Case study
VR Machine Training
Client: Honeywell Intelligrated
Timeline: 2019-2020
Role: Product Designer, Creative Producer
Platform: HTC Vive & Oculus
Challenge
Honeywell Intelligrated wanted to develop an intuitive and user-friendly virtual reality machine training solution that enhances worker safety and productivity while ensuring ease of use and accessibility.
*Due to strong NDAs, I cannot share certain details and have modified a few images and information.
Overview
The AS/RS Shuttles are a form of Automatic Storage and Retrieval System that deliver products via a shuttle running on a track between a racking structure.
We proposed a VR machine training solution that will tackle the following major pain points:
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Safety: To avoid workplace accidents, particularly among its newer employees/customers. Many of these accidents happen due to worker inexperience.
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Complexity: The complexity of operating an AS/RS shuttle can be overwhelming and may lead to operational errors and maintenance issues.
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Time: The limited availability of the product can pose challenges when it comes to training multiple workers simultaneously, resulting in a loss of productivity.
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Cost: The complexity of the technology can add to the troubleshooting/maintenance and transportation costs.
Responsibilities
As the lead product designer, I took on various responsibilities, including:
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Leading the Design Sprint.
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Ideating concepts and generating innovative ideas.
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Creating prototypes to visualize designs.
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Developing design assets and style guides.
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Crafting user tests for gathering feedback.
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Maintaining solid communication with stakeholders.
I had to ensure a user-centered approach and effective collaboration throughout the project.
In addition, I also contributed as a technical artist for Unreal Engine, where I helped the Unreal team with UI setup, scene setup, Lighting, and setting animation triggers for some interactions.
...by actively engaging all team members, we fostered a comprehensive understanding of the project and promoted a cohesive and integrated development process.
(Product Design Timeline)
01 Discovery Phase
Working with a small yet talented team, a junior designer and I took full responsibility for the research and design aspects of the project. Additionally, we leveraged the expertise of other team members such as developers and testers to gather and discuss relevant information. This collaborative approach ensured that every team member was involved and aware of the project's scope, complexity, and design approach.
Primary Research
We conducted web research and interviewed industry-experienced relatives to gather valuable insights on traditional training methods and web/desktop-based simulators. This research greatly informed our project.
Major findings:
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Many existing solutions for training simulators lacked visual appeal and were cumbersome.
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Web/desktop-based simulators didn't provide a realistic training experience.
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The UI/UX of most training simulators was overwhelming and overloaded with information and options.
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Physical training on the floor often led to information loss due to distractions, information overload, trainee attentiveness, and language barriers.
Secondary Research
We conducted one-on-one interviews with Honeywell trainers and trainees to understand their training process, challenges, and performance evaluation metrics. These interviews provided valuable insights for improving our design approach.
Major findings:
Trainees:
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Preferred video tutorials over physical training for precise instructions and accessibility.
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Struggled with complex operations even with video assistance.
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Expressed fear of damaging equipment or causing harm.
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Found physical manuals confusing for maintenance and troubleshooting.
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Had limited time for practical practice on the actual machine.
Trainers:
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Encountered similar challenges as trainees during training sessions.
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Experienced difficulties explaining complex functions.
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Faced issues with repetitive training and inattentive trainees.
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Time-consuming tasks when multiple trainees performed the same task on one machine.
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Utilized metrics like task completion time, accuracy, and overall performance for evaluation.
(User Personas)
02 Ideation and Concept Development
Designing a user interface for virtual reality presented unique considerations compared to traditional 2D interfaces.
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Relevant content should appear before the user's eyes as they can freely turn their head in any direction.
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Consider the surrounding environment even for 2D VR menus, ensuring that the design takes advantage of the user's field of view.
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Create content that guides the user's attention and directs them towards specific elements or actions to understand the scenario.
(Concept sketches)
Lo-Fi Prototyping
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Utilize visual cues or indicators to draw the user's focus to important information or interactive elements within the VR experience.
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Design the content and interactions in a way that encourages the user to explore and engage with the virtual environment.
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Had to ensure that the user's freedom of looking around is balanced with clear visual guidance to avoid confusion or disorientation.
...good UX in VR is making sure that the user understands what their role is.
03 Design Development
At this stage, the features and interactions have been approved. Brand guidelines are now applied to the wireframes, and a interface is crafted.
Style Guide
Change of focus takes effort
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Viewing UI elements in the distance and moving your focus to nearby objects is work. It is not only something to be cautious of but to use as a new tool in our interface designs, too
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Create constraints toward goals
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Stash additional controls and options
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Use progressive disclosure for information or controls
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Clean the working surface
The user is just going to miss things
Because there’s such probability the user could overlook a notification or guiding message, it becomes tempting to create interfaces that scream for attention at every angle in assurance the message will be noticed.
Hierarchy is key
It is an element of UI/UX design, having a significant impact on the level of understanding and satisfaction of the users. Among other things, visual and textual hierarchy is also important for aesthetic purposes. The principles of the hierarchy are critical to the creation of a successful VR experience. Since the objects are not in a two-dimensional plane and the users can, in most cases, walk around and ‘touch’ them on the go, maintaining visual hierarchy becomes challenging. However, by making the typography consistent, and defining the standards of visual hierarchy that are consistent throughout the experience, these challenges can be overcome.
...the collaborative efforts and insights gained from user testing ensured the final design met requirements and delivered a positive user experience.
04 Testing
User testing helped us in understanding the perception of the experience and how the users feel about it. The findings of these processes helped in highlighting the key concerns, thus paving the way for their resolution.
We,
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Collaborated with developers, project managers, and testers to create various testing scenarios for VR training.
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Utilized unconventional tools such as video/audio recording, screen recording, and interviews due to the lack of mainstream VR testing tools.
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Testing focused on measuring user engagement, eye-tracking behavior, positional changes, and interactions within the virtual environment.
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User testing provided valuable insights into user perception and overall experience.
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Identified key concerns and issues through user testing, paving the way for their resolution.
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Iterative testing and continuous improvement led to a more refined and user-centered VR training experience.
🏆Achievement Unlocked: Honeywell Intelligrated Awards VR Training Simulation for Robotic Unloader
Our VR machine training experience received exceptional acceptance from Honeywell Intelligrated! Building on this success, we were awarded another groundbreaking project: the creation of a VR training simulation for their newly launched robotic unloader. Our team was excited to embark on this journey, leveraging immersive technology to revolutionize training in the field of robotics. Together with Honeywell Intelligrated, we aimed to empower their workforce with cutting-edge virtual reality experiences, unlocking new levels of efficiency and expertise.
Conclusion
The design of the UI/UX for VR machine training was critical to its effectiveness. We learned a great deal by experimenting and identifying new design approaches that worked for us, in making this VR experience. By focusing on intuitive navigation, realistic simulation, user feedback, progress tracking, and customization, we were able to create a UI/UX design that was highly effective in improving worker safety and productivity.
