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Articles

Introducing the ShapesXR Design Database

Why design in a headset

Designing on Top of the Real World Instead of the Computer

Find Your Design Faster by Designing in the Medium

How designing for XR is different

An Introduction to the Spatial Medium

Choosing the Right Size and Distance for UI

With XR, Your Head is the Camera

Understanding Spatial Awareness in XR

Eye gaze & the next wave of user interfaces

Four Ways to Share Space in XR

Articles
Introducing the ShapesXR Design Database
Introducing the ShapesXR Design Database
Introducing the ShapesXR Design Database NEW
Why design in a headset
Heading
Find Your Design Faster by Designing in the Medium
Find Your Design Faster by Designing in the Medium
Find Your Design Faster by Designing in the Medium
Designing on Top of the Real World Instead of the Computer
Designing on Top of the Real World Instead of the Computer NEW
Designing on Top of the Real World Instead of the Computer NEW
How designing for XR is different
An Introduction to the Spatial Medium
An Introduction to the Spatial Medium
Choosing the Right Size and Distance for UI
Choosing the Right Size and Distance for UI
With XR, Your Head is the Camera
With XR, Your Head is the Camera
Understanding Spatial Awareness in XR
Understanding Spatial Awareness in XR
Eye gaze & the next wave of user interfaces
Eye gaze & the next wave of user interfaces
Four Ways to Share Space in XR
Four Ways to Share Space in XR NEW
L+R's spatial computing workflow for Printemps New York's interactive signage design
Accelerating Medical VR Training Design with ShapesXR
Streamlining XR Training Design: How NXR Accelerated Prototyping and Stakeholder Buy-in with ShapesXR
How Bellevue College empowers students with the presentation tools of the future
How Kluge interactive brought back the 1980s in Synth Riders
How Catalyst XR Used ShapesXR to Revolutionize Adidas' City2Surf Activation
Take 2D Apps To Quest - A Journey to Turn Mobile Developers into XR Innovators
An inside look at Pencil: the MR apps that teaches you how to draw
How Simtryx Enhanced UI/UX Design of Mixed Reality Medical Training with ShapesXR
How PianoVision designs UI for MR apps
Transforming Collaboration and Design in XR Game Development
How Treeview Implements Spatial User Interfaces for Apple Vision Pro
How antwerpes ag accelerate design and communication for XR
How AREYES studio designs Metaverse spaces
How TriggerXR designs for Mixed Reality
How Logitech design for the real world in VR
ShapesXR unlocks a brand new way of designing mixed reality apps
Learning XR got easier and more accessible thanks to ShapesXR
Designing immersive experiences for the healthcare industry
Using ShapesXR to Design Spatial Learning Experiences
VRXP and Studio KwO XR
BadVR
How to design in XR
Bodystorming Spatial Apps
Bodystorming Spatial Apps
Paul Hoover

Head of design at ShapesXR

An Introduction to the Spatial Medium

January 7, 2024

Designing for XR requires a different way of looking at the world – quite literally. When you are creating spatial apps for extended reality (XR), you need to factor in the way our brains understand extended spatial awareness. When we experience something in XR, we process it differently than something in 2D, and react to it differently. That requires a different way to approach designing a user interface because ultimately, the user is the interface. 

To design for XR, you need to understand the limitations and benefits of the medium – and each form of XR has its own demands. Creating something like a game in virtual reality is going to be significantly different than creating one for a flat screen, but it’s also going to be different than creating in augmented or mixed reality in-between.

The extended reality spectrum: virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality.

The following articles will help you understand the unique aspects of designing for XR. They are meant to be read in order but feel free to jump ahead and read at your own pace.

  • Choosing the Right Size and Distance for UI
  • With XR, Your Head is the Camera
  • Understanding Spatial Awareness in XR
Four Ways to Share Space in XR

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