Homy
Redefining Social Distancing
Role
UX/UI Designer and Researcher
Skills
UX/UI Design and Research, Competitive Analysis, Wireframing, and Low/High Fidelity Prototype
Homy is an immersive experience that integrates augmented reality and mixed reality to create a space that overlaps technology and experiences that redefine how we communicate and interact while social distancing. It is an AR experience that allows you to visually interact and communicate with people while you work and have it projected in your environment using projected AR.
Inspiration
The inspiration surrounding Homy is the AR Projector from Lightroom on how users can design objects or spaces to display and interact using a projector. Another inspiration is the Spectacles from Snapchat, where you can create, watch videos, and explore areas within a filter or mode using the Spectacles.
Lightroom — AR projector
Spectacles — Snapchat
Research
I researched different virtual environments, platforms, and ways to create an immersive experience. To understand how to design a platform that incorporates multiple forms of communication, interaction, and engagement to create immersive and enjoyable experiences for individuals. The virtual environment platforms I researched are Gather, Second Life, and Rec Room.
Gather platform structure introduced a unique viewpoint on creating an immersive experience where individuals can redefine how to communicate while we social distance. Also, create a customizable environment that can emulate spaces you would like to gather at in person.
Findings
Learning about the Gather platform structure introduced a unique viewpoint on creating an immersive experience where individuals can redefine how to communicate while we social distance.
Second Life platform's main objective and focus are to create an environment in which individuals can design, build, and innovate spaces to explore and customize. It is a place where you can form communities regarding different topics, such as education and business.
Findings
I have learned that it is a place of imagination, creating, and exploring a world in which you, the user, create.
Rec Room is a different platform where users can create, design spaces, play games, and communicate with friends. The construct of the Rec Room is different from the Gather and Second Life virtual environment platforms.
Findings
The point of view you have while navigating and being in the virtual environment is in the first person. You can directly see what you are doing, such as your movements, space, and tools to create a room or design objects with the pen tool. Compared to the other virtual environment, the Rec Room produces a different type of immersive experience as it displays one form of way to view and interact with your surroundings.
Overall Findings
Gather is a platform for creating rooms and spaces where people can collectively join, gather, and organize spaces for different goals, deliverables, and objectives.
Second Life is a platform that focuses on creating content, exploring, and forming communities through imagination.
Rec Room is a place where you can design rooms, communicate with friends and be in a space where you can directly interact with an object, place, and or person.
Recommendation
The Homy platform will have a feature in which individuals can message, create maps, and or layouts of how their spaces will look. I will also include a two-dimensional and an AR map version of the space, allowing the user to have different viewpoints of constructing and viewing their AR spaces. Also, the user can incorporate various items and add links to objects, such as links to websites, games, and multiple rooms. Besides, it will allow the user to have an immersive experience within the different ways the user will create and interact within a space. There will be various themes, events, and activities that individuals can fulfill individually or with friends. Homy is an immersive experience that allows individuals to customize and personalize their own physical spaces and bring the world to their homes.
Reflection
Understanding the findings you derive does not always answer your questions. Instead, it allows you to address new perspectives and approach your design by critically analyzing and identifying a question for the answer you have found.