Challenges of creating intuitive Information Architecture in VR environments — A speculative look at the challenges we might face developing information architecture in a virtual world
Virtual reality has long been seen as the inevitable future of how we will connect, learn, and share content. So, when I got my first VR headset I was very excited. However, I was quickly confronted with a few realities (and not virtual ones) that explain why VR hasn’t been more widely adopted. The headset was heavy and uncomfortable to wear, The dizziness from “staying” in VR for too long was unpleasant, (at the time) there wasn’t a lot of content to explore, and in the case of VR Netflix — watching TV in a virtual living room wasn’t a better experience than watching TV in my own living room.
Since my first try with virtual reality, things have progressed a bit, but it has still not been widely adopted in the way that was expected. I think one of the biggest hurdles to overcome to make VR more widely accepted is how we create information architecture in the virtual world. It will not be easy. To take advantage of the new opportunities VR offers, and create information architecture within VR we have to acknowledge some of the biggest challenges VR presents:
Learning the laws of physics within a virtual world can be frustrating
In real life, we’re familiar with the physics of the real world. We know how to interact with things around us, but in a virtual world, the same laws of physics don’t apply. The learning curve that comes with learning the physics of a virtual world can be frustrating, so flatting that learning curve and making that process as intuitive as possible is going to be an important aspect of making information easily accessible.
Without proprioceptive feedback, it’s easy to become disoriented within a virtual space
One of the common complaints of VR users is developing motion sickness and feeling dizzy after using the headset even for a short period of time. Without the ability to rely on our proprioceptive senses it can be difficult to orient yourself within a virtual space. This could possibly be addressed with an improvement to the way that virtual worlds are mapped more accurately to our proprioceptive sense of space. Creating a reliable framework for operating within a virtual space will strongly be dependent on our ability to make moving within a virtual space feel more natural.
Creating an information architecture system that is easy for users to customize could be a challenge.
We’re very familiar with how to use a desktop computer, and easily organize information into folders that make sense to us. Aside from addressing how information architecture will be structured within a virtual environment, one thing to be wary of is how we will make that framework easy to customize. Using a 3D space to organize information seems simple because we organize our belongings within the environment of our home. But using a 3D space for organizing content is different. If you’re familiar with the Microsoft BOB debacle, then you’ll see why organizing content within the layout of a house is not as intuitive as we might think (if it were I don’t think professional home organizers would exist.)
Virtual reality presents us with some amazing opportunities to develop more immersive, experiences to connect with people from all over the world. To make the virtual world more compatible with the user experiences we’ve become accustomed to, creating the information architecture for a virtual world
Solving the virtual information architecture challenge in a way that makes adopting a virtual interface easier is going to be challenging, and ultimately require a lot of testing. To solve this problem we’ll need to learn how humans’ interaction with virtual worlds differs from how humans interact with desktop applications and real-life settings. Finding the best solution will require a balance between taking structures of information architecture that are familiar with, and translating those to a 3D environment that is easy to navigate.
