Overview

The final project is a 10-week exploration of how Extended Reality (XR) can solve real-world challenges and meet human needs in different areas. Students will be assigned multidisciplinary groups of 2-3 members and choose from a set of briefs provided by the instructors, which explore real-world challenges and opportunities. Teams are also welcome to select an application area of their interest and develop their own briefs around topics such as health, productivity, learning, or social connections.

The students will follow a design thinking process, which includes problem framing, need-finding, and rapid prototyping to develop a solution and a proof of concept. External advisors from industry as well as Stanford XR experts will be available to provide advice and feedback to project teams through the research and design process, as well as provide technical advice on prototyping and application development.

Project deliverables will include a proof-of-concept of the XR application and a presentation showcasing the project journey, design decisions, and validation (user desirability, ethical implications, and technical feasibility).

Success is evaluated by the design exploration and learning process, rather than simply developing a winning application and pitch. Students are encouraged to be bold, think critically, and prioritize human-centered design, even if it means invalidating concepts.

Timeline

Project timeline

Activities and milestones

Week 5 (May 1): Problem Framing

• Students are assigned multidisciplinary teams (2-3 members) with student preferences informing the groups.
• Choose a problem space to explore
• Define questions for exploratory interviews
• Initial HMWs and use case hypotheses
• Secondary research and market exploration
• Initial exploratory user interviews
• First Advisor call

Week 6 (May 8-15): diverge and ideate

• Generate multiple HMWs around possible use cases
• Go wide in brainstorming
• Create 3-5 low-fidelity concepts through pen and paper
• Brainstorm with Advisor
• Conduct user interviews for concept feedback
• Synthesize learnings

Week 7: Prototyping & Iteration

• Choose a 2-3 concepts for spatial prototyping
• Come up with a prototyping approach (to what fidelity do you create your interactions?)
• User interviews and usability testing
• Prepare for mid-phase design review

Week 8: Prototyping & Iteration

• Continue to iterate on your prototypes
• Evolve, combine, remix, or trash prototypes as you gain confidence
• Continue user interviews and usability testing
• Refine with your Advisor

Week 9+10: Storytelling & Final Presentation

• Design your XR Expo experience
• Buy materials
• Final refinement on prototypes
• Final design documentation
• Practice your storytelling
• XR Design Expo June 7

Final Deliverables:

• Presentation Deck: A comprehensive multi-media presentation storytelling your design journey, project outcomes.
• Proof-of-Concept XR Prototype: A prototype demonstrating the core features and user experience of your XR solution. Ideally the prototype is functional and interactive, though at-a-minimum a wizard-of-oz style video demo is acceptable.

Deliverables Details

1. Final Documentation Deck:

• Content Breakdown:

  • Introduction & Team: Briefly introduce the team and project goals.

  • Problem framing

    • Background & Context: Set the stage by introducing the broader context or domain related to the problem.
    • The Challenge: Clearly articulate the specific problem you identified. This could be a gap in user experience, a lack of efficiency in a particular task, or an unmet need in the chosen domain.
    • Target Audience: Identify the specific user group or audience your XR solution aims to benefit. Understanding their needs and pain points is crucial.
    • Impact: Briefly discuss the potential positive impact of solving this problem. How will your solution improve the user experience or address the identified need?

  • Design Process: Detail the design process followed (e.g., user research, ideation, prototyping, testing).

  • Design Decisions & Rationale: Explain key design decisions with supporting data or user insights.

  • Project Outcomes: Showcase final design solutions (visuals, mockups, prototypes).

  • Future Considerations & Next Steps: Briefly discuss potential improvements and future directions.

1. Proof-of-Concept XR Prototype:

   Scope: Prioritize the features that best demonstrate the value proposition of your XR solution. Focus on showcasing the core user interactions and how they address the identified problem.

   Interactivity or "Wizard-of-Oz" ? A functional and interactive prototype allows users to experience the XR environment and explore its potential. This is ideal, but a well-designed "Wizard-of-Oz" style demo can still be valuable. This is a valuable technique for demonstrating user interaction without a fully functional prototype. Pre-record interactions and create a video simulating user experience within the XR environment.

   Storytelling & Mockups: For functionalities that are difficult to prototype, consider using storyboards or narrated mockups to provide a clear understanding of the intended experience.

   Clear Communication: Regardless of fidelity, the prototype should effectively communicate the user experience and value proposition. Consider including annotations, instructions, or a separate presentation explaining the prototype's functionalities.

   Fidelity Level: The level of detail should be appropriate for the project stage and development time constraints. A high-fidelity prototype is great, but a well-structured low-fidelity prototype can effectively communicate core concepts.

   Project Advisors:

   Throughout the project, you will have access to guidance and support from:

   • Faculty Instructors: Providing expertise on design thinking and XR applications.
   • Industry advisors: Industry advisors sharing real-world insights and perspectives.
   • Stanford XR Experts: Offering technical advice on prototyping and application development.

   Final project exhibition

   Students will get the chance to story-tell and exhibit their proof-of-concepts to an audience of judges, faculty, Stanford students, and other guests.

   More details about the location and format of the final project showcase will be announced later in the course.

   Poster