Zoom in the Metaverse
Project Overview
"Zoom in the Metaverse" is a collaborative project between Zoom and Next Lab at ASU, born out of the challenges faced by the education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative aims to enhance engagement and involvement in virtual learning by introducing avatars, making interactions more comfortable for students. Ongoing development focuses on refining the prototype into a robust MVP, prioritizing UX evaluations to elevate user experiences and redefine synchronous learning dynamics.
As the project lead, I bring a blend of my UI/UX background and technical skills to the forefront, managing the team and serving as the bridge between our UX researchers and development experts. I've taken an active role in leading the UX team.
Miro, Figma, Google Suite, Airtable
4 Developers & 3 UX Researcher/Designers
Project lead
7+ months
Challenges
Integration Complexity: Navigating the intricate integration of Zoom's SDK and Apps with the metaverse posed a technical challenge.
User Engagement: Ensuring immersive and engaging experiences in both 2D and 3D environments for diverse user groups.
Adoption Hurdles: Addressing potential resistance to change and training needs for using innovative synchronous tools.
Solutions
Technical Expertise: Collaborated closely with Zoom Spots teams to resolve integration complexities and ensure a seamless user experience.
Immersive Design: Leveraged feedback from focus groups and user surveys to shape a UI/UX that fosters engagement and interaction in the metaverse.
Comprehensive Training: Developed user-friendly guides and tutorials to ease the transition, emphasizing benefits and advantages of the new platform.
UI/UX Research Process
The UX Research Plan was crafted in close collaboration with the development team, synchronizing design and coding efforts. This process ensured a seamless integration of user insights and technical implementation, fostering an optimized user experience within Zoom's dynamic metaverse platform.
Building Better Experiences: A Glimpse into My UX Research Methodology
Focus Groups: Dynamic Discourse with 16 Users for Immersive Design, spanning students, faculty, and staff.
User Surveys: Illuminating Insights from 34 Participants: The surveys explored preferences, challenges, and experiences in remote learning and video conferencing.
Constantly Reiterated the research plan on discussing with the Dev Team
User Persona 1
Key Findings:
Users like to use Zoom as a learning platform because of:
Users favor Zoom for its convenience, allowing them to work from anywhere without the need for commuting.
The appeal lies in its feature of recording lectures for later reference.
Zoom is appreciated for its flexibility, making it easier for users to organize their day and plan ahead.
The chat window enables users to provide comments without disrupting the flow of the session.
Zoom's global connectivity feature allows users to connect with individuals from around the world.
UX Design- Initial screen designs
After devising a research plan, the UX team crafted screens for the MVP to visualize Zoom within the 3D metaverse, outlining the user flow. These initial screens were part of the early iterations, concurrent with developers addressing connectivity issues.
UX Strategy & Key Features- From Observation to Implementation in UI Design
Keeping Inclusivity and Accessibility in mind to make Universal Design
Some changes for the next iteration
After testing the UX design with users, numerous changes were identified to enhance the user experience. One significant revision involves redesigning the toolbar.
After the production deployment:
Contextual Inquiry: Observe students, faculty, and staff as they use the Zoom in the Metaverse platform in real-life scenarios. Gather qualitative data on their interactions, behaviors, and challenges. Pay attention to how users navigate the platform, engage in virtual classes or meetings, and explore immersive features.
User Testing: Develop a set of user scenarios and tasks that represent common use cases. Invite a diverse group of users to participate in testing sessions, including students, faculty, and staff. Have participants perform tasks on the platform while collecting feedback on their experiences. Encourage users to share their likes, dislikes, and suggestions for improvement
Vision for Zoom in the Metaverse
We envision Zoom in the Metaverse as a seamlessly integrated, engaging, and innovative platform that fosters meaningful collaboration, making virtual learning and interactions as enriching as real-life experiences.