Project Orion
Project Overview
UI/UX, Product Design
Project Orion is a new Augmented Reality Active Display helmet prototype with a wide array of built-in sensors to augment and extend human capability for increased situational awareness. In addition to night-vision, infrared, thermal imaging, and more, Project Orion delivers an intuitive, interactive head-up display (HUD) that provides users with previously unimaginable field-technology assets.
Intent
Develop a tool aimed at enhancing the navigation capabilities of users with the Hypergiant R&D team. In challenging and diverse terrains, professionals often encounter situations where their visibility may be compromised. This tool is designed to enhance their situational awareness and create a safer navigation experience for them during operations.
My Roles
UI/UX Design
Visual Design
Prototyping & Testing
Background
In collaboration with Hypergiant’s Design and R&D team, we developed Project Orion, and VR display kit that is aimed at enhancing users' situational awareness
Here are some of my responsibilities for this project listed below:
Initiated a design process. Hosted regular updates between teams and facilitated our teams to implement a more structured approach to our work while providing other teams with visibility into our upcoming designs and execution plans.
Conducted usability Testings. I conducted user testing using eye tracking to observe behaviors and assess how quickly users understood displayed data. Specific metrics like task completion rates, time on task, and eye fixation patterns, were used to provide actionable insights aligned with established design practices.
Created design artifacts. Though I designed new assets for this project, I was able to implement existing components in the asset library, ensuring a cohesive experience across platforms and reducing development costs.
Research
Our surveys, interviews, and focus groups revealed several tools on the market that monitor users and enhance their awareness. Our research also delved into the overall acceptance of these products by users.
Augmented Reality (AR) Headsets: AR headsets like Microsoft HoloLens or Magic Leap provide users with digital overlays of their physical environment, including real-time data, navigation guidance, and contextual information, improving situational awareness in complex scenarios.
Health Monitoring Devices: Devices like the Apple Watch or Fitbit with built-in health monitoring features (e.g., heart rate, activity tracking, fall detection) provide users with real-time health data, promoting awareness of their physical well-being and prompting timely actions if necessary.
Drones with Thermal Imaging: Drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras, such as those offered by DJI or FLIR Systems, enable users to detect heat signatures and identify objects or individuals in challenging environments like search and rescue operations or surveillance.
Vehicle Heads-Up Displays (HUDs): HUDs integrated into vehicles, such as those by BMW or Mercedes-Benz, project essential driving information onto the windshield, including speed, navigation directions, and safety alerts, reducing the need for drivers to look away from the road.
Navigation Apps: Navigation apps such as Google Maps, Waze, or TomTom provide users with real-time traffic updates, alternate route suggestions, and incident notifications, helping them make informed decisions and navigate congested or hazardous areas safely.
Delivery Process
In my role as a UI/UX designer, I revamped the project delivery process to enhance clarity on project objectives and goals across various teams. This involved collaborating with teams such as strategy, design, AI, and development to ensure a streamlined and efficient product delivery process.
Challenges
Challenge 1
User Testing: Conducting user testing in realistic scenarios to gather feedback on usability, effectiveness, and user comfort, which can be logistically complex in VR environments. Due to the helmet's curved design, the visuals need to adapt to the curves and distortions. Some users reported that they had trouble concentrating as well as experiencing difficulty seeing the visuals towards the edge.
A/B Tested Features
HUD Display
HUD outline variations were tested among selected users to compare visibility and usability. The last thermal mask with the most curves showed a 15% improvement in visibility based on user testing groups.
Crosshair
The inclusion of a central crosshair enhanced user engagement, with 100% of the users reporting a preference for the display featuring a central point and clear indicator pointers.
Challenge 2
Interaction Design: Creating intuitive and ergonomic ways for users to interact with the VR interface, considering factors like hand gestures, voice commands, and controller inputs.
We conducted 135 online surveys and 17 user interviews to gather user insights regarding the types of tools currently in use and to understand their preferences for interacting with these tools. The surveys aimed to delve into users' experiences, expectations, and specific requirements concerning tool usage and interaction methods.
The survey revealed a noteworthy finding: over 75% of users are open to the utilization and measurement of their biometric data if the benefits surpass the security apprehensions. Moreover, if a simple disclaimer clarifying how their data is used can address security concerns, users are more inclined to accept such measures.
This insight underscores the importance of transparent communication and emphasizes the benefits to users when implementing biometric data usage in tools and systems.
Challenge 3
Motion Sickness Mitigation: After researching motion sickness triggers in VR and developing strategies to reduce discomfort, including smooth transitions and reduced latency, we have chosen to integrate voice control into our tools. This choice reflects users' desire for intuitive and unobtrusive interaction methods, and we anticipate that voice control will improve user experience while also addressing privacy concerns.
Through surveys and user studies, we identified specific triggers such as rapid movements and high-latency transitions that contribute to discomfort. We also found that users highly value smooth transitions and reduced latency in VR experiences to mitigate motion sickness. Additionally, our user-focused retention studies indicated that implementing engaging content, interactive elements, and personalized experiences significantly improves user retention and engagement. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing VR experiences for comfort and engagement to enhance user satisfaction and long-term usage.
Here are some key reasons for user discomfort that we found:
Latency: Delays in the response time between user input and system feedback can lead to disorientation and discomfort, especially during fast-paced or interactive experiences.
Frame Rate Issues: Low frame rates or inconsistent frame rendering can cause visual stuttering or judder, disrupting the smoothness of the VR experience and contributing to motion sickness.
Field of View Changes: Abrupt changes in the field of view, such as rapid camera movements or sudden perspective shifts, can confuse the brain's spatial perception and trigger nausea.
Lack of Visual Stability: Instability in the visuals, such as flickering, blurring, or inconsistent object rendering, can strain the eyes and lead to feelings of nausea and discomfort.
Complex Visual Environments: Visually complex scenes with intricate textures, busy backgrounds, or rapid visual changes can overwhelm the visual system and contribute to discomfort.
Wireframing
In my wireframe designs, I placed a strong emphasis on accurately representing the Field of View (FOV) within the VR display helmet, taking into account its limitations and capabilities in depicting the virtual environment. This involved identifying and delineating interactive zones for user engagement with virtual elements like buttons, menus, and interactive objects. These zones were crafted to ensure accessibility and intuitiveness, aiming for a smooth and user-friendly interaction experience.
Key Features
Target Audience
Firefighters: Use building scans or blueprints with 3D camera data to guide firefighters in dark fire scenes. Enhance visibility in low-light fire scenes by overlaying a polygonal map onto key elements such as walls, staircases, and doors.
Undersea: Undersea cable, welding, or salvage that could benefit from water current temperatures, seafloor depth, etc.
Search and rescue: that could benefit from avalanche forecasts, mapping, forest alerts, heat signatures, and more.
Investigative situations: where the helmet allows the wearer to see heat signatures and other potentially visual things that might be enabled by sensor arrays that might be used in the hand in conjunction with the active display.
External Data Sources
GPS data
Mission briefing
Technical information from other teams/location of team members
Ability to view and access another helms information
Task updates that come from command operations
Display point cloud mesh for known areas.
Features
5k resolution with a 200-degree field of vision (FOV)
High-resolution binocular optical input
Multiple spectrum sensor arrays including infrared, etc
AR-style informational overlay
Multiple display modes
Hand tracking and gesture-based input
Automated data aggregation from mounted sensors
After analyzing data from user research and surveys, we identified our target audience as professionals working in hazardous environments like firefighters and search and rescue teams. We tailored the features and designs of the Orion Helmet specifically to address the daily challenges and needs of this target audience. The Helmet design was selected to provide an additional layer of protection and potentially serve as an oxygen mask, allowing users to navigate terrains with limited oxygen availability.
Results
Modes of Display
In the final product, we kept four viewing modes that covered the broadest range of visual obstacles, which included Day Vision, Night Vision, Thermal, and Infrared. These four display modes encompassed all critical scenarios identified during user testing and research, including low-light settings, visually impaired conditions, adverse weather conditions, and navigating unfamiliar terrains.
User Interface
The Final UI stayed simple to ensure readability and usability for users even during movement. The essential environmental and navigation data is also segmented into smaller units for improved readability and to counter distortions. A curved compass is implemented on the top as a visual guide and indicator to display users real-time directional movements.
