AD: Interactive VR Experience

Description

Bring together XR-specific interaction design and implementation in immersive VR contexts by building a VR-capable interaction module for XFactory, focusing on locomotion, activation flows, multimodal feedback (touch/audio), and in-world UI, while accounting for comfort and usability. Headset hardware is not required—you may use Unity’s XR Simulator or the Meta XR Simulator asset to develop and test.

Goals

  • Configure a Unity project for VR using XR Plug-in Management and simulate VR input if hardware is unavailable.
  • Implement locomotion with comfort features.
  • Build activation flows with clear state feedback.
  • Integrate multimodal feedback: haptic (or simulated), spatial audio, and visual cues.
  • Design and place readable in-world UI in the VR scene.
  • Reflect on performance/design trade-offs relevant to VR experiences.

Requirements

Create an interactive VR mini-module representing a focused subsystem of XFactory (e.g., a component pickup-and-activate sequence, navigating between machine zones, or toggling machine states). Your scene must include:

  • Locomotion System: At least two locomotion modalities must be included, such as teleportation and one continuous movement option (e.g., smooth move or snap turn). Incorporate comfort mechanisms (e.g., fade on teleport, snap turning thresholds, adjustable movement speed) with explanation of design choices.
  • Activation Interaction: Include one object or system whose state can be activated/deactivated (e.g., powering a conveyor, enabling a control panel) with clear visual, audio, and/or haptic feedback tied to the change.
  • Multimodal Feedback: Enable hover/select feedback (simulated haptics if no controller supports it), and at least one use of spatial audio to reinforce interaction context.
  • In-World UI: Create a VR-appropriate status or instruction panel (e.g., machine health, current mode) using world-space UI, designed for readability and minimal obstruction.
  • Grabbables/Sockets: Include at least 1-2 grabbales along with sockets to simulate object placement, attachment or assembly in your VR experience.

Prepare a brief Performance/Design Reflection Document (≤ 2 pages) describing at least three considerations or lightweight implementations related to VR usability or perceived performance (e.g., reducing motion sickness via locomotion tuning, limiting visual complexity during movement, audio attenuation zones). Implementation can be conceptual with evidence of applied settings.

If you do not have a physical VR headset, use one of the following to develop and test: (1) Unity’s XR Device Simulator (built-in package for simulating controllers and head movement). (2) Community-supported tools such as the Meta XR Simulator (available via Unity Asset Store) to approximate controller input and headset pose. Ensure your README explains how to enable and use the simulation so reviewers can reproduce without headsets.

Graduate Extension

Graduate students deepen the core assignment by integrating insights from recent VR research in engineering and human-centered immersive interaction.

  1. Targeted Literature Review:
    • Select 3–4 peer-reviewed papers from prominent venues such as IEEE VR, IEEE ISMAR, ACM CHI, ACM UIST, ACM DIS, or comparable high-quality XR/interaction conferences. Focus areas should be directly relevant to this module’s core topics: locomotion and motion sickness mitigation, activation affordances in VR, UI/UX in immersive contexts, multimodal feedback (haptics/audio), comfort/adaptive interaction, or readiness indicators for future grabbing/socket workflows.
    • Provide concise summaries (≤250 words each) capturing: the research question, key findings or techniques, and implications for engineering VR interfaces.
  2. Research-Informed Enhancement Proposal & Integration:
    • Based on the literature, design one enhancement to your VR module. Examples include adaptive locomotion tuning based on simulated user “discomfort” signals, context-sensitive feedback intensity modulation (audio/haptic) inspired by perceptual salience research, or dynamic UI repositioning to maintain readability during user movement, grounded in spatial cognition findings.
    • Implement a lightweight variant or mock-up of that enhancement (e.g., toggled mode, heuristic-based adaptation, or a “smart” UI anchor behavior).
    • Write a Research Memo Document (≤ 3 pages) that connects the chosen papers to your design decision, describes the implemented or planned enhancement, and reflects on expected benefits, limitations, and potential next steps for an engineering deployment.
  3. Comparative Interaction Insight (alternative to raw optimization):
    • In your Research Memo Document, include a brief side-by-side comparison of two interaction approach variants from your module (for instance: fixed vs. adaptive comfort parameters; static UI vs. context-aware repositioning)
    • Discuss trade-offs in usability, cognitive load, and engineering complexity, referencing at least one of your reviewed papers.

Submission

Deliverables

  • UnityPackage file (.unitypackage) containing your VR interaction scene and all supporting assets/scripts. Export only your personal folder created inside Assets/ and named with your full name (e.g., Assets/FirstName_LastName/).
  • A README (PDF) with clear instructions for running/testing your scene (including simulator setup if no headset is available).
  • Evidence of locomotion, activation, and feedback (screenshots, a short video/GIF, or clear in-scene demonstration controls).
  • Documentation of comfort/design choices and “ready-for-grabbables” placeholders.
  • (Graduate students only) Literature summaries, enhancement implementation or mock-up, study memo, and comparative insight write-up.

Guidelines

  • Submissions must be made individually.
  • Submit your .unitypackage file, README, Performance/Design Reflection Document, and (if applicable) Research Memo via Canvas.
  • To create your submission:
    1. In the Unity Project window, right-click your personal folder (Assets/FirstName_LastName).
    2. Select Export Package….
    3. Check Include Dependencies (to ensure prefabs, scripts, and scenes are included).
    4. Name your file AD_FirstName_LastName.unitypackage.
  • Double-check your UnityPackage by importing it into a fresh copy of the base project to ensure nothing is missing.
  • Your README must include:
    • How to launch the scene.
    • Input mappings or simulated controls.
    • Description of locomotion and activation flows.
    • (For graduate students) Full citations of reviewed papers in standard reference format.
  • Use clear naming conventions to separate core work from graduate extension materials (e.g., grad_extension/).
  • Provide reproduction steps so that a reviewer without VR hardware can still experience the core behaviors via simulation.
  • Filename conventions:
    • AD_FirstName_LastName.unitypackage.
    • README_FirstName_LastName.pdf.
    • PerformanceReflection_FirstName_LastName.pdf.
    • ResearchMemo_FirstName_LastName.pdf (graduate students only).

Grading Rubric

Undergraduate Core (100 points)

Criterion Description Points
Locomotion & Comfort Features Teleportation + continuous movement; comfort mechanisms explained and usable. 25
Activation Interaction & Feedback State change with synchronized visual/audio/haptic cues; clear affordances. 20
Multimodal Feedback Integration Hover/select feedback; spatial audio; simulated haptics or equivalents. 15
In-World UI Design Readable, well-placed world-space UI conveying state/instructions without clutter. 10
Simulation/Hardware Flexibility & Instructions Clear support for non-headset evaluation (simulator) and reproducibility. 10
Preparation for Grabbables/Sockets Placeholder/mock-up demonstrating extensibility and intended future integration. 5
Documentation & Project Hygiene README clarity, tagging, organization, demo evidence. 5
Design Reflection Thoughtful documentation of usability/design considerations (comfort, feedback, etc.). 10

Graduate Extension Add-On (up to 25 points)

Criterion Description Points
Literature Review Quality Relevant papers from allowed venues; accurate summaries on VR interaction topics. 8
Enhancement Design & Integration Research-informed enhancement implemented or sketched; clear connection to prior work. 10
Comparative Interaction Insight Side-by-side reasoning of two variants; trade-offs articulated with literature reference. 7