![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEjmT6TlQb0erQM56heANSe6qKpG3hE0pINzEwDV9lwmQAuixHVljDNyqfRQU8gMKl8ddZ1hJyS7hhAuEPR6t9yb8slHGyjcUC8q0LUV3BNBDCyM3WuymjfHjHAvWt9h_atdFQlRQ50lbsHm1x6iPhvfearThPS6ZPDwBhC74a4MlYaxOwNrycRyJxl-=w640-h340\")
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\nPhoto by Drew Graham on Unsplash<\/p>\n
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I\u2019ve been working on a project to predict the future of XR technology
\n within a 5-10 year time frame. That means I\u2019ve been reading research
\nreports, digging through Twitter posts for conference photos, and
\nreading thought pieces by some of the most valued opinions on XR in
\nindustry and education. <\/p>\n
Simultaneous to this project, I\u2019ve been brushing up my skills in User Experience (UX) and my most favorite, Design Thinking<\/strong>. At the end of As our starting point, I\u2019ll state something very strongly. I\u2019m sick of headsets where people are supposed to be wowed by XR. <\/strong>To So Honorable The next one we have is the *very* So Hey here\u2019s a few more. Do you want to try yet?<\/p>\n I\u2019m <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are friends and happy even though we can\u2019t see each other…and you!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s a coincidence that those last two were Magic Leap. I\u2019ve got nothing against Magic Leap.<\/p>\n Before we leave the emotional theme of happy, catch this image *from a real article*. <\/p>\n I And finally, before things get better, just remember that your XR headset isn\u2019t this.<\/p>\n I got nothing for this. It\u2019s so\u2026nope…nothing. Someone help her.<\/p>\n So The more and Recall the custom that some fiction writers use to disguise some superheroes: they mask their eyes. <\/u><\/strong> While My problem is what if empathy when involving headsets is a two-way street?<\/strong> The short term solution is already at hand and I\u2019ve been discussing it on LinkedIn:<\/p>\n My favorite headset therefore is…Microsoft Hololens<\/strong>. Said another way, as of today, let AR headsets do AR and let VR headsets do VR. Never the two shall meet. Until…<\/p>\n The future can and will contain headsets that will do both.<\/strong> OK, I realize it won\u2019t be Once at their destination, the headset will fade down the 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.<\/strong> Two things:<\/p>\n Until we get to the future, a few recommendations:<\/p>\n What do you think?<\/p>\n I look forward to your comments.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n P.S. <\/p>\n #Transmedia This article originally posted at LinkedIn on November 12, 2019<\/p>\n
\n One of the most fun aspects of Design Thinking is that I\u2019m allowed to
\nlet my inner empath run on full tilt. And it\u2019s really great to let your
\n emotions run through bunny-filled sunshine meadows and just see what
\nshe has to say about anything and everything. Let me tell you: she has
\nsome real opinions on XR headsets. And almost ALL of those opinions
\ncome from the images being used to portray headsets. Come along on this
\n mystical magical ride of the visuals of headsets. <\/p>\n
\n the journey, I will make a prediction about headsets. And as with
\nevery project of mine, I\u2019ve figured out how to work Disney into it (as <\/em>much as possible).<\/p>\n
\n be realistic, 90% of XR headset images are these. I\u2019ve gathered these
\nimages from across the internet and to preserve some degree of
\nanonymity, I\u2019m NOT providing the reference location. I\u2019m not trying to
\nmake fun of people. Please be clear on that. I\u2019m commenting on *how we
\n are portraying XR to others* to, supposedly, encourage others to join
\nus in XR.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n we have the \u201cOh my I\u2019m surprised!\u201d look. I think that\u2019s what this photo
\n is trying to say. It\u2019s possible she was frightened, but more on fear in
\n a little bit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n mention in this category: hipster dude
\nlooking…uh…surprised. Actually, he looks \u2018tired and being forced to
\nlook surprised\u2019 but that could just be me overlaying college student
\nthoughts onto this photo.<\/p>\n
\nubiquitous \u201cHey, we\u2019re trying out headsets…somewhere.\u201d I\u2019ve got about
\n 10 of these photos collected.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n they are all smiling and facing the same direction. We\u2019re supposed to
\nlike that, right? Uh, remember that those headsets are designed to cut
\noff all vision except that which the designer wants you to see and those
\n are four women standing really close together in a public place. Where
\n is everyone\u2019s hands? How did they know to stand that close together?
\nThey were probably prompted and stood close together and *then* put the
\nheadsets on. Yeah, that\u2019s realistic. Is it any wonder that women, in
\nparticular, note less comfort with XR?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n solo and still comfortable standing here showing you this thing.
\nWait…are you still there? Did walk away? Oo, a whole new way to
\nindicate non-interest at vendor tables if every vendor wore one! I
\nmight like this.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n am so creeped out by this. If you don\u2019t see it, look closely at the
\nmouth. Where is the mouth???? Why is the mouth from someone else????
\nAh, the Hannibal Lecter of XR images. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n back to the topic of the future. I\u2019m asked occasionally which
\ntechnologies to invest in over the 5-10 year time frame that are winning
\n bets for XR. I\u2019ve got a multiple-part article series coming on how I
\narrived at my conclusions, so stay tuned for that. However, the more
\nXR headset images I\u2019ve seen (like all <\/em>of those images above),
\nthe more I think we are doing a very poor job enticing new users into
\nXR. I feel like we are hitting all the wrong notes. <\/p>\n
\n more I thought about what disturbs me about these headset images, the
\nmore I realized that I saw a theme to headsets where I\u2019m like \u2018Yes, I
\nwould try that,\u201d and \u201cNope, I would not try that.\u201d And here is a hint
\nto the theme:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n If the eyes are covered, we can\u2019t completely know who it is. By day,
\nit\u2019s just mild mannered Clark Kent. He can\u2019t possibly be Superman.
\nThink that premise is just in stories? We block off someone\u2019s eyes when
\n we want them to have anonymity in photos\/video, etc. It seems we humans use eyes as our ultimate identification card.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n headsets in VR are designed to take the user to different places and
\ntimes to experience the normal and phantasmagorical (<-love that
\nword), they do so by cutting off all view of the current space the user
\nis in. That\u2019s on purpose. I got no beef with that. We have data that
\nthese headsets *can* generate empathy. Great! I buy that too.<\/p>\n
\n What if I cannot believe that the user is truly impacted by an
\nexperience until I see their eyes? Isn\u2019t that the problem with all of
\nthe prior VR headset images? You cannot see the user\u2019s eyes. Ooo, so I
\n have hit on a real tech problem here. If I want to see the user\u2019s eyes
\n and yet the user needs to see nothing of the real world in order to be
\nimmersed in virtuality, how do we solve that problem? Right now,
\nheadsets cannot answer to both sets of demands. However, I have also
\nnever met a tech problem that hasn\u2019t been able to be overcome.<\/p>\n\n
\n solution is that immersive headsets (mostly for VR, VW, and games) will
\n do what they do best with full immersion. Said another way, Magic Leap
\n and Oculus Quest– if they pursue full immersion activities, will be
\nfine. We hope that the users are in a safe space with assistance
\navailable in case they fall or need some body space security.<\/li>\n
\n solution is also that AR headsets (which are not designed for immersion
\n but for information display) will focus on information display. Since
\nAR is not quite pulling on the emotions as VR, it\u2019s not as important to
\nsee the user\u2019s eyes but, bonus points, I can<\/em> see them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n It allows me to see the user\u2019s eyes. It also has the body profile of
\nsafety glasses (a familiar pattern). Also I believe that Microsoft is
\nfollowing their own playbook that worked for Office Suite and they are
\npumping the Hololens into the business market *first* and that will
\ncreate back pressure through education. (i.e. we\u2019ve got to get some
\nHololens headsets because our graduates will go out to work X job and
\nwill be expected to have experience in headsets as part of the job
\nrequirement.)<\/p>\n
\n That\u2019s my prediction. A user wearing AR technology will find their
\nway to their subway train, sit down, and switch over to a VR scene of
\nthe latest episode of the Mandalorian. <\/p>\n
\n *full* immersion but I think the tech is going to get better (refresh
\nrates, etc.) and users will accept non-full immersion. What makes me
\npredict that? I\u2019ve been a glasses-wearer since kindergarten. Ask me if
\nit bothers me that about 30% of my field of vision at any given moment
\nis not in focus. Answer: Nope. Users will accommodate to non-immersive
\nVR.<\/p>\n
\nimmersion and fade up to a map to a restaurant and some jazzy music (or
\nwhat-have-you-AR-experience-on-demand). <\/p>\n
\n So what do we have in the past or present that predicts that AR\/VR
\ncombined headsets will totally be a workable thing in the future?<\/p>\n\n
\n (Not just regular glasses as I mentioned earlier.) I see a few
\ncommentators skeptical how comfortable users will be wearing glasses
\nthat they *don\u2019t need to*, aka vanity glasses, aka AR glasses, just to
\nget AR. I think it will very much work! Because I don\u2019t think of them
\nlike glasses…I think of them like sunglasses. Sunglasses are the
\nharbinger of wearable tech because as we know, there are many examples
\nof people wearing sunglasses for reasons that have nothing to do with
\nsun protection. If people are willing to wear sunglasses at night,
\nwearing AR headsets whether or not one is using AR will be an easy idea
\n(see: the wearable technology fashion industry).<\/li>\n
\n the smartphone space-wise currently to users\u2019 bodies. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m
\n going out on a limb when I say that most users keep their smartphones
\nwith a meter\u2019s radius of their bodies. As I\u2019ve said on LinkedIn (and I
\nshould get this embroidered on a cushion), smartphones are the gateway drug for AR.<\/strong>
\n Users are getting very used to having customizable information at their
\n fingertips (or voice, as it may be). Switching from that smartphone
\ninterface to our vision or auditory range? Easy. Consider it done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\n (I’m looking at you, Plank.) Emotional reactions such as peace, wonder,
\n laughter, curiosity, sadness, and honor all have a place in XR. Those
\nemotions are how you are going to get not just gamers into XR.<\/li>\n
\n emotions or events expressed with headsets…it\u2019s just my hobby to
\ncollect these now. I\u2019ve made my own \u201cwearing a headset and barfing!\u201d
\nimage. I’m not posting it here yet. You are welcome.<\/li>\n
\nme! My opinion has been shaped and formed on this topic over years.
\nBut I\u2019m always open to new thoughts and different points of view! <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n I totally held off picking on any LinkedIn personal account photos of
\npeople wearing headsets. You are an interesting crowd. On one hand, I
\nadmire that you are *clearly* sending the message that you are pro-XR.
\nWay to go! On the other hand, you are going to regret that image in 20
\nyears. I\u2019m just saying. And to the dude\u2019s profile I saw last night
\nwhere you are wearing 3 headsets at once<\/em>: You, sir, are next level bananas. Carry on.<\/p>\n
\n #virtual reality #virtualworlds #crossreality #mixedreality
\n#augmentedreality #design #AR #VR #XR #headsets #images #eyes #wearing
\n#Immersion #Glasses #future #Users #Problem #Experience #Technology
\n#Emotions #Empathy #Empath #UX #UXinXR #MicrosoftHololens #Disney
\n#IllWearMySunglassesAtNight<\/p>\n