OVERVIEW
Roles & Responsibilities
CEO — Business Operations
CTO — Managing Engineering Team
Immersive UX/UI Designer (My Role) — UX/UI design, research, and interaction design/prototyping
UI Designer — UI Design
Product Manager — Facilitating meetings, Jira sprint management
4 Engineers — All Development
2 Marketing Professionals— Marketing/ Social Media
Tools
Figma & Plugins: Used for UX/UI design and collaboration
Adobe Creative Suite: Utilized for design-related tasks
Google Forms & Analytics: Employed for data collection and analysis
Shapes XR: Utilized for mixed reality design and prototyping
Unity: Used for app development and implementation
Jira: Used for sprint management, planning, and review
Duration Year
3 Months 2022- 2023
SeeSignal is a versatile mixed reality app designed for both B2C and B2B users, offering valuable features that enhance the user experience. In its B2C form, the app empowers users to visualize and optimize their home WiFi signal connection, while the B2B version expands its capabilities for RF signal detection in security and network setup.
With customizable color and signal shape settings, a heads-up display and minimap, and offline functionality, SeeSignal provides users with valuable insights and a user-friendly experience.
By addressing key aspects such as onboarding, UX writing, interaction issues, and feedback consistency, as well as introducing a new user tutorial, my goal was to improve SeeSignal's user experience, leading to acceptance into the MetaQuest App Lab and eventually the MetaQuest store, as well as increased usership and recognition within the XR community.
RESEARCH
Competitive Analysis
To gain insight into how other XR apps onboarded users and imparted knowledge about their apps, I conducted a competitive analysis of similar apps in the market. The analysis involved evaluating various aspects such as the design and layout of onboarding screens, the effectiveness of interactive tutorials, and the quality of user experience writing. Additionally, I assessed the placement and functionality of features and interactions to identify areas for improvement in our own app's onboarding process.
PERSONAS
Creating personas for the MetaQuest 2 release of SeeSignal, helped the team understand the target users and customize the app accordingly. They were based on current users of the app as well as users of similar apps that I interviewed. Personas captured insights into user characteristics and preferences, guiding the design process. They prioritized features and maintained a user-centric approach without real user testing, ensuring the app met the specific needs of the intended users.
PROBLEMS/ UX STRATEGY
User Problem SeeSignal Addresses:
General users need a way to quickly and easily assess the strength of their WiFi signals in order to troubleshoot issues, optimize performance, and improve their user experience. They also need a clear acessible presentation of information that is usable by the greatest number of users.
How See Signal Addresses This:
Helps users quickly and intutitively identify and address internet performance issues through use of interactive data visualizations thereby improving users productivity.
Pre-Audit UX Issues With See Signal:
Before the public release of SeeSignal, I conducted a UX audit and identified several issues. The commerce version of the app was not fully understood by users trained in RF signal detection trouble shooting apps on the market, leading to low adoption and engagement.
These issues would be even more pronounced for the new primary users who had no experience with RF signal detection and troubleshooting tools.
This was primarily due to a lack of an onboarding tutorial or instructional tooltips, unintuitive UI design and feature placement, jarring interactions, general QA issues that reduced accessibility such as strobing, and confusing inacessible UX writing.
Resulting Objective:
To improve the user experience of the app by gaining insights into users' pain points and making recommendations for improvements in UI, UX writing, feature placement, QA fixes, and interactions.
UX AUDIT
The UX audit of the See Signal app aimed to improve the user experience by addressing usability issues, refining messaging clarity, enhancing control and flexibility, and improving visual design and polish. Through the audit, opportunities were identified to slow down voiceover, adjust panel positioning, improve button placement and text readability, and clarify messaging. Additionally, enabling pausing, replaying, and skipping tutorial segments, removing unnecessary animations, resolving visual inconsistencies, and fixing typographical errors were recommended. These enhancements will empower users to understand and interact with WiFi signals effortlessly, creating a more intuitive and engaging experience while establishing the See Signal app as a leader in WiFi signal visualization.
Visual and Design Enhancements:
Utilize the "reveal" effect of background sticks to engage users and create anticipation for future content.
Insert line breaks after each sentence for improved readability and a professional design.
Standardize text styles and border widths to ensure a cohesive design that improves user trust.
Break up dense text and move "Be able to" on the Wireless Signals portion of the intro to the next line to enhance readability.
Align text to the left on all panels for better scanning, as center-aligned text is non-standard in apps because it is difficult to read quickly.
Messaging Improvements:
Improve the clarity of messaging throughout the app using plain English and reducing jargon and other terms all users may not understand.
Modify the text to highlight the presence of invisible WiFi signals and emphasize the opportunity to interact with them using SeeSignal.
Provide a more detailed explanation of the minimap, including its purpose and how it can be used and adjusted.
Clarify the messaging when explaining the display cap to avoid confusion and improve understanding.
Change the tutorial text to: "SeeSignal gives you the ability to see invisible WiFi signals around you. Start our tutorial to learn more about how SeeSignal works!"
Functionality Improvements:
Enable pausing, replaying, and skipping segments during the tutorial to enhance tutorial functionality.
Incorporate back and forward arrows within reach of the user to provide more control over their tutorial experience.
Utilize clear arrows consistently throughout the tutorial to indicate items mentioned in the voice-over.
Adjust the arrow orientation to be flat instead of skewed diagonally and sharpen the edges for a more polished appearance.
Consider giving users the ability to adjust and expand the minimap for a closer view.
Voice-over and Audio Recommendations:
Slow down and re-record the voiceover, speaking clearly with breaks between points.
Improve voice-over clarity by avoiding quick changes in pitch and speaking clearly.
Maintain a steady pitch, speak clearly, and pause between points to allow users to absorb information effectively.
UX Recommendations:
Adjust the positioning of the panels to face the user more squarely, currently many are skewed away from the user.
Rearrange the buttons, increase the distance between them, and make the Start button a fill button while keeping the Skip button as a ghost button.
Increase the leading size, font size, and contrast of the body text against the background to enhance text readability.
Make the body text more succinct and clear, replacing "Super power" with a more descriptive and clear phrase.
Tutorial Flow and Transitions:
Give users the ability to replay, revisit, and skip sections without having to replay the entire tutorial.
Add back and forward arrows, low and within reach of the user, that allow them to have more control over their experience.
The transition between previous sections and the "look at your wrist...button" was too fast for most people to understand or absorb.
Provide a three-second pause in the transition and give instructions to press the button on the wrist at a conversational speed.
Consider showing an animation of 3D hands pressing the wrist button.
Remove the jarring and unnecessary hand model flying out of the periphery (signals panel).
UI and Visual Feedback:
Ensure consistency in arrow choice throughout the tutorial to reduce friction.
Move all indicators outside of the interactable area to prevent obscuring by the slider pull when in use.
Make interactive areas smaller to prevent glitches and multiple tooltips opening simultaneously.
Align tooltips to the board, increase padding around text for legibility and consistency, and improve correlation.
Ensure consistency across all elements to maintain user trust in the application.
Button and Control Improvements:
Change the name "Gadgets" button to "Displays" for better intuitiveness.
Change the name of the "System" button to "Settings" for clarity.
Make the "Replay Tutorial" button more accessible and easier to find.
Ensure the exit button is easy to locate, using colors other than red or yellow.
Improve the labeling of the "Relative Mode" button and tooltip to enhance understanding.
Remove the tooltip for the "Show tooltips" option as it is not necessary.
Tutorial Completion and Wrap-up:
Include audio directions to "press the wrist button again to continue" before users complete tasks.
Deliver directions before users are expected to complete them.
Add a section showing the press wrist button animation with audio immediately before users take action.
Change the congratulatory message at the end of the tutorial to "You are now ready to use SeeSignal!" and provide instructions on how users can replay and access the instructions later.
RESULTS
Impact Of MetaQuest 2 App Lab Release
SeeSignal is currently available on the App Lab, which serves as a platform for testing and evaluating new applications before they are officially released on the MetaQuest Store. By being in the App Lab, SeeSignal can undergo rigorous testing, gather user feedback, and make necessary improvements to enhance its performance, stability, and user experience. This allows the developers to ensure that the app meets the required standards and provides a high-quality experience to its users. The App Lab serves as a stepping stone for SeeSignal's journey towards a wider release on the MetaQuest Store, where it can reach a larger audience and become more widely available.
SeeSignal has received positive feedback from the XR community since its launch on the MetaQuest App Lab. Users within the XR community appreciate the app's unique capability to visualize and interact with invisible WiFi signals, recognizing its potential for enhancing XR experiences.
The real-time information on WiFi signal strength and quality has been particularly valued by XR enthusiasts who rely on stable connections for immersive experiences. The app's user-friendly interface, intuitive controls, and comprehensive tutorial have contributed to its positive reception. As a result, the XR community readily incorporates SeeSignal into their setups and readily recommends it to others.
Articles Written About Meta Quest Release
Mixed X News: Meta Quest XR app visualizes your Wi-Fi signal
Mixed X News: Meta Quest XR app visualizes your Wi-Fi signal
Video Review of Quest See Signal:
Post- Releasse Response From XR Community Leaders
Made With Unity Award
During the release of SeeSignal on the MetaQuest App Lab, it also received the prestigious 2022 "Made With Unity" award. The "Made With Unity" award recognizes outstanding projects developed using the Unity game engine, which is widely used in the XR (Extended Reality) industry. This award holds significant recognition within the XR community and serves as a testament to the exceptional quality and innovation of SeeSignal.
Being honored with the "Made With Unity" award signifies that SeeSignal stood out among numerous XR projects for its technical excellence, creative implementation, and contribution to pushing the boundaries of XR technology. It validates the hard work, dedication, and talent of the development team behind SeeSignal. The award also brings increased visibility to the app, attracting more attention from industry professionals, potential users, and XR enthusiasts.Receiving the "Made With Unity" award is a significant achievement that further establishes SeeSignal as a standout XR application and highlights its impact on the XR community. The photo below is of my team and I accepting the award.
Next Steps
After conducting the audit and implementing the necessary updates, SeeSignal was released on the MetaQuest App Lab. Moving forward, conducting a structured usability test led by a UX researcher is crucial to make meaningful improvements based on impartial user feedback. With the app now publicly available, the constraints related to the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) should no longer be a significant obstacle.
In addition, it is important to work closely with the engineering team to ensure adherence to the BadVR style guide. Building upon the style guide will help establish clearer standards for text sizes, margins within panels, and other design elements. It is crucial for project managers and engineering leadership to emphasize the importance of referencing these materials when building the product. This will ensure design fidelity, a more polished end-product, reduce the need for design audits, and ultimately provide users with a better and easier-to-use experience.
By following these next steps, the aim is to ensure the success of the product and create an enhanced user experience for SeeSignal.