Helping audiences wayfind in virtual worlds
Image source: Condense
Image source: Condense
Company Condense
Team UX designer, Performer Research Fellow, Head of Marketing, Engineering and Production teams, 3D Venue Designer
Role Audience Research Fellow
Problem
3D virtual performance spaces are unfamiliar territory
Condense’s innovative virtual stage technology enables audiences to watch and interact with artistic performances in a multiplayer game world. Wayfinding involves the tactics and strategies that guide motion in a real or virtual space. Audience research revealed many people found wayfinding difficult e.g. feeling unsure where to go or what to explore or interact with and sense they were ‘missing something’.
Solution
Wayfinding strategies as inspiration for venue and story design
We wanted to increase audiences’ confidence and ability to fully participate in the experience.
To begin, I carried out a literature review of wayfinding and participatory performance research.
I presented design principles and findings in an ideation workshop with the team as recommendations for our next experimental performance.
We agreed on a holistic approach to ‘bake’ wayfinding into the design of the venue, narrative, and onboarding experience.
Designing for real-world wayfinding strategies
Wayfinding in virtual worlds isn’t that different from the real world. When designing the venue, we used techniques such as landmarks, audio design, clear paths, and visually distinct regions to support orientation and decision-making.
Weaving wayfinding into the story
The choices people make to move around and participate in the experience are intimately tied to the performance. Scriptwriting and theatre direction were carefully curated to clarify the ‘rules of participation’ and give audiences the agency to choose their own adventure.
Image source: Condense
Familiar rituals and scenography
Mimicking familiar theatre rituals, such as dimming lights at show-start can help people adapt to novel performance spaces. Place cues in scenography e.g. ‘no entry’ signs for doors that can’t be used, can also help guide wayfinding behaviour in unoppressive, subtle ways.
Improving confidence and familiarity in onboarding
We learned wayfinding experiences were partly shaped by the onboarding experience. Several ways we aimed to increase familiarity and confidence were: giving people a role, helping people transition into the story before the event, and clarifying the rules of engagement.
What I’m most proud of
Leading an ‘Imagineering’ workshop with the team
After our first experimental performance, I shared insights from audience research to facilitate an ‘Imagineering’ workshop with the team. Imagineering activities fuel creative brainstorming sessions while keeping ideas within the realms of what’s realistic. The team had fun in this session, and it helped user experience and engineering teams collaborate more closely on innovative design solutions in a way they hadn’t before.