Yeongmin Elizabeth Won
3D UI/UX Designer
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VR Spatial audio demo

It is a Virtual Reality Spatial Audio demo driven by Verizon’s 5G Mobile Edge Computing. The goal of the demo is to showcase sound occlusion and environmental audio processing in an immersive VR space with low latency. A user gets to experience an orchestra in the space that is consisted of 105 sound sources that are represented as monitors. The user controlls over the sound that is processed in the Cloud in a virtual command center.

The project was presented at the Mobile World Congress Americas in 2018.

Platform
HTC Vive Focus

Role
UI/UX Designer, 3D Artist

Team Credits
3D UX Team
Content Team
Web Team
Engine Team

A demo video featured on @Verizon

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3D Art process

Building an interactive virtual reality experience requires 3D art asset creation. To make a powerful and immersive VR experience, it is key to design the 3D asset aligned with the goal of the project. As the demo was to demonstrate realistic spatial sound, the visual has to follow the same concept. For this project, the command center with a control station was designed and built-in 3D. The space is filled with 105 monitors which work as sound source. Each monitor has designated sound of the orchestra instrument. 

3D Art asset generation process involved 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, and texturing with Maya andPhotoshop. 

Virtual Command Center. 3D model by Tim Samuels, Texturing by Elizabeth Won

Color, texture variation

 

UX Design - Interaction around command station

Inside the command center, there is a station consisted of multiple screens and a meter that users can take control of sound sources. As the station is the main point where lots of interactions occur, it is critical to have 3D assets designed with thorough consideration of User Experience design (UX Design). 

Every element in VR should have both appropriate form and functionality. Especially when 3D objects, command station, in this case, are used as a part of the user interface, UX Design is a crucial part in terms of deciding form, colors, and even art direction of overall asset generation process. I designed a semi-circle station table and populated the screens and a meter around the user so that the user has access to all the controls without needing to turn around. 

Interactable 3D objects on the stations are 5G meter, activation screen, data screen, and host dialog screen.

Command center and a station where user can manipulate 108 monitors in the space. Spatial UI placement study work in progress.

Command center, user avatar, and a station where user can manipulate 108 monitors in the space. Spatial UI placement study work in progress.

Visual mock up of command station, art direction 

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Command station sketch 

 

Storyboard

Storyboarding is a big part of User Experience (UX) Design. It visually predicts and explains how and what user interactions/experiences occur step by step. 

I was a lead designer in sole charge of the storyboard of the project. I designed it in a way that helps users to understand the difference between 5G MEC technology and 4G device. It went through iterations with constant communications with developers. 

Version 1. 4G devices vs 5G MEC + Occlusion 

Version2. Spherical robot interaction 
The original storyboard had a bot that delivers spatial audio switch for the user. 
It was to encourage users to jump around inside the space with the controller that turns on/off environmental audio processing. The bot emits random sounds flying, which helps users experience environmental audio processing even when staying at the same spot. It adds cinematic aspects to the experience but eventually left out due to the time constraints.