Friday, 13 January, 2023 UTC
Summary
Virtual reality mentally takes you on an adventure, yet there is no guide for beginners
Photo by Ashley Huffman using MidjourneyAhead of every flight you take, there’s a trusty pre-flight video that covers everything you need to know about enjoying the miracle of flight as a passenger.
It’s a heads-up to some critical safety measures, including how to operate an oxygen mask, where your life vest is stored, which exit route you should use, and even where the washrooms are. This info helps make the flight experience seamless and pain-free.
This is what’s missing from virtual reality!
VR needs a simple onboarding process that includes a heads-up to what the experience will be like and what to look out for.
Examples:
✈️ Baggage stowed — 🥽 Requires a specific area set up and lighting
✈️Seatbelt — 🥽 Fit and comfort of the headset to avoid headaches
✈️Oxygen Masks — 🥽You may feel nauseous and what to do
Why this Matters Now
Imagine getting onto a plane and the pilot announces that you’re on your own and to figure it out as you go. Not super helpful.
At one point, you were new to flying, and in the same way, we all have a first time in VR.
With the recent holiday season and headset announcements at CES, there are a lot of new VR people that may be confused and angry about simple onboarding issues with their new headset. This is a real detriment to industry growth. Bad news travels fast.
Chances are, you have a story about an aspect of VR that made it not quite as awesome and things you would recommend for newbies. Maybe it took you hours to get the tech up and running, maybe the headset squeezed your head till it hurt, or you were unimaginably tall.
Virtual Reality Onboarding
What does this look like? Well, with virtual reality, literally anything is possible. It could look like an interactive guide or a fun immersive video. Unlike in planes, in VR, you can exploit the fact that users can play and learn at the same time.
Midjourney Generated Onboarding Guide by Ashley HuffmanIf you can’t recollect a pre-flight safety video, here is a fun 5-minute example by Air Canada, which they currently in use on flights. FYI, it’s very Canadian, eh.
https://medium.com/media/107d3e2e6a689159ef824a6b1b62d826/hrefIf It’s Broken, Fix It
Understanding that there are common issues with VR setup and use may give new folks hope and confidence to keep trying new things.
If you are new to VR, be sure to check out the VR-dedicated blogs Road to VR and Upload VR. Happy adventuring!
VR needs a Pre-Flight Safety Video! was originally published in AR/VR Journey: Augmented & Virtual Reality Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.