d

PROTOTYPE 3: Texture test with temp assets in Unity3D

PROTOTYPE 4: Unity3D Scene Blocking with Probuilder 

PROTOTYPE 5: Unity3D Temp Assets


CURRENT VERSION: Unity3D Final Assets + Interactions



Information Architecture
A careful anaysis of user flow and behaviour was conducted to develop our own Information Architecture.


Feature Analysis for Menu design & prioritization
︎USER TESTS
We have scheduled regular user tests every 2 weeks. This keeps us on track with a steady cycle of feedback loop. These tests are recorded in video and  survey format.



User Test Survey & findings


︎USER INTERFACE
In this project I worked on the UI directly in Unity3D as we did not have time or the resources to do this any other way. As a result I could further enhance my Unity skills builing on what I had learnt in my earlier AR game project. We considered a Constellation Type menu for easier navigation.
I conducted extensive research into navigation systems into the emerging VR space. Daydream Elements from Google and Exploration in VR by Leap Motion was particularly helpful.

We considered a 3D room for the main menu selection. It proved to be too cumbersome & expensive in terms of developent. It was interesting idea to explore nevertheless.


On hand menu Control Scheme

VR Control Sceme - For various head sets
Iconography


Typography.
Lato an open source web font family by Google was chosen for its legiblity in VR.


︎DEMOS
As a team we take showing our work to a wider audience very seriosly. We demo our product regularly at local VRARA events to get feedback. We have made a lot of networking connections and gained some valuable feedback in process.
Few of our demo highlights were to be chosen to represent Vancouver at the Siggraph 2018 “Future of XR” event,  a Vancouver VRARA event which took place at Microsoft Vancouver office among others.




︎RETROSPECTIVE
︎WHAT WORKED
1. This is project has been a great opportunity for me to learn and design the User eXperience in VR/MR space.
2.  Learnt how to lead a team in a Co-Founder's role & find  product market fit.
3. Rapid prototype and develop a tablet game VR & AR by continuous iteration. 
4. Learning about fund raising in a Startup Culture.

︎ WHAT DID NOT
1. I wish I had learned more about Business developent and strategy early on. I am continuously trying to develop in that area.
2. To get one more skilled developer and an inhouse 3D artist would have helped a lot in moving the project further.
3. As a team we did not go out and actively look for clients as we felt we were not ready. We learnt the hard way that, there is no such thing as market ready.


︎FUTURE 
IN-STORE EXPERIENCES
Kick off with bespoke in-store experiences to gauge customer interest and maximize product penetration.

SCALE
Enable development teams to rapidly add new virtual stores, build and integrate modular components, develop a robust 3D scanning pipeline.

AGILITY
Continuous testing with retailers and customers to design a great virtual shopping experience.


SELF-SERVE + ANALYTICS
Develop framework to allow retailers to independently set up and manage their virtual stores with ease, and deliver valuable insights via customer analytics.

TEAM
#410087

Take a look at some more of my work ︎