Contxtual | Spatial Computing

Apple's Focus Mode

Contextual computing has the potential to make succinct and informative Everyday AR experiences in a Just-in-time way based on time of day, location, current, light, sound, and a myriad of other factors.

Apple's Live Text

There are different ways that we could potentially interact with text in the physical world that we could select and use in a digital way. In this example we look at a couple of different selection methods for selecting a phone number and making a call.

Apple's Currency Converter

Converting real world information into that which is more meaningful, or useful, to us is going to be a very powerful experience. Here we look a simple currency conversion scenario that could a small everyday contextual enhancement while travelling.

Apple's Door and People Recognition

There is a significant opportunity for people’s experiences to be enhanced through AR-enabled accessibility. Here we extrapolate current technologies like door detection, reading signage and identifying people.

Apple's Stage Manager

We wanted to explore how widgets might be best presented on a potential Apple headset showing a virtual screen using Stage Manager. It was a simple prototype using Magic Leap 2, but elicited lots of interesting feedback during usability testing.

Apple's Music and Light

The ultimate connection between digital and the physical world is controlling devices through a dynamic user interface. This prototype shows our ability to control a light and play music using an AR interface. We’ve connected them via Apple’s HomeKit and a PushCut server.

OUR HUB FOR AR & SPATIAL USER EXPERIENCE

We want to show some of the work we are doing in our studio, as we explore different potential customer needs, and overlay these with aspects of Spatial Computing, Augmented Reality and Everyday AR.

TWEETS

Complexity

Applications

More complex sets of features that support specific experiences

Lenses

Specific layers of information that overlay the world

Services

Simple focussed features at the system level that can be applied to various situations

Notifications

Relay relevant information based on context

Suite 206 / 50 Holt Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010

Location

Oliver Weidlich

Director of Design & Innovation

contact

STATES OF REALITY

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SPATIAL COMPUTING

“Spatial Computing is a series of technologies that can “see” and map the real world, understand it, and predict the next moves of objects within it, while doing the same for digital worlds that may or may not have ties to the real, physical world, all the while helping humans and/or machines navigate either.”

Cronin & Scoble (2020) Infinite Retina

LAYERS OF AR EXPERIENCE

While most VR headsets are currently very App based, we expect that in the future it will be more integrated into the overall user experience. As we considered various Augmented Reality use cases and capabilities, a framework emerged that helped us think about what the different types of engagements might be.

We are UX specialists exploring and creating the future of user experiences and interaction design

Contxtual: relating to the circumstances that surround a particular experience. By leveraging aspects of context, we can improve the efficiency of interaction, and add richness to experiences.

Find out more about our UX research, strategy and design consulting services

DIGITAL IN REALITY

The power of Augmented Reality is presenting digital information and services overlaid or integrated into the real world. The ability for the headset to understand the physicality of the world around it; the walls, the floor and the objects within them, creates a whole new opportunity to create useful and engaging experiences. These prototypes are designed with a combination of Figma and Blender, and then developed in Unity. They are running on a Magic Leap 2, by far our favourite Augmented Reality headset.

Please contact us to come into the office and try them yourself!

Fire Escape

A work-in-progress where we’re looking beyond the range of current rooms and VR/AR guardians to help someone get to safety in a building fire.

Office Digital Twin

Using the iOS app Polycam, we LIDAR scanned our office and created a digital floorplan. We then imported that into Blender, cleaned is up and added objects we’d scanned or downloaded to created a simple digital twin. It’s interesting to walk around in the model at a life-size scale overlaid on the real office.

Leaving Reminders

We want to explore might be useful to know before you leave the house. We keep the UI small to be generally unobtrusive, with just a summary of information, until you’re close to the door where the full detail is revealed. What information do you want to know before you go?

Digital Objects in the Physical World

This is a simple demo where we attach a basket ball hoop to a physical wall in our office and throw balls through it. We also show how the digital objects can have physics applied to them with the balls and tables falling over onto the real office floor and bouncing off the walls.

Magic Leap 2

Snap Spectacles

Hololens

Magic Leap 1

Oculus Quest Pro

Tilt Five

OUR HEADSETS

We invest in the latest AR (and AR in VR) headsets to explore their capabilities and prototype digital + physical experiences. If you're interested in trying one of them, please get in contact.