AgileVR
Keep distributed team members engaged and connected through simulating in-person collaboration, ultimately fostering stronger team cohesion and enhanced team dynamics.
Scope
- Problem framing
- Concept development
- Cross-platform design
- Prototyping & Implementation
- Product Launch
(VR & Client Portal)
COMPANY
Duration
Jul. 2022 — Feb. 2023
My Role
UI UX Design
Service Design
User Research
Design Strategy
Prototype
User Testing
Branding Design
01 / 06
— Project Overview —
Concept
What is AgileVR?
Aequilibrium is a software development company that employs agile methodology for product development. To improve engagement and interactivity, the team wanted to integrate agile development into virtual reality. The priority was to establish a way to visualize agile project management tools in VR while having a good user experience.
- Virtual Reality Headset: Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest Pro
- APP: can be launched in the Meta Quest store
- Network: Internet access
- Software: Atlassian Jira Software subscription
- Hardware: Computers are not required
Challenge
1. With Jira integration, how can we present 2D information in 3D with a great user experience effect and be able to have interactivity?
2. Considering the limitations of VR hardware, rendering a large piece of text information in a 3d environment can be challenging, and user accessibility is still an unexplored territory.
AIMS
- Develop design strategy for custom APIs. Create connectivity to enable a holistic experience between the Client Portal and VR.
- To improve user satisfaction and ease of use when navigating through AgileVR.
Outcome
Increased team engagement, the velocity of workload, and enhanced VR adoption through refinement of UX in VR
The AgileVR team conducted daily stand-up meetings in the app, and the team recognized that AgileVR made the meetings more efficient and focused, speeding up the workflow by 4% compared to meeting in 2D screens.
Endorsed by Meta and Nationwide at IGS conferences
AgileVR participated in the VRAR Association’s IGS conference with over 30 live demos that were recognized by Meta and Nationwide as valuable to large teams and SAFe Agile teams. Attracted 11 organizations interested in Beta testing. Also, in over 30 demos, no one had a reaction to motion sickness.
Project Milestones
02 / 06
— Design Process —
Design Approach
03 / 06
— Define —
Identify Target Teams
From our user research, we found that teams that have experience using virtual reality and agile methodologies are more likely to adopt AgileVR.
Persona
(The potential customers)
User Insights
Analyzed the key traits of each user and identified what possible solutions are.
User Needs
- Use agile development tools to manage tasks and streamline workflow;
- Ensure a clear understanding of delegated tasks and have a channel to provide opinions;
- Able to retain existing tasks.
User Goals
- Facilitate face-to-face interaction between team members to establish team ownership as if they were in the same office space;
- Holding daily standup meetings in VR with the team and managing tickets at multiple channels;
- Understand the team’s progress and report problems or unsolved issues effectively.
OPPORTUNITY
How might we design a product management tool in VR that enhances effective distributed Agile Collaborations?
The Solution
AgileVR — VR product management tool
AgileVR™ is an enterprise project management tool in virtual reality. It is designed to bring the agile methodology and Jira process into a VR environment so remote teams can function at a higher level of engagement and productivity.
Users can interact with Backlogs and Boards to visualize projects and progress. Collaborate with brainstorming and point estimates to co-create with the team.
AgileVR Portal — Client Portal
AgileVR™ portal is a self-service portal for managing teams, projects and team members. It supports the content illustration in virtual reality and maps the source system to the system domain.
04 / 06
— Prototype —
AgileVR Experience
1. Select team and project at customizable lobby
Scenario-based setup that allows user to enter different rooms after selecting teams and projects; boost branding and foster company culture
2. Industry Standard Agile Ceremonies
Sprint board and Backlog enable teams to hold daily standup, sprint planning and backlog refinement
3. Editable Ticket Details and Agile Estimation
It drives team alignment and productivity via proper description, classification and estimation of efforts required for a task.
The pictures on the right shows the voting process from the perspective of a team member.
4. Visibility of User Status
Keep the user informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback:
• Users can see the microphone volume of others from their name tags to see who is speaking.
• Team members can see the presenter’s laser from their dominant hand so they don’t get lost in a sea of information
• Wristwatch allows the user:
• to control their microphone;
• to transfer host privileges;
• to select another room quickly;
• to choose emoji to interact with your team
05 / 06
— Prototype —
AgileVR Client Portal Experience
DESIGN STRATEGY
Why user need AgileVR Portal?
With well-managed portals, all information is synchronized with AgileVR side, making it easier to transition from 2D to 3D platforms because users can access information on their cell phones and computers.
MVP
Through communication with the frontstage and backstage, we decided to start by creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that would connect Jira API to AgileVR API and add the necessary information to bring a better experience of VR to the user.
Add New User
The organization administrator adds new users by filling in their all account information, password, and Jira integration. Accelerated invitations to members
Add/Manage Projects
Users can view the projects and team members by selecting teams. Managing projects and members in the Portal will be synced to the VR database.
Additional Custom Information
On the portal, users can add supplementary information that is displayed in VR.
• Users can modify the name tag displayed above the avatar in VR;
• Set the watch according to the user’s time zone;
• Upload the company logo in the meeting room.
Success Metrics
We measured the success by evaluating qualitative and quantitative data.
06 / 06
— Takeaways —
Final Thought
AgileVR is a project that I am very passionate about and is filled with challenges. We explored many of the strategies that define UX in VR:
1. The translation between multiple technologies and platforms should be well-thought-out.
2. Consider safety issues before immersion.
3. Test each new feature and explore ways to be accessible and interactive. I designed AgileVR design system to provide a more visually friendly and ergonomic experience for users. In this process, worked closely with Unity developers and Q&A engineers, and completed multiplayer tests that allowed us to establish UX guidelines for development in VR space.
I believe AgileVR will make a positive impact to project development and the team collaboration.
My Team
X4 Unity Developers
X2 FE Developers
X1 BE Developer
X1 Product Owner
X1 Q&A Analyst
X1 UX XR Designer
Carol Xianxu Zeng
