You can fly, you can scale down a galaxy to your fist, and you can stand in a volcano yes not “on”, “in”. Yes, you read it right, you can do all these things, as these things are possible. It’s not magic but technology. Virtual reality is a life-changing technology that creates a new paradigm shift. In virtual reality, an individual can challenge the physical laws of nature, where the user is not restricted to a defined view, having complete control of their environment and perspective. Think of virtual reality as a medium where one can visualize and translate their thoughts and dreams into a shared experience, being able to see others’ dreams and minds is no less than a superpower.
Virtual reality is a medium where a creator can create different kinds of experiences, and their users can encounter the first-hand experience created for them with the right perspective. Not only this but different types of experiences can be integrated, with this medium such as music and motion. When we are talking about virtual reality, we also need to understand that it is a perfect tool as researchers and designers can understand and empathize with the work they are doing. Products or the experience that they will be getting out of this outcome will be much more refined.
Virtual reality can bring forth a powerful experience contrived and dramatized for demonstrations, field trips, exhibitions, motion pictures, audio recordings, and many more to intensify the message. There are several symbols and multi-media directories in the scene that increase the efficiency of VR and more in terms of understanding.
Nonetheless, virtual reality is based on digital creation, as it is instrumental and efficient in creating experiences. Virtual reality examples can be recreating experiences like boxing, yoga, martial arts, etc. despite their digital dependencies. The experience in virtual reality can give you real-time feelings, like walking on water, climbing Mount Everest with Batman, or even as extreme as going close to the Sun of our solar system, to say the least in regards to virtual reality examples.
If you want to talk about the example of virtual reality in UX, think about how we use the touchscreen today. There are various ways to utilize a touchscreen that we come to understand over the years, such as swiping, dragging, pinching, squeezing to zoom, and long-tapping which allows us to view more choices. One can create such functions in VR, as more creators come into the realm of virtual reality. There will come a day when more personalities make and vet new UI designs, helping businesses push ahead in the realm of virtual reality.
How does virtual reality work?
Virtual Reality, in simple words, can be understood as the use of technology to create a simulated atmosphere. VR is a full experience created on digital platforms, that can either stimulate or deviate entirely from the real world. It is a computer-generated, three-dimensional environment. To experience and communicate within virtual reality, you need accessories like a pair of VR headsets. Unlike traditional user interfaces, virtual reality puts the user inside an experience. Rather than observing a screen in 2D, users can engage and possibly communicate with the 3D world. By reproducing as many senses as possible, such as perception, hearing, and touch, the computer is transformed into a door to an artificial world. Just the limits to near-real virtual reality experiences are the accessibility of content and affordable computing power, which will reduce after the more powerful computers in the market.Types of Virtual Reality
There are mainly three main categorizations in virtual reality. Let’s have a look for a more in-depth understanding:Fully-immersive simulation
Many times we imagine virtual reality, and a fully immersive experience is the perception in our minds by default with the help of accessories head-mounted displays, headphones, gloves, all related sensors, and apparatus. It is what can be commonly used for entertainment and gaming purposes; empty non-fragile space is generally preferred in such cases. Fully immersive simulation provides the user with a full pragmatic experience possible not just targeting the visual senses but also the auditory senses. VR headsets furnish a high-resolution and high depth of field to make the experience immersive so to speak. This type of virtual reality example can include performing surgery or flying a jet. Either way, you will feel a cognitive experience.Semi-immersive simulation
Semi-immersive simulation aims to give a partial virtual environment to interact with; this type of virtual reality experience is the first preference in education and training. In semi-immersive experience is created feasible with graphical computing and massive projectors. In this type of virtual reality example, as shown above, the tools in front of the pilot are correct, and the windows and screens present a virtual environment. It’s essential to keep in thought that semi-immersive VR simulations still provide users with the perception of living in a separate reality. This type of virtual reality is not regularly feasible to experience Whatsoever. Instead, we utilize natural environments to improve the experience.Non-immersive simulation
Non-immersive simulations are underrated as an exact model of virtual reality. Indeed it’s ubiquitous in our daily lives. This type of virtual reality example can be any video game in the market, say Need for Speed, FIFA, Call of Duty or even PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds as these games are technically deemed a non-immersive virtual reality experience. Such type of an experience has become more advanced in recent years with improvements in technology, like the Sony Dualshock controller, where the system detects the individual performing a task, like crashing the car and the controller vibrates.Designing for Virtual Reality
Like any other field of study where the basic principles are constant, and a lot of development takes place over the existing laws. Similarly, the laws and fundamentals of user experience remain the same in virtual reality too. Right visuals in aligned format, without a visual aid, it’s hard to know when objects are actually in the centre of your view. Elements or objects that superimpose each other in a virtual environment can make the experience feeble. Hence this is where we use the Law of Prägnanz: the law of simplicity to make things look manageable in terms of accessibility and usage. Interface visibility should not strain the eyes to focus on elements like text legibility, font size, contrast spacing, depth, etc. In the digital environment, depth and highlight are not directly implicit, as it is a defined frame, whereas, in virtual reality, an individual is in the frame. Continuity is an essential aspect of virtual reality, but the same principle can backfire as it might cause motion sickness. A good and smooth experience needs to eliminate this problem from the design. At times, a virtual world can make an individual utterly disabled from the real world. It’s essential to provide users with a good number of reference points to craft a smooth experience, which is somewhat similar to Jakob’s law while designing a user experience. Lighting is another fundamental issue that needs to be taken care of, the virtual world is entirely three-dimensional, and without lighting the interface, and reference points will not work. Scaling and ratios are other vital elements that require accuracy. As the virtual environment needs to look real, scalability and physical sizes should be identical to the real world. There are a few fundamental queries for virtual reality design:- Where to start designing VR?
- What kind of guidance should be made available?
- What is the starting point?
- What are the fundamentals of VR?
Virtual Reality Applications
Virtual reality is going to blend several domains for crafting memorable cognitive experiences. A few of the most important sectors are mentioned below.Healthcare
There is a considerable rise in the application of VR in the healthcare sector, and I continue to be interested & impressed by the involvement of new technology with diverse applications in the medical world. From generating new life-saving procedures to training residents, virtual reality has an abundance of applications for wellness and healthcare, from the clinical to the consumer. By 2021, the global market could be worth upwards of $3.8 billion. The above image shows how virtual reality can aid and guide healthcare experts while transforming their understanding of medical science and healing patients –- Medical training
- Patient treatment
- Medical Marketing
- Disease awareness
- Pain management
- Risk management
- Stress management
- Mood disorder
- Magical training and planning
- Speech therapy
- Ability solutions
- Cognitive training and planning and many more
