Varsity
Varsity is a simulation training app developed by Bondi Labs for Citipower and Powercor and is available on Oculus Quest and Apple iPad.
Wireframes
By creating wireframes I quickly explored a variety of screen layouts for each screen state. They assisted in testing the visual hierarchy of each screen and the value of each UI asset.
Below are wireframes for the menu systems of the iPad version of Varsity.
A virtual interface
Designing UI for VR can be tricky. How do you know where to put your design in relation to the user, and what size is user-friendly?
Thankfully, the Google Daydream team has fantastic recommendations.
Keeping their research in mind, I placed all primary content for the main menus within a 60º circle and text scaled to a comfortably legible size. While I experimented with secondary and tertiary content outside of this circle, we opted instead to use a similar layout to the iPad version that was also in development. This shared layout assists users that jump between platforms by mirroring the mental model they’ve already developed.
Google's guides for the position of virtual screens around a user.
Google's guide for positioning content to minimise head movements and maximise comfort.
Varsity was developed on Bondi Labs' Plaxr platform. During development, I created template VR interfaces for Plaxr.
Varsity's main menu system uses only one floating panel in a similar layout to the iPad version of the app.
The scenario interface
Varsity tracks every action the user performs and not only tracks if a mistake was made but the severity of it. This means a user might use their tools correctly, but if they didn’t fill out a form, or call back to HQ with the right information at the right time, they might be marked down.
Final App Outcome
Citipower and Powercor both use Varsity in their training suite for lineworkers. They are also extending the product internally having hired their own development team.
