Schnitzelberg
Schnitzelberg
As 2nd place winners for the Tourism Technology Austria 2023 hackathon, my teammate and I designed a proof-of-concept for VR culinary tourism through research, interface design, sound design, 3D modelling and scripting in Unity Engine.
Redesign
Medical Devices
Medical Devices
Medical Devices
UX / UI
UX / UI
UX / UI
Redesign
Redesign
UX Research
UX Research
UX Research
Team
Corey Tran
Richard Parayno
Role
UX / UI Designer
Sound Designer
3D Modeller
Tools
Voice Synthesis
Unity
Blender
Figma
Duration
Nov. 2023 (24 hour hackathon)
Research Methods
Market Research
Expert Interviews
Research on Spatial Design
User Story
Persona
Sketching
?!
Problem Space & Business Needs
The scope of this hackathon was focused on including digitalization into the tourism space within Austria. The Hallstatt, Gastein, and the Austrian Tourism Boards provided the challenge of coming up with a way to better the experience of tourism around the country through virtual reality.
Austrian Tourism Board
"We want to make the digital experience of tourism in Austria better for people coming into the country even before they come."
Which Raises The Following Question…
"How might we increase interactivity of Austrian tourism and cultural activities using virtual reality?"
00
Project Outcomes and Key Learnings In A Nutshell
Outcomes
2nd place winners of hackathon
Integration of UI principles in the 3D space for interactive schnitzel cooking experience
Connection with local businesses for possible further development
Points of Improvement
Higher fidelity models and more interactive pieces in the virtual space (constraints of a 24 hour hackathon)
Reward mechanisms for gamified experience and deeper immersion in a fully flushed out project
Nesting UI to the player to reduce neck strain while following cooking instructions
Role
Role
UX / UI Designer
Sound Designer
3D Modeller
Tools
Tools
Voice Synthesis
Unity
Blender
Figma
Team
Team
Corey Tran
Richard Parayno
Research Methods
Research Methods
Market Research
Expert Interviews
Research on Spatial Design
User Story
Persona
Sketching
Duration
Duration
Nov. 2023 (24 hour hackathon)
?!
Problem Space & Business Needs
The scope of this hackathon was focused on including digitalization into the tourism space within Austria. The Hallstatt, Gastein, and the Austrian Tourism Boards provided the challenge of coming up with a way to better the experience of tourism around the country through virtual reality.
Austrian Tourism Board
"We want to make the digital experience of tourism in Austria better for people coming into the country even before they come."
Which Raises The Following Question…
How might we increase interactivity of Austrian tourism and cultural activities using virtual reality?
00
Project Outcomes and Key Learnings In A Nutshell
Outcomes
2nd place winners of hackathon
Integration of UI principles in the 3D space for interactive schnitzel cooking experience
Connection with local businesses for possible further development
Points of Improvement
Higher fidelity models and more interactive pieces in the virtual space (constraints of a 24 hour hackathon)
Reward mechanisms for gamified experience and deeper immersion in a fully flushed out project
Nesting UI to the player to reduce neck strain while following cooking instructions
?!
The Business Problem Space In An Austrian Hackathon
The scope of this hackathon was focused on including digitalization into the tourism space within Austria. The Hallstatt, Gastein, and the Austrian Tourism Boards provided the challenge of coming up with a way to better the experience of tourism around the country through virtual reality.
Which Raises The Following Question…
"How might we increase interactivity of Austrian tourism and cultural activities using virtual reality?"
Austrian Tourism Board
"We want to make the digital experience of tourism in Austria better for people coming into the country"
00
Project Outcomes and Key Learnings
Outcomes
2nd place winners of hackathon
Integration of UI principles in the 3D space for interactive cooking experience
Connection with local businesses for possible further development
Points of Improvement
Higher fidelity models and more interactive pieces in the virtual space (constraints of a 24 hour hackathon)
Reward mechanisms for gamified experience and deeper immersion in a fully flushed out project
Nesting UI to the player to reduce neck strain while following cooking instructions
01
Exploring The Current Tourism Market In Austria
Methods
Competitor Analysis
Competitor Analysis
Tourism takes shape in many forms in different places. Considering that our focus for this hackathon was within the VR space, I looked at the various ways that tourism is represented in Austria through 360 video or XR approaches. A Competitor Analysis showed that while there is some VR being used in the tourism space, it is still not very widely adopted - thereby presenting opportunities to showcase niche pockets of Austrian culture.
01
Exploring The Current Tourism Market In Austria
02
02
Contextualizing Tourist Needs
Contextualizing Tourist Needs
Methods
Expert Interviews, Persona, User Story
Expert Interviews, Persona, User Story
Next, it was vital to understand what the needs of travellers were. However, as this design problem also involved business stakeholders from the tourism boards within Austria, interviews with both tourism board stakeholders and travellers were conducted.
Next, it was vital to understand what the needs of travellers were. However, as this design problem also involved business stakeholders from the tourism boards within Austria, interviews with both tourism board stakeholders and travellers were conducted.
Tourism Industry Professional
Tourism Industry
Professional
"We want people to experience a glimpse of Austria before coming here but want something more interative than just a photo or video"
"We want people to experience a glimpse of Austria before coming here but want something more interative than just a photo or video"
Traveller
Traveller
"Travelling is always a new experience, and it's nice to know where I'm going before I go"
"Travelling is always a new experience, and it's nice to know where I'm going before I go"
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Most of the tourism market in Austria uses photos and videos as promotional materials
Travellers want to know what they are getting into, but want to have a sense of anticipation before getting to where they want to go
Some travellers feel they want to step away from generic touristy spots, while still engaging in authentic cultural experiences
Most of the tourism market in Austria uses photos and videos as promotional materials
Travellers want to know what they are getting into, but want to have a sense of anticipation before getting to where they want to go
Some travellers feel they want to step away from generic touristy spots, while still engaging in authentic cultural experiences
Summary of Travellers and Their VR Journey
From this, a series of personas and user stories were created to set the stage for curated an Austrian VR experience.
From this, a series of personas and user stories were created to set the stage for curated an Austrian VR experience.
03
Spatial Design and Requirements
03
Spatial Design and Requirements
Methods
spatial UI Design, Voice Synthesis, 3D Modelling
VR Experience of What Exactly?
When referring to culture, one could be talking about any aspect of a society. From the past three years we spent in Austria, Richard and I recalled our first hand experiences with the Wiener Schnitzel as uniquely Austrian. This also matched with some of the insights noted during the interviews with stakeholders and travellers.
When referring to culture, one could be talking about any aspect of a society. From the past three years we spent in Austria, Richard and I recalled our first hand experiences with the Wiener Schnitzel as uniquely Austrian. This also matched with some of the insights noted during the interviews with stakeholders and travellers.
What else is uniquely Austria… well The Alps, alms, and classical music of course! Naturally, we then chose to represent the cultural task of cooking a VR Wiener Schnitzel at the top of The Alps within an alm - all the while being carried in a whimsical waltz of classical Austrian music.
What else is uniquely Austria… well The Alps, alms, and classical music of course! Naturally, we then chose to represent the cultural task of cooking a VR Wiener Schnitzel at the top of The Alps within an alm - all the while being carried in a whimsical waltz of classical Austrian music.
An Experience in 3-Dimensional Space
Similar metaphors between 2D and 3D interactions can be seen in slider interfaces for the Schnitzelberg interaction. As a reference guide for spatial design, we followed the guidelines from Apples visionOS. The vertical orientation of the interface relative to the 'cooking' items allows the users to read the instructions prior to executing a 'cooking' action while reducing the strain on their neck when looking down. This provided an additional benefit of being able cluster different interactions in different spatial regions.
Similar metaphors between 2D and 3D interactions can be seen in slider interfaces for the Schnitzelberg interaction. As a reference guide for spatial design, we followed the guidelines from Apples visionOS. The vertical orientation of the interface relative to the 'cooking' items allows the users to read the instructions prior to executing a 'cooking' action while reducing the strain on their neck when looking down. This provided an additional benefit of being able cluster different interactions in different spatial regions.
Audio Immersion
Another dimension I explored involved audio. Firstly, the user engages with a voice synthesized narrator providing context about Austrian culture and the Wiener Schnitzel. Second, the sounds of classical of Austrian musician Anton Bruckner were played during the 'cooking' experience. This entire auditory experience served to emotionally captivate the narrative and epic qualities of Austrian culture for the user.
Another dimension I explored involved audio. Firstly, the user engages with a voice synthesized narrator providing context about Austrian culture and the Wiener Schnitzel. Second, the sounds of classical of Austrian musician Anton Bruckner were played during the 'cooking' experience. This entire auditory experience served to emotionally captivate the narrative and epic qualities of Austrian culture for the user.
04
The VR Prototype
04
The VR Prototype
Methods
Interface Design in Figma, 3D Modeling in Blender, Interaction Scripting in Unity Engine
Making Use of Emotional Connection
Making Use of Emotional Connection to Fun and Food
The user enters the Schnitzelberg space, then is greeted by the synthesized voice narrator to provide context. Once the sound of Anton Bruckner begin, the user progresses to 4 stations for cooking a schnitzel and follows the instructions on the vertical interfaces in front of them.
The user enters the Schnitzelberg space, then is greeted by the synthesized voice narrator to provide context. Once the sound of Anton Bruckner begin, the user progresses to 4 stations for cooking a schnitzel and follows the instructions on the vertical interfaces in front of them.
Throughout the entire experience, the user is captivated by visual and auditory stimuli. The sounds and music provide a sense of realness and emotional captivation, while the interactivity of the visuals make the user feel as if they are really cooking a Wiener Schnitzel.
Throughout the entire experience, the user is captivated by visual and auditory stimuli. The sounds and music provide a sense of realness and emotional captivation, while the interactivity of the visuals make the user feel as if they are really cooking a Wiener Schnitzel.
05
Results, Future Iterations & Learnings
05
Results, Future Iterations and Learnings
Methods
Panel Presentation and Onsite Testing
Results
Of the countless teams in this hackathon, Richard and I came in second place with this VR cultural experience. While this prototype was a 24 hour proof-of-concept, the judges and other participants that tried our experience were overly excited about the compelling and audio experience that reminded them of their childhood.
Of the countless teams in this hackathon, Richard and I came in second place with this VR cultural experience. While this prototype was a 24 hour proof-of-concept, the judges and other participants that tried our experience were overly excited about the compelling and audio experience that reminded them of their childhood.
Future Iterations
Iterations to further flush out the concept could be made, such as increasing the degree of fidelity and mood of the experience. Given that this was a hackathon piece, we did not have the time to add more interactivity into the experience. However, this project also resulted in possible interest from the Austrian Tourism Board to further flush out for commercial purposes.
Iterations to further flush out the concept could be made, such as increasing the degree of fidelity and mood of the experience. Given that this was a hackathon piece, we did not have the time to add more interactivity into the experience. However, this project also resulted in possible interest from the Austrian Tourism Board to further flush out for commercial purposes.
Learnings
As this our second time designing for VR, we had a lot to learn in a short period of time. I personally spent an hour diving into Apple's visionOS guide for designing for VR. Yet, many of the principles that found in mobile or web design seem to hold true for 3D as well, just with a twist.
As this our second time designing for VR, we had a lot to learn in a short period of time. I personally spent an hour diving into Apple's visionOS guide for designing for VR. Yet, many of the principles that found in mobile or web design seem to hold true for 3D as well, just with a twist.
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