During my initial months at Gravity Sketch, I took on the challenge of enhancing the existing measurement tool. Teaming up with a VR engineer, I delved into the problem space, crafted interactive prototypes, conducted user research, and successfully delivered a high-quality feature that continues to be a crucial part of our product today.
Matt Whitby - Product Designer
Will Crane - Software Engineer
Timeframe: 1 month
Outcome: Shipped VR Feature Improvement
Increase the usability and usage of measurements in GS sketches by removing current workflow barriers through improving measurement precision in creation and manipulation.
To address this challenge, we began by understanding the current state and applications of the measurement feature in Gravity Sketch. Synthesizing usability issues from user interviews, we aimed to uncover users' motivations and pain points with measurements. Additionally, we conducted competitive benchmarking among VR creation and 3D modeling tools relevant to our users, revealing common industry interaction patterns.
The first measurement tool, part of the "toolbelt" beta experiment, aimed to evaluate user interaction with measurements. Modeled after a physical tape measure, users held the tool with the grip trigger and set measurements by pressing the index trigger simultaneously. Measurements were only visible when the "toolbelt" menu was open and disappeared permanently upon closure.
We extensively analyzed old user interviews, social media posts, and internal feedback to gain deeper insights into how users integrated measurements into their workflows. Here are some standout use cases:
After closely examining the various use cases, we noticed users struggled with placing measurements accurately on objects due to cursor and measurement line design. Additionally, the impermanent nature of measurements led users to adopt workarounds for better management and intentional design, which proved to be tedious and inflexible.
While exploring alternative approaches to measurement interaction and placement, two fundamental interaction patterns stood out: the ability to effortlessly snap to objects or axes, and the ease of editing the measurement. The solution's effectiveness hinged on these characteristics, as lacking them would result in a tedious or error-prone interaction. Another crucial observation was the importance of sensitivity tuning in the snap interaction for the measurement line placement. If the sensitivity was too high, it limited user agency in measurement placement; if too low, the interaction became overly precise and thus tedious or frustrating. These insights served as crucial design considerations during concept development.
As the VR app lacked a design system, I conducted a thorough analysis of the existing UI panels and sketch object interactions to find consistent interactions patterns and UI panels applicable for this new feature. The goal was to design the new measurement tool interaction and UI in a more consistent manner, avoiding an increase in cognitive load with a new interaction pattern and UI scheme.
How can we enhance users' confidence, accuracy, and flexibility in placing and managing measurements within their sketches?
After identifying core problems and considerations, we brainstormed and illustrated potential concepts. These were then reviewed with key stakeholders for technical and directional feedback. Subsequently, a series of prototypes and mockups were created, exploring various interactions and user flows, leading to the production phase.
We used FigJam for asynchronous mind mapping, idea generation, and feedback. The brainstorming phase centered on exploring alternative approaches to measurements. We aimed to reconsider how we approached measuring compared to the past and assessed if these different approaches could add more value.
In addition to the FigJam board, we established a VR collaboration room as an ideation space to sketch and explore the brainstormed ideas in 3D to scale. This room facilitated team alignment and clearer communication of ideas, offering a swift way to assess concepts in a context closely resembling the final feature.
After reviewing the brainstormed ideas with engineers and fellow designers, we narrowed down the selection to a few concepts. Higher fidelity mockups were then created to present to senior stakeholders and gather feedback on the most promising direction, taking into account feasibility and usability. Using stop-motion style animation with 3D sketches, I demonstrated interactions and flow in these mockups, offering a quick and effective way to communicate the ideas without the need for coding or extensive development.
Finally, I utilized a custom Unity prototyping environment I built to swiftly test different interactions and visuals. This allowed me to experiment with potential cursor visuals and measurement placement/editing interactions before involving engineers. The conclusive handoff to engineers included videos and a playable build of the final prototype for production.
After settling on the concept of treating measurements as sketch objects, akin to the stroke geometry in the current app, I designed two different ways to integrate this idea into the existing navigation structure of the application. The objective was to avoid adding cognitive load and inconsistency, all while considering the potential impacts on the project scope.
Finally, we moved to productionizing the feature, working closely with the engineer. I provided all necessary 3D/2D assets using Figma and Blender. Additionally, I created a 3D walkthrough sketch to guide users on how to use the feature and its potential applications. Following the release, we interviewed key users for feedback and monitored social channels for bugs and improvements."
The completed feature now allows users to create and manage measurements akin to strokes in GS. It simplifies the process by enabling snapping to axes or other geometry. Users can edit the appearance and placement of measurements post-placement, reducing errors and providing enhanced control. Visual updates to the measurement lines instill confidence in cursor placement
To introduce users to the new feature, I crafted a 3D interactive sketch walkthrough. This guided users on accessing and utilizing the feature, illustrating its potential applications. This marked our first use of such a walkthrough, shaping how we approach user onboarding for future tutorials and walkthroughs.
After the feature was shipped, we continued to interview community users and interact on social media to understand how the new measurement feature impacted their workflow and understand areas of improvement for continued iteration.
Reflecting on this project, I'd think about involving user feedback and testing earlier in the process. It would mean evaluating and testing concepts with potential users before we settle on a more finalized direction so that we could catch usability issues sooner.
