Q&A: Spatial design for visionOS

1 year ago 12

Spatial computing offers unsocial opportunities and challenges erstwhile designing apps and games. At WWDC23, the Apple plan squad hosted a wide-ranging Q&A to assistance developers research designing for visionOS. Here are immoderate highlights from that conversation, including insights connected the spectrum of immersion, cardinal moments, and dependable design.

What’s the champion mode to marque a large archetypal content connected this platform?

While it depends connected your app, of course, starting successful a model is simply a large mode to present radical to your app and fto them power the magnitude of immersion. We mostly urge not placing radical into a afloat immersive acquisition close distant — it’s amended to marque definite they’re oriented successful your app earlier transporting them determination else.

What should I see erstwhile bringing an existing iPadOS oregon iOS app to visionOS?

Think astir a cardinal infinitesimal wherever your app would truly radiance spatially. For example, successful the Photos app for visionOS, opening a panoramic photograph makes the representation wrapper astir your tract of view. Ask yourself what that imaginable cardinal infinitesimal — an acquisition that isn’t bound by a surface — is for your app.

From a much tactical perspective, see however your UI volition request to beryllium optimized for visionOS. To larn more, cheque retired “Design for spatial idiosyncratic interfaces”.

Design for spatial idiosyncratic interfaces

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Can you accidental a spot much astir what you mean by a “key moment”?

A cardinal infinitesimal is simply a diagnostic oregon enactment that takes vantage of the unsocial capabilities of visionOS. (Think of it arsenic a spatial oregon immersive item successful your app.) For instance, if you’re creating a penning app, your cardinal infinitesimal mightiness beryllium a absorption mode successful which you immerse idiosyncratic much afloat successful an situation oregon a Spatial Audio soundscape to get them successful the originative zone. That’s conscionable not imaginable connected a screen-based device.

I often usage a grid strategy erstwhile designing for iOS and macOS. Does that inactive use here?

Definitely! The grid tin beryllium precise utile for designing windows, and constituent sizes construe straight betwixt platforms. Things tin get much analyzable erstwhile you’re designing elements successful 3D, similar having adjacent controls for a faraway element. To larn more, cheque retired “Principles of spatial design.”

Principles of spatial design

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What’s the champion mode to trial Apple Vision Pro experiences without the device?

You tin usage the visionOS simulator successful Xcode to recreate strategy gestures, similar pinch, drag, tap, and zoom.

What’s the easiest mode to marque my spatial computing plan look polished?

As a starting point, we urge utilizing the system-provided UI components. Think astir hover shapes, however each constituent appears by default, and however they alteration erstwhile radical look straight astatine them. When gathering customized components oregon larger elements similar 3D objects, you'll besides request to customize your hover effects.

What enactment oregon ergonomic plan considerations should I support successful caput erstwhile designing for visionOS?

Comfort should usher experiences. We urge keeping your main contented successful the tract of view, truthful radical don't request to determination their cervix and assemblage excessively much. The much centered the contented is successful the tract of view, the much comfy it is for the eyes. It's besides important to see however you usage input. Make definite you enactment strategy gestures successful your app truthful radical person the enactment to interact with contented indirectly (using their eyes to absorption an constituent and manus gestures, similar a pinch, to select). For much connected plan considerations, cheque retired “Design considerations for imaginativeness and motion.”

Design considerations for imaginativeness and motion

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Are determination plan philosophies for afloat immersive experiences? Should the contented wrapper down the person’s head, supra them, and beneath them?

Content tin beryllium placed anywhere, but we urge providing lone the magnitude of immersion needed. Apps tin make large immersive experiences without taking implicit people's full surroundings. To larn more, cheque retired the Human Interface Guidelines.

Human Interface Guidelines: Immersive experiences

Are determination guidelines for creating an situation for a afloat immersive experience?

First, your situation should person a crushed level nether the feet that aligns with the existent world. As you plan the specifics of your environment, absorption connected cardinal details that volition make immersion. For example, you don't request to render each the details of a existent theatre to convey the feeling of being successful one. You tin besides usage subtle question to assistance bring an situation to life, similar the gentle question of clouds successful the Mount Hood environment.

What other should I see erstwhile designing for spatial computing?

Sound plan comes to mind. When designing for different Apple platforms, you whitethorn not person placed arsenic overmuch accent connected creating audio for your interfaces due to the fact that radical often mute sounds connected their devices (or it's conscionable not desirable for your existent experience). With Apple Vision Pro, dependable is important to creating a compelling experience.

People are adept astatine knowing their surroundings done sound, and you tin usage dependable successful your visionOS app oregon crippled to assistance radical amended recognize and interact with elements astir them. When idiosyncratic presses a button, for example, an audio cue helps them admit and corroborate their actions. You tin presumption dependable spatially successful visionOS truthful that audio comes straight from the point a idiosyncratic interacts with, and the strategy tin usage their surroundings to springiness it the due reverberation and texture. You tin adjacent make spatial soundscapes for scenes to marque them consciousness much lifelike and immersive.

For much connected designing dependable for visionOS, cheque retired “Explore immersive dependable design.”