Google designer's introduction to VR design Guide

This paper includes three aspects of VR, relevant knowledge and design tools. Very practical introductory experience article, the author is Google's designer Jean Denis, recently joined the VR team. Trying to run may not always go forward, but if you are standing still, you will be dumped. Share.

Well, first, VR. Enter the translation below.

I am a product designer of Google. In 2012, a French start-up company named Sparrow was bought by Google. Since then, I have been working in the Gmail team and have been involved in the flagship product Inbox by Gmail design.

Over the years, I've always been in the mobile app design field, and I feel like I have a bottleneck. I would like to expand my skills, learn something new every day, and make a difference in a field I have never been in touch with. I need to get out of my comfort zone and restart my professional life by accepting new challenges.

To begin with, I have been interested in VR (virtual reality) since Oculus on Kickstarter. Immersive experience is quite appealing, and you can see the endless possibilities from there. Nothing is more exciting than exploring uncharted territory in a new information medium.

So I applied to join the Google Cardboard and VR team in April 2015. I would also like to thank Clay Bavor and Jon Wiley for the opportunity I have provided here.

　　A whole new field.

The first week after entering the Google VR team can be described with horror. I'm in a blank, listening to people talking about the words I've never heard of, and I don't know how to answer all the questions they ask me.

Frankly speaking, it's really not easy to figure out all these terms, but in a way, that's exactly what I'm looking for, after all, the realization of VR products involves multiple functional participation, each of which has a fairly professional technical area-that's enough to challenge. The first few weeks were quite vacant for me, but day after day, scattered pieces of cognitive debris are gradually assembled into a complete jigsaw puzzle, and I see a little bit of the overall framework of the current VR design and development field, and I'm beginning to understand the role that I want to play and the skills that need to be mastered-there's a lot of new things to learn I am ready to accept the challenge. The following days, the inner state of the ups and downs, from the beginning to learn the excitement of learning, to slowly discover to learn really too much and create panic, together with the usual people are the industry master, day down, I feel more anxious.

　　Everything's going to be okay.

But I told myself that all the dots would end up in line and things would become clear. I have the passion and the strength to delve and try new things for hours and hours is not a problem for me.

Like many of my peers, I was adept at identifying, analyzing, and solving user problems in the days when I was engaged in product design. Although VR is a new field, whatever the form of information media, we are ultimately to help people live more relaxed and more enjoyable, the truth is interlinked.

The essential goals are consistent, and the design and development processes are similar. For VR:

Sketches are still a very important form of communication. Both brainstorming and any design phase are the quickest way to communicate ideas through sketches. I've drawn more sketches in the VR team than I have in the past years.

Even if the field is different, the various design skills you have mastered in the past are still your important capital.

The knowledge of photography will benefit you. In the VR field, you often need to deal with concepts such as "horizon", "depth of field", "exposure", and the experience of light and shadow use is very useful.

The more 3D knowledge and tools you possess, the better. Architecture, character, props modeling, skeleton, UV mapping, texture, dynamic, particle ... One day you need to come into contact with these concepts.

Dynamic graphic Design (motion) is important. We are used to designing two-dimensional screens that have visual boundaries for themselves, and in VR, the whole world is in front of people, and you can't let the elements disappear and appear, and whether the movement of objects is in line with people's perceptions and whether it makes sense is critical.

Python, C #, C + +, or any related programming capabilities will help you improve. The conceptual exploration in the new field is bound to be accompanied by more frequent verification and iteration, and the prototyping ability will become one of the basic skills of the designer. During the groundbreaking period, each of us has the opportunity to create a new interactive model, and to use some of the current mainstream game engine such as unity or illusory (unreal) and so on to practice, a certain degree of programming ability is needed. The game engine community is very large, you can find a lot of learning resources.

Be prepared to embrace the unknown, to meet the great difficulties and challenges. VR is a new world that evolves every day, and even the industry's giants are trying to find a little bit of it. The reality is this, do not look forward to learning and practice in the process of all smooth sailing.

　　The role of the design function

The new information media brings too many possibilities, and the traditional product design team will evolve with it. Consider today's game design or filmmaking, and things are likely to go in that direction.

I personally think that in the field of VR, design will be divided into two major trends:

The first type of design function will focus on the core user experience, including interactions, interface performance, and so on. This is similar to the design team pattern that we are familiar with today. Each of these roles needs to apply the ideas and methods of the new medium to its own functions, work closely with engineers, and explore new modes of interaction through high-density, fast iterations.

The second category is more focused on content creation and output, they will focus on the unique content experience like independent record company or game studio, while other entertainment industry based on traditional platform will gradually move towards the VR field, and experience transformation around the characteristics of the new media.

　　Summary

To sum up, based on my personal experience so far, to be a qualified VR product designer, you have to devote more effort now to understanding, learning and mastering more knowledge and skills in the relevant fields.

In the second part of this article, we will focus on some of the VR basics that we need to master as product designers.