Immersive Experiences in VR
Overview
Relivable seeks to make our digital content more immersive and emotive. The path we found was to leverage existing technology and pair them better; how can we connect 360 cameras to VR headsets more seamlessly to make memories more immersive?
My Role:
I was the Qualitative Design Researcher who worked collaboratively with the Lead Design Researcher, UI Design Lead and Quantitative Researcher at the idea stage when the first seeds of this product were being planted. Through deep collaboration, including 3 stages of iterative testing, our work resulted in a validated value proposition, clear understanding of the customer’s needs, MVP product concept, a financial model, and a fundraising plan. I was directly involved in user interviews, subject matter interviews, and created and ran marketing ads testing on Meta to validate market demand.
Problem
Preserving memories is an innate human need- persistent across millenia. More recently, technology has helped us to capture moments better through photos and videos, but these platforms are still consumed en masse, in 2D: TV, phone, and computer screens. Relivable aims to enhance your memories by putting you directly in them, giving you the ability to re-experience important moments in a new and immersive way.
How Might We - Phase 1
We kicked off our project with the Relivable team by seeking to understand the motivations of the “over-preserver” persona and the ways in which they make meaning from memories and milestones. We investigated this with the question of “How might we help [over-preservers] [organize and make meaning from memories and milestones] in a way that [inspires and motivates them]?”
Process
Over-preserver persona Interviews
We recruited 6 interviewees from our survey participants who we deemed fit the “over-preserver persona. These are those who are the known “photographer” in their friend/family group. They usually have large amounts of photos either physically, digitally or both. We hypothesized that these people always ensure that they fully document all of life’s events and milestones. We conducted these 6 ethnographic interviews to understand the behaviors and motivations of the “over-preserver” and their ideas around memory making.
Market and Competitive Analysis
An early secondary research analysis was done by exploring different segments of the market to uncover trends and patterns in industries related to memories, such as collectibles, sports memorabilia, NFTs, photo editing, montage apps, and the Cloud or hard Photo storage services market. In addition, we explored the trends in photo taking to understand deeper the needs of the market and where it was heading. This initial analysis provided the insights and data that help us to delineate and define the market segment we wanted to go after.
Synthesis and key insights- Phase 1
After uncovering trends in various industries and speaking directly with those who represent our “over-preserver” persona, we took this significant qualitative and quantitative data and thought deeply about how this translates into a need for our “over-preserver” persona.
Some of our key insights shows that this persona:
Has a fear of losing and/or not capturing the best photo/video
Finds it important to display photos and memorabilia in a way that showcase their personal style and creativity
Has mixed feelings about the use of social media in capturing and preserving memories
Has no friction around the purchase of storage to hold all their large amounts of photos/videos and they purchase typical photography equipment/accessories like cameras, frames, and digital storage
Some of the key insights in the market:
Global cloud storage was $50.1 Billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $137 Billion by 2025
Photo editing montage apps are currently at $293 Million and is expected to reach $387 million by 2027
Recommendations and focus
The team developed a more focused interest in identifying a market opportunity to enter the VR/AR/Metaverse emerging space and we wanted to better understand where the opportunity might be within the value prop of reliving memories more immersively.
How Might We - Phase 2
Our first phase of research led us into key insights that pointed in the direction of our persona being someone who captures moments intentionally. We wanted to focus on the tech that will allow these individuals to intentionally capture and relive a memory. We investigated this with the question of “How might we help intentional-capturers more fully and confidently capture moments in their lives in a way that allows them to relive the memory?
Process
Subject Matter Expert Interviews
Based on our interest in memory capturing and preservation, we sought to speak with Entrepreneurs in the memory and technology space, Researchers to understand the science behind memories, and thought leaders in the VR/AR industry to understand how this technology could be the future of memory making. We interviewed 9 experts in these fields.
Here are some key insights from these experts:
Privacy is highly important in the photography industry. The line between cool and creepy is very thin and you need to make sure to be on the right side of that line.
About Metaverse: It will change and improve the way we consume media. Having a new experience. The new internet is about experience. Experience that mimics real life.
Having a multi-sensory experience will elevate immersion
An external stimulus is needed to trigger memories, however, you don’t need the full picture to remember
It was found that people need a specific purpose or motivation to use VR, where content is more important than the technology used to recreate it
Currently, VR technology is further along compared to AR, less expensive and broadly adopted, but the future seems to be heading towards AR
Market and Competitive Analysis
The next phase of secondary research was an in-depth analysis on the market trends and data around segments in virtual reality and augmented reality. The goal of the research was to explore the opportunities and threats of the nostalgia market, including the VR/AR ecosystem, the professional photography market, and the high-end events market, to gain a deep understanding of the forces affecting the market and insights that could provide a competitive advantage.
Here are some key insights from this analysis:
Virtual reality has the potential to become the next big computing platform, as it was with PC and smartphones, creating new markets and disrupting existing ones.
2021 was the second-best year ever for VR/AR investment with nearly $3.9 billion of venture coming to startups
User experience is one of the greatest obstacles to VR adoption.
The major growth areas for investment in VR are gaming, location-based entertainment (LBE), next-generation reality capture, enterprise, education, and health care.
While VR has been associated mostly with gaming, VR technologies are being implemented in new ways across myriad domains.
The enterprise sector is expected to generate more than 70% of AR/VR revenue through the end of 2022.
Augmented And Virtual Reality Headset Shipments Grew 92% In 2021
The number of VR startups has increased by 14% in less than a year.
“Intentionally capturers” persona interviews
Based on our HMW focused on intentional capturers and immersive reliving , we wanted to focus our interviews on a major event - a wedding - to test newly married consumers as our first movers. We interviewed 5 people who were recently married or who are planning to get married that year.
Here are some key insights from this persona:
Candids and unexpected shots spark joy when revisiting/reliving
Lack of emotional depth/anticipation on how the moment will be relived in the future
Social media is a popular source for finding professional photography services
New and immersive tech like livestreaming and VR piques interest, but questions remain
Prototyping and testing
We also tested interviewees interest in VR tech for a wedding with a web page prototype. We created a pricing page prototype that would test interviewees interest in immersive VR for their wedding and their thoughts on pricing for this service.
Synthesis and recommendations- Phase 2
Feedback on our VR weddings concept was mixed, leading us to further brainstorming to build off the feedback and insights. As a team we conducted a solution storming workshop and evaluated both short and long-term concepts. This resulted in pivoting the research to investigate a 360 camera + VR headset bundle concept because of its potential to expand use cases, maximize learning, and fuel multiple promising long-term strategies.
How Might We - Phase 3
Our first and second research phases explored the personas of users who overly, yet intentionally capture memories and their triggers and motivations for reminiscing or reliving that memory. We researched how AR/VR can enhance this by providing a more immersive experience. Although there are some barriers to adoption, we see that there is already some energy around those in the traveler/adventurer space. We hypothesized that those already interested in high tech, travel, and new parents will be our first movers in purchasing a bundle that will allow them to create interesting content with the ability to relive in the immersive experience of VR.
Product Hypothesis
In the short-term, we believe that [bundling 360 cameras and VR headsets]
[for family-oriented techies]
[for sandwich-year techies]
will [help them capture and re-live memories more immersively]. In the long-term, we believe this can evolve + scale into [a VR space that facilitates immersive memory-making].
Process
Digital ads testing
I created digital ads hosted by Meta to target our main audience segments to gauge interest in the Immersible Bundle.
These audience segments include:
New parents with young children
General techies
Techie parents of any age
Over capturers and or videographers
Travelers
Website
Our UI/UX Designer created a website to direct traffic to a pre-order form for early access of the bundle allowing us to recruit and interview those who signed up.
Digital ads/website testing interviews
Interviewing a subset of those who joined our pre-order contact list revealed that the bundle is a high-demand offering for an enthusiastic group of people interested in the intersections of VR, videography, and travel.
Here are some key insights:
Those that fall into the intersection of travel, VR tech, and videography are our first movers
Those interested in purchasing the bundle already have a headset or are interested in buying one
People who own VR want friends and family to join in and generally the “tech pusher” in their group
Issues remain in finding quality, affordable 360 cameras
Market and Competitive Analysis
Our last phase of secondary research was an in-depth analysis of the market trends, opportunities, threats, and major competitors around 360 cameras (Hardware and Software), Virtual Reality Headsets, uploading, and editing platforms, and the metaverse.
Here are some key insights from this analysis:
The growing popularity of augmented and virtual reality content, coupled with the rising adoption of VR headsets, is a factor fueling the expansion of the global 360-degree camera market.
In terms of content and application, there is a chicken and egg issue where content and app developers are cautious to make investments in VR without an installed base, while at the same time, consumers and enterprises are hesitant to buy VR hardware without content to experience
Players in the market should focus on creating a universal set of file formats and editing/presentation standards to make 360 truly useful and seamlessly integrated with VR headsets.
Overall outcomes
Our overall research investigated patterns of behavior in capturing and reliving memories and the ways in which we can enhance this experience.
Validated Market Demand
In this final phase of research, we’ve identified that the “bundle” (a 360 camera and VR headset) is an in-demand offering for the “Adventurous Techie” persona, with the potential to build an engaged community of consumers around the vision to relive memories in virtual reality. However, there are still limitations with the technology that is accessible to a consumer audience, which should not be ignored
MVP Product Strategy
After understanding the technical, skill, and time hurdles involved in converting 360 camera footage into virtual reality, we decided to do further diligence around legal patents, incumbent interests, and technical architecture. We learned that Google and Facebook both entertained this idea in the last 3 years, but both abandoned them. We also learned that the technical complications were manageable and potentially valuable to several parties alone. The Further Faster team is advising on product development and strategy with Terrafuse, an emerging XR development studio.
Continued Research, Development, and Fundraising
We at Further Faster pride ourselves on continuing the work with our founders as they seek advising and investment opportunities. We continue to work with the founder of Relivable as they socialize and network with investors and subject matter experts in the space. We are also helping the founder to strategize on future hiring needs and vet talent and leadership as the team grows.