Week 6 Lab: Experience Analysis & Prototype Planning

Virtual, Augmented and Spatial Computing

1 Lab Overview

Duration: 2 hours
Hardware: Quest 2, Quest 3, Hololens 2, Vive Pro (rotation)
Software: Unity 2022 LTS, paper/whiteboard for prototyping
Deliverable: Assessment 2 analysis draft + prototype sketch (uploaded to VLE)

This lab is directly linked to Assessment 2. Your work today forms the foundation of your submission.

2 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lab you will be able to:

  • Apply Norman’s Action Cycle to analyse a real XR experience
  • Identify interaction strengths and weaknesses using frameworks
  • Sketch a low-fi prototype of an improved interaction
  • Plan a user evaluation for your prototype

3 Part 1: Structured Experience Analysis (60 min)

3.1 Task 1.1 — Choose Your Experience

Select one XR experience from the lab hardware to analyse. Options:

Experience Hardware Focus
First Steps (Meta) Quest 2/3 Onboarding, interaction basics
Hololens 2 demos Hololens 2 AR interaction, spatial UI
SteamVR Home Vive Pro Environment, locomotion
Snap Spectacles demos Spectacles AR gesture, outdoor AR
Your own choice Any Must be approved

Spend 20 minutes using the experience before beginning analysis.

3.2 Task 1.2 — Norman’s Action Cycle Analysis

For three specific interactions in your chosen experience, complete the following table:

Interaction 1: ___________________________

Stage What happens Problem? (Y/N) Notes
Form goal
Form intention
Specify action
Execute action
Perceive state
Interpret state
Evaluate outcome

Repeat for Interactions 2 and 3.

3.3 Task 1.3 — Milgram Continuum Positioning

  1. Mark where your chosen experience sits on the continuum:
Real ←————————————————————————→ Virtual
     AR          MR         AV      VR
     |           |          |       |
  1. Answer:
    • Does the interaction design match the continuum position?
    • What assumptions does the design make about the user’s environment?
    • What would change if the experience moved one step along the continuum?

3.4 Task 1.4 — Heuristic Evaluation

Rate the experience against 5 of Nielsen’s XR-adapted heuristics (0 = no problem, 4 = catastrophic):

Heuristic Rating (0–4) Evidence Recommendation
Feedback on every interaction
Embodied metaphors
User control and freedom
Consistent gesture vocabulary
Visible affordances

3.5 Task 1.5 — Strengths & Weaknesses Summary

Based on your analysis, identify:

3 Interaction Strengths: 1. 2. 3.

3 Interaction Weaknesses: 1. 2. 3.

Priority weakness to redesign (choose one for your prototype):

4 Part 2: Prototype Sketching (30 min)

4.1 Task 2.1 — Define the Redesign

For your priority weakness:

  1. Current interaction: Describe what happens now
  2. Problem: What Norman stage does it fail at?
  3. Design goal: What should the improved interaction achieve?
  4. Constraints: What hardware/platform constraints apply?

4.2 Task 2.2 — Sketch Three Alternatives

Sketch three different approaches to redesigning the interaction. Use paper, whiteboard, or a digital tool.

For each sketch, note: - Input method (controller, hand, gaze, voice) - Feedback provided (visual, audio, haptic) - Which Norman stages it improves

4.3 Task 2.3 — Select and Justify

Choose one of your three alternatives. Write a brief justification (5–8 sentences) explaining: - Why you chose this approach - Which framework(s) support your decision - What trade-offs you accepted

5 Part 3: Evaluation Planning (30 min)

5.1 Task 3.1 — Plan Your User Test

For Assessment 2, you need to test your prototype with at least 2 users. Plan your evaluation:

Participants: - Who will you recruit? (classmates, friends, family) - Any inclusion/exclusion criteria?

Tasks: List 3 specific tasks you will ask users to complete with your prototype: 1. 2. 3.

Measures: - [ ] SUS questionnaire (post-use) - [ ] SSQ questionnaire (post-use, if locomotion involved) - [ ] Think-aloud observations (during) - [ ] Task completion rate (during) - [ ] Time on task (during)

Ethical considerations: - [ ] Informed consent obtained - [ ] Data stored securely - [ ] Participants can withdraw at any time - [ ] No personally identifiable data collected without permission

6 Submission

Upload to VLE by end of week:

Note: This lab submission forms the draft of Assessment 2 Parts 1 and 2. Feedback will be provided before the final submission deadline.

7 Assessment 2 Checklist

Use this to track your progress: