MeVision
Digital-Twin Driven
VR App for STEM Education
Goal
New technology often offers innovative solutions to existing problems. Our sponsor, Meta, is keen to explore the potential of VR applications in the STEM education sector, a market valued at 37 billion USD in the US.
Develop a working prototype from an idea within 6 months.
Timeline
Total Duration : 6 months
Define a Problem
Even though we had a domain and technology to use, the landscape was vast with many unknowns. We conducted exploratory research to narrow down the problem scope and establish a shared vision through a design question.
Understanding the Domain (STEM)
Narrowing the Focus: Consider age, discipline, topic, etc.
Identifying Challenges: What are the current obstacles our potential customers face?
Understanding the Technology (VR)
Assessing Potential: What capabilities does this technology offer?
Unique Solutions: What challenges can this technology address that existing solutions can't?
Research
Capturing the voice of real users.
Why we chose interview
as the research method:
As most team members were unfamiliar with the topic and technology, we needed an effective way to gather data, so we prioritized obtaining direct input from our stakeholders. So We conducted 23 interviews with high school students, education experts, and VR professionals, resulting in valuable insights.
Secondary Research
Purpose
Learn more about STEM education and prepare the interview questions.
How?
Web and journal research.
Core Findings
Only 20% of US high school graduates are ready for college STEM courses.
After analyzing statistics and literature on STEM in the US, we discovered conflicting facts that while STEM skills are becoming increasingly important for the future, the achievement of US students is relatively low.
Experts Interview
Purpose
Get insights on current STEM and VR trends.
How?
Interviews with 5 STEM experts (professors and high school teachers) and 3 VR experts.
Core Findings
The education industry can benefit from VR as a new platform for immersive and visual learning.
VR can be a great tool for learning in education. From our talks with VR experts, we found out the good and bad sides of using VR in schools. Both students and teachers are excited about using VR for STEM.
User Interview
Purpose
Identify real challenges students face in STEM.
How?
Interviews with 12 US high school students.
Core Findings
Students are passionate about STEM activities, but learning opportunities are limited or unequal.
Students really like STEM, but they don't always get the chance to learn it. After speaking to students and teachers, we learned students are eager about STEM, but schools often don't provide enough support.
We used Affinity Diagram to align
all stakeholders needs with VR opportunity.
Summary of Findings
Experimental Learning
Hand-on experiences improve STEM understanding but can be expensive and dangerous.
VR transforms education into an immersive experience.
Educational Equity
Students receive unequal education due to variations in location, school, and surroundings.
VR enables students to learn anything, anywhere, vividly.
Challenges for VR
VR learning may have a lower level of realism than real-life experiences.
Closing the gap between VR and real experience is needed.
Ideation
After analyzing the data, we identified three main aspects to guide our decision-making. We brainstormed extensively to pinpoint the most suitable solution and ultimately settled on one to develop.
Feasibility
Solution should be achievable within our timeline to build a prototype.
We considered this solution…
A 3D visualization app that simplifies complex
STEM concepts through hands-on experience.
While the solution was feasible and usable, our competitive research revealed
similar features in other products, leading us to explore different options.
Our Solution
Digital twin workshop:
Operate real 3D printer in VR.
Overview
Our solution lets users virtually explore real-world maker spaces, ensuring learning opportunities are accessible to all, irrespective of their surroundings. We aim to bridge the divide between VR and traditional learning, making quality education available anytime, anywhere.
Explore the Virtual GIX Prototyping Labs
Experience the environment on a true 1:1 scale.
Enjoy a 360° virtual tour led by the lab manager.
Interact with 3D models crafted within the Prototyping Labs.
Learn the principles of 3D printing.
Immersive learning with 360 videos and audio lectures.
3 curated chapters: Basics, Material, and Process.
Supplementary text and image materials.
Operate a real-world 3D printer in VR.
Digital Twin: Sync with a 3D printer at GIX.
Follow a step-by-step tutorial for 3D printer usage.
Print 3D models from anywhere, and we will ship it.
Design& Development
Building a fully working
VR application.
UX Flow
Storyboard
Tech Demo
After finalizing our UX flow and storyboards, we immediately dove into creating 3D low-fidelity prototypes. This approach minimized the transition gap and effort from 2D design to 3D.
Low Fidelity - iPad 3D scanning app
Fast to scan, but rough quality
Medium Fidelity - Photogrammetry
Detailed, but poor performance
High Fidelity - 3D modeling
Medium quality, good performance
Striking a balance between visual appeal and technical efficiency, we delved into three distinct techniques to design our 3D environments, always keeping VR performance in mind.
HW&SW Diagram
Low-fidelity digital twin - lamp
High-fidelity digital twin - 3D printer
Using digital twin tech, we began by mirroring a lamp and scaled up to reflect a 3D printer's complexity in real-time.
User Testing
To evaluate the experience and usability issues of our app, we held 3 user testing sessions with 14 potential users and 3 VR experts and got 3 major improvements.
Add an onboarding stage:
Since most users were new to VR, they struggled with controller use.
So We added an onboarding phase to guide them through the basics.
Keep design consistency:
Our first design had a mix of 2D and 3D buttons, leading to user confusion.
So We streamlined our design for consistency, ensuring a unified UI experience.
Encourage achievement:
Users valued not just the VR app's utility but also its novelty.
So We added celebratory effects, like confetti, to reward and maintain interest.
Release
The Final Product.
Reflection
Peek into the future
Designing a future of education using emerging technologies over 6 months with mentors from Meta has been a truly invaluable experience for me. Here is a list of the things I have learned and ways I can improve for the future:
Understanding different user groups.
Due to the limited time frame of three weeks for primary research, we were constrained in the diversity of interviewers we could use. As a result, we only interviewed 23 students and education professionals and focused on one user group for our product. However, in reality, a product often caters to multiple user groups with different needs. To address this, we will pay closer attention to user diversity from the research stage and create applications that can benefit a wider range of people.
Striking a Balance between Technology Possibilities and User Needs.
During the project, VR technology was unfamiliar to us and our users, so it was critical to understand its potential from the early stages. No matter how great an idea was, if it was difficult to implement in VR, we had to explore other directions. Conversely, after discovering the powerful features that VR provides, we created better results by linking them to user needs. In conclusion, I learned that design and engineering are not linear processes, and that creative solutions arise from continuous communication and collaboration.
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