The Future of XR Headsets

 

Photo by Drew Graham on Unsplash

 

I’ve been working on a project to predict the future of XR technology
within a 5-10 year time frame. That means I’ve been reading research
reports, digging through Twitter posts for conference photos, and
reading thought pieces by some of the most valued opinions on XR in
industry and education.  

Simultaneous to this project, I’ve been brushing up my skills in User Experience (UX) and my most favorite, Design Thinking. 
One of the most fun aspects of Design Thinking is that I’m allowed to
let my inner empath run on full tilt. And it’s really great to let your
emotions run through bunny-filled sunshine meadows and just see what
she has to say about anything and everything.  Let me tell you: she has
some real opinions on XR headsets. And almost ALL of those opinions
come from the images being used to portray headsets. Come along on this
mystical magical ride of the visuals of headsets.

At the end of
the journey, I will make a prediction about headsets.  And as with
every project of mine, I’ve figured out how to work Disney into it (as much as possible).

As our starting point, I’ll state something very strongly.   I’m sick of headsets where people are supposed to be wowed by XR.  To
be realistic, 90% of XR headset images are these. I’ve gathered these
images from across the internet and to preserve some degree of
anonymity, I’m NOT providing the reference location.  I’m not trying to
make fun of people. Please be clear on that. I’m commenting on *how we
are portraying XR to others* to, supposedly, encourage others to join
us in XR.

So
we have the “Oh my I’m surprised!” look. I think that’s what this photo
is trying to say. It’s possible she was frightened, but more on fear in
a little bit.

Honorable
mention in this category: hipster dude
looking…uh…surprised. Actually, he looks ‘tired and being forced to
look surprised’ but that could just be me overlaying college student
thoughts onto this photo.

The next one we have is the *very*
ubiquitous “Hey, we’re trying out headsets…somewhere.”  I’ve got about
10 of these photos collected.

So
they are all smiling and facing the same direction.  We’re supposed to
like that, right? Uh, remember that those headsets are designed to cut
off all vision except that which the designer wants you to see and those
are four women standing really close together in a public place.  Where
is everyone’s hands? How did they know to stand that close together?
They were probably prompted and stood close together and *then* put the
headsets on. Yeah, that’s realistic. Is it any wonder that women, in
particular, note less comfort with XR?

Hey here’s a few more.  Do you want to try yet?

I’m
solo and still comfortable standing here showing you this thing. 
Wait…are you still there? Did walk away? Oo, a whole new way to
indicate non-interest at vendor tables if every vendor wore one!  I
might like this.

We are friends and happy even though we can’t see each other…and you!

It’s a coincidence that those last two were Magic Leap.  I’ve got nothing against Magic Leap.

Before we leave the emotional theme of happy, catch this image *from a real article*.

I
am so creeped out by this.  If you don’t see it, look closely at the
mouth.  Where is the mouth???? Why is the mouth from someone else????
Ah, the Hannibal Lecter of XR images.

And finally, before things get better, just remember that your XR headset isn’t this.

I got nothing for this.  It’s so…nope…nothing.  Someone help her.

So
back to the topic of the future.  I’m asked occasionally which
technologies to invest in over the 5-10 year time frame that are winning
bets for XR.  I’ve got a multiple-part article series coming on how I
arrived at my conclusions, so stay tuned for that. However, the more
XR headset images I’ve seen (like all of those images above),
the more I think we are doing a very poor job enticing new users into
XR.  I feel like we are hitting all the wrong notes.

The more and
more I thought about what disturbs me about these headset images, the
more I realized that I saw a theme to headsets where I’m like ‘Yes, I
would try that,” and “Nope, I would not try that.”  And here is a hint
to the theme:

Recall the custom that some fiction writers use to disguise some superheroes: they mask their eyes. 
If the eyes are covered, we can’t completely know who it is. By day,
it’s just mild mannered Clark Kent.  He can’t possibly be Superman.
Think that premise is just in stories? We block off someone’s eyes when
we want them to have anonymity in photos/video, etc.  It seems we humans use eyes as our ultimate identification card.

While
headsets in VR are designed to take the user to different places and
times to experience the normal and phantasmagorical (<-love that
word), they do so by cutting off all view of the current space the user
is in.  That’s on purpose. I got no beef with that. We have data that
these headsets *can* generate empathy. Great! I buy that too.

My problem is what if empathy when involving headsets is a two-way street?
 What if I cannot believe that the user is truly impacted by an
experience until I see their eyes?  Isn’t that the problem with all of
the prior VR headset images? You cannot see the user’s eyes. Ooo, so I
have hit on a real tech problem here.  If I want to see the user’s eyes
and yet the user needs to see nothing of the real world in order to be
immersed in virtuality, how do we solve that problem?  Right now,
headsets cannot answer to both sets of demands. However, I have also
never met a tech problem that hasn’t been able to be overcome.

The short term solution is already at hand and I’ve been discussing it on LinkedIn:

• The
  solution is that immersive headsets (mostly for VR, VW, and games) will
  do what they do best with full immersion.  Said another way, Magic Leap
  and Oculus Quest– if they pursue full immersion activities, will be
  fine. We hope that the users are in a safe space with assistance
  available in case they fall or need some body space security.
• The
  solution is also that AR headsets (which are not designed for immersion
  but for information display) will focus on information display.  Since
  AR is not quite pulling on the emotions as VR, it’s not as important to
  see the user’s eyes but, bonus points, I can see them.

My favorite headset therefore is…Microsoft Hololens. 
It allows me to see the user’s eyes. It also has the body profile of
safety glasses (a familiar pattern).  Also I believe that Microsoft is
following their own playbook that worked for Office Suite and they are
pumping the Hololens into the business market *first* and that will
create back pressure through education. (i.e. we’ve got to get some
Hololens headsets because our graduates will go out to work X job and
will be expected to have experience in headsets as part of the job
requirement.)

Said another way, as of today, let AR headsets do AR and let VR headsets do VR.  Never the two shall meet. Until…

The future can and will contain headsets that will do both.
 That’s my prediction.  A user wearing AR technology will find their
way to their subway train, sit down, and switch over to a VR scene of
the latest episode of the Mandalorian. 

OK, I realize it won’t be
*full* immersion but I think the tech is going to get better (refresh
rates, etc.) and users will accept non-full immersion. What makes me
predict that? I’ve been a glasses-wearer since kindergarten. Ask me if
it bothers me that about 30% of my field of vision at any given moment
is not in focus. Answer: Nope. Users will accommodate to non-immersive
VR.

Once at their destination, the headset will fade down the
immersion and fade up to a map to a restaurant and some jazzy music (or
what-have-you-AR-experience-on-demand).  

How do I foresee that?  As a designer, I look for patterns in what has successfully worked in the past to predict what will successfully work in the future. 
So what do we have in the past or present that predicts that AR/VR
combined headsets will totally be a workable thing in the future?

Two things:

1. Sunglasses. 
   (Not just regular glasses as I mentioned earlier.)  I see a few
   commentators skeptical how comfortable users will be wearing glasses
   that they *don’t need to*, aka vanity glasses, aka AR glasses, just to
   get AR.  I think it will very much work! Because I don’t think of them
   like glasses…I think of them like sunglasses. Sunglasses are the
   harbinger of wearable tech because as we know, there are many examples
   of people wearing sunglasses for reasons that have nothing to do with
   sun protection.  If people are willing to wear sunglasses at night,
   wearing AR headsets whether or not one is using AR will be an easy idea
   (see: the wearable technology fashion industry).
2. The ubiquity of
   the smartphone space-wise currently to users’ bodies. I don’t think I’m
   going out on a limb when I say that most users keep their smartphones
   with a meter’s radius of their bodies. As I’ve said on LinkedIn (and I
   should get this embroidered on a cushion), smartphones are the gateway drug for AR. 
   Users are getting very used to having customizable information at their
   fingertips (or voice, as it may be).  Switching from that smartphone
   interface to our vision or auditory range? Easy. Consider it done.

Until we get to the future, a few recommendations:

• The emotional nuance possible via XR is stunning.  Let’s stop using fear as our primary XR coinage. 
  (I’m looking at you, Plank.) Emotional reactions such as peace, wonder,
  laughter, curiosity, sadness, and honor all have a place in XR.  Those
  emotions are how you are going to get not just gamers into XR.
• Stop it with the “I’ve put on a headset and I’m amazed” images. Just stop. I am looking for other
  emotions or events expressed with headsets…it’s just my hobby to
  collect these now. I’ve made my own “wearing a headset and barfing!”
  image. I’m not posting it here yet. You are welcome.
• Debate
  me!  My opinion has been shaped and formed on this topic over years. 
  But I’m always open to new thoughts and different points of view!  

What do you think?

• Did I pick on Magic Leap too much? Maybe.
• Am I paid to espouse Microsoft Hololens? I wish!
• What comes after AR glasses? Implants? Already on the way. #omega opthamaltics

I look forward to your comments.

P.S.
I totally held off picking on any LinkedIn personal account photos of
people wearing headsets.  You are an interesting crowd. On one hand, I
admire that you are *clearly* sending the message that you are pro-XR.
Way to go!  On the other hand, you are going to regret that image in 20
years. I’m just saying. And to the dude’s profile I saw last night
where you are wearing 3 headsets at once: You, sir, are next level bananas. Carry on.

#Transmedia
#virtual reality #virtualworlds #crossreality #mixedreality
#augmentedreality #design #AR #VR #XR #headsets #images #eyes #wearing
#Immersion #Glasses #future #Users #Problem #Experience #Technology
#Emotions #Empathy #Empath #UX #UXinXR #MicrosoftHololens #Disney
#IllWearMySunglassesAtNight

This article originally posted at LinkedIn on November 12, 2019

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-xr-headsets-heather-dodds