Valve Index
Product Research Report
A UX Research Design Perspective
The project's goal is to identify a user experience problem or opportunity associated with a Pacific Northwest company whose offerings span both digital and physical products, services, or messages.
Projects Intended Deliverables
-Identify User Needs and the human behaviors, habits, and expectations surrounding said needs
-Develop a specification of requirements for a successful solution.
-Create Solution-set requirements that are specific, goal-based, and need-driven.
Our goal is to find research insights from both qualitative and quantitative data and generate specific goal-based solution that is need driven.
Super Cool Mind Map
We started with a mind map researching companies and products that interested us. I mentioned to the group that I have a VR headset and they were ecstatic about the idea
Teams Assumptions
Motion sickness is a big issue
1000 Dollars might be too much for people
Poor UI due to it being only for gamer needs
Scope
Our objective was to test the users experience and take detailed observation notes while the tester was playing VR.
Secondary Research
Valve Corporation, founded in 1996 stands as a pioneering force in gaming. Renowned for iconic franchises like Half-Life and Dota 2, the company's impact extends to the digital realm with the revolutionary Steam platform, transforming PC gaming and reshaping industry dynamics
Steam, created in 2003, is a pioneering digital distribution platform and gaming community that revolutionized PC gaming. Offering a vast library of games, software, and content, Steam has become a cornerstone in the gaming industry, connecting millions of gamers, developers, and publishers worldwide.
Steam VR Compatibility
Seamlessly integrated Offering users access to a virtual workspace
Wide Field of View
providing users with a more engaging and lifelike VR environment.
Advanced Features
Precise finger tracking controllers Dual-element lens system
Ergonomic Design
that prioritizes user comfort
This cutting-edge VR headset by Valve Corporation stands out for its advanced features and immersive capabilities. The precision of finger tracking controllers is a noteworthy aspect, offering users a more intuitive and interactive experience with a lifelike VR environment.
Valve Index
Meta Headsets Dominating Market Share
Meta Quest was the leading extended reality (XR) headset vendor in terms of shipments in early 2023, occupying 49 percent of the market in the first quarter of the year.
The research indicates that consumers are losing interest in the XR market. There are several reasons for this with the affordability of headsets being the main one. These headsets are pricey (sic) and unaffordable for many.Meta headset was also the best-selling global XR headset brand with the lower price point reflecting the buying power and percived value of consumers
Low market share indicates a stakeholder need to sell more units as well the competitions ability to address user needs in a more substantial way
Competitive Research
Research Insights
After Reviewing what we had learned so far we had grouped our findings into 3 categories that reflected the intended project outcomes
Market Gaps and Growth Opportunities
Quality and Offer
Target Audience
Brand Recognition
Price and Postition
Market Share
Market Positioning Branding
User Pain Points
Motion Sickness
Product Solutions
Accessibility Concerns
Dizziness
Customer Support
Weight of headset
Setup Complexity
Features and Specifications
Unique Offering
Features and Specifications
Unique Value Propositions
Software support and intergrations
Refresh Rate
Resolution
Then we weighed which ones would be best for a competitive audit. We decided to look at the grouped factors as well as the Motion Sickness issue by itself due to its prominence
Features and Specifications:
-1800x1920 resolution/eye
-4K+ Infinite Displa
-722 grams
Quest Pro 3
Summary
Value Proposition
Doesn't require a PC to operate
Price on Amazon $974.99
Extensive content library: With access to the vast Quest Pro library of over 500 VR games, apps, and experiences, the Quest Pro can even use Steam by Valve.
User Experience and Design
Meta Reality technology: Seamlessly blends the virtual and physical worlds with color, passthrough and advanced spatial understanding.
If you experience motion sickness and nausea you can contact an agent to help better your VR experienced .
Market Position and Branding
Mass-market VR and MR headset: Meta is positioning the Quest 3 to replace the Quest Pro but still will sell the Pro so the Quest 3 will be the first mass-market VR and MR headset.
Meta sees VR and MR as key technologies for building the Metaverse, a virtual world where people can live, work, and play. The Quest Pro is positioned as a top competitor of Valve’s Index.
Technological Advancements
Advanced spatial understanding: The headset can understand the physical environment around you, enabling new ways to interact with virtual objects.
The sensor architect and high resolution outward facing cameras capture 4X’s the pixels as the Quest
TruTouch haptics: Realistic in-hand feedback for a more immersive experience.
2.
Motion Sickness Issues
Distance between each person's eyes are different which can alter your VR experience.
High resolution.
Refresh rate of 90 hz helps avoid sickness,
Comparatively Low refresh rate while others now are running 144Hz.
Apple Vision Pro
Features and Specifications:
-23 million pixels
-3D display system
-Micro‑OLED
-7.5‑micron pixel pitch
-Supported refresh rates: 90Hz, 96Hz, 100Hz
Summary
Value Proposition
Doesn't require a mac to operate
Price on 3500 dollars
Apple’s Vision for the future, their introduction to the AR and VR space.
Navigate Simply by using your eyes hands and voice
User Experience and Design
Designed to improve and expand your workspace
Custom and unique gestures to play with
Market Position and Branding
VPro ombines AR and VR into a "spatial computing" platform. Its branding focuses on being a revolutionary product that redefines how users interact with digital content, blending the virtual and real worlds seamlessly.
marketed as an immersive, futuristic experience that enhances productivity, creativity, and entertainment.
Aimed at Early Adaptors
Technological Advancements
advances AR and VR with ultra-high-resolution displays, spatial audio, and real-time processing via M2 and R1 chips. It features eye-tracking, gesture controls, and 3D mapping for seamless interaction. With 12 cameras, 5 sensors, and 6 microphones, it delivers immersive, cutting-edge experiences, redefining virtual and mixed reality.
Motion Sickness Issues
Apple Vision Pro users have reported motion sickness, eye strain, and fatigue during extended use. Mismatched visual and physical movement can cause nausea, while close high-resolution displays may lead to eye strain. Despite its optimized design, the device's weight can also cause fatigue after long periods of wear.
Vajro XR4
Features and Specifications:
3840x3744 per-eye
-”Varjo XR-4 Focal Edition features an autofocusing passthrough system that vastly increases the visual quality of the headset's passthrough”
- “local dimming to provide high-contrast between dark and light areas of the wearer's view”
-90 Hz
-high horizontal point of view 120
Value Proposition
-3990 dollars(with controllers)
-Best in Class Visuals,
-Varjo XR-4 features dual Mini-LED displays with local dimming to provide high-contrast between dark and light areas of the wearer's view
-True human vision replicated in XR
User Experience and Design
Varjo has pioneered and perfected the technique of using passthrough cameras to behave like human eyes, recreating the world around you onto displays where virtual content can be seamlessly added.
-High end graphics that don’t need to be connected to a computer creating an immersive theatre experience
Market Position and Branding
-Extremely High end Consumer Headset
-Competitor with the apple vision pro in price
-Made for developers and researchers in the field. Used by large enterprises to create and visualize product
Technological Advancements
-Advanced sensor fusion combining 300 kpix extended range LiDAR, 200 Hz eye tracking, and all-new ambient light reconstruction cameras.
Motion Sickness Issues
Distance between each person's eyes are different which can alter your VR experience.
Low resolution.
Refresh rate of 90 Hz helps avoid sickness,
Low refresh rate which helps with the known issues for the varjo XR4.
Problem Statement
How might we help users address motion sickness and other pain points while using the Valve Index?
Primary Research
Survey Methodology and Format
We wanted to include a heuristic audit so we revisited jacob neilson and tried to create questions that revolve around proper user heuristics with all of us trying to create sample questions. We tried to include 3 for both the survey and the interview
Summarized Heuristic Evaluations
Used a system usability scale to find quantitative data to generate insights.
-Visibility of System Status Users
-Visibility of System Status Users
Questions Generated
If you have tried a VR headset Before How would you rate your experience 1-10
What is your age, gender, occupation?
Interview Methodology and Format
We made an outline for what we would need to create the interview questions. We all gave our own responses to list of questions on our time and met up to discuss our findings
Example Question: What are your research objectives?
Our Responses:
Ali: To find out peoples thoughts on motion sickness we can look at what kind of affect is has on them, what their throughts on are it, If it will deter them from buying. We can also investigate peoples baseline thoughts and ideas on the
product and slowly introduce them to motion realted tasks.
Scott: In the questioning we can even ask how (if they overcame it) went about doing it and what tools helped them.
Orli: Our focus on the VR headset is about preventing and stopping motion sickness and nausea from becoming so common for anyone starting to play VR
Collaborative Document
Summarized Heuristic Evaluations
-Match between the system and the real world
-Visibility of System Status Users
-Flexibility and efficiency of use
Interview Questions Generated
-Did the headset feel comfortable?
-Did you notice any difference when changing the depth slider?
-Was the Headset Comfortable, in comparison to other headsets?
The software SteamVR was up and running prior to beginning the session and multiple test runs were preformed on each day of testing. Audio Recording forms were signed at the start. Users were greeted and encouraged to jump into it if they didn't have any questions about the headset or the survey
Headset and Controllers were placed by moderators and users were told to navigate towards the first game using the controllers.
Introduction (5-10 minutes)
Interview Introduction
BeatSaber and SuperHot Playthrough
Games were picked to not instill excessive motion sickness (smaller scope). We wanted to test one with limited motion and then some motion.
Used Popular games to demonstrate real-world use cases
Clients were introduced to the steamVR home and then told to navigate to the first game beatsaber. This gave us a chance to evaluate the default software in terms of clarity and screen quality
VR Introduction (5-10 minutes)
Beat Saber Screenshot
BeatSaber Playthrough
Steam VR UI Menu
Steam VR loading menu
Steam VR 1-5 Minutes
BeatSaber 5-10 Minutes
Superhot 5 -20 Minutes
Particpant Playing BeatSaber
Users were introduced to the steamVR home and then told to navigate to the first game beatsaber. This gave us a chance to evaluate the default software in terms of clarity and screen quality as well address an important part of the user being able to complete the task of launching/playing with games. Users were questioned about clarity and other factors in both screens.
Users were told to select a song and encouraged to navigate the UI by themself. If they wanted too they could play another or move on to the next game.
This allowed us to test real-world timing and visual clarity with loy poly objects.
In game questions were asked after the first song but users were left alone unless they failed the song
Users were then told to switch over to superhot by themselves and encouraged to do what felt intuitive on the controller. If they were unable then it would be launched separately on the controller
Superhot has increased movement that increases in the later levels but starts with the user being mostly still. It uses the index's unique feature of being able to squeeze the handle and throw objects.
Interview Persona
Kimothy Julian
Kendra Kopochico
Sara Depressé
Observations
Depth slider was a bit blurry. Steam menu is complicated for someone who doesn't play video games. Dial to adjust settings instead of a slider. The headset was comfortable.
Depth slider was a blurry. A little Vertigo when playing SuperHot because of the bright white in the game itself. Headset was comfortable.
Enjoyed the experience. Stated she would like a more comfortable band since it can get hot after using it for a while.
Quotes and Questions
Q: Do you see yourself using the headset regularly?
“Probably use it regularly depending on what games you have”
Q: How was your experience playing with the Beat Saber and SuperHot? A:“So much fun!”
“I really wished it weighed less and was less heavy”
Q: Would you buy a VR headset? Do you feel comfortable setting it up by yourself? A: I think I would, I would just need to buy masks
“I have never experienced motion sickness”
Analysis
We started by trying to collect everything we had gathered so far and through into a document
Although our sticky-notes weren't the color multicolored and aesthetic pleasing we began to to list out all of our research insights and categorize them to find trends in the data
Understanding Interview and Survey Data
Visuals were blurry for everyone. The depth slider didn't make much of a difference in making it crystal clear but it did appear to help some people.
Most users found the headset comfortable, but too heavy. Comfort is King.
Most people gravitate toward a 500 dollar headset
People felt comfortable operating a VR headset by themselves.
5 out of 6 interview users we tested wouldn't pay more than $500 for a VR Headset.
8 out of 8 users found the headset to be blurry
5 out of 6 users found the headset heavy
5 out of 6 users found the headset to be comfortable all while survey participants said comfortability was the most important thing
Conclusions
Solution Set Requirements
Unmet User Needs
Research Insight
Possible Solutions
Motion Sickness Issues
The majority of interviewers complained about the headset's weight.
5 out of 6 found the headset to be heavy
There is a strong link between weight and motion sickness[3]
5 out 6 users found the headset comfortable; all survey participants ranked comfortability as the most important feature in a Vr headset
Most people could not identify a difference when using the depth slider.
Redesigned Lightweight headset
Find Ways to Reduce weight while keeping it more comfortable
Look into partnership with BigScreen VR as they are leading the industry with a lightweight headset
Add an explanation and a corresponding system visibility scale
Headset Comfortability isn't communicated
5 out 6 users found the headset comfortable; all survey participants ranked comfortability as the most important feature in a Vr headset
Promote the headsets comfortable featureres
The Price of the headset is too high
People would be worried about paying for games after purchase
Meta headsets have the largest market share and people are interested in an entry-level product and price
As most gamers are interested, bundle with games as promotions
Introduce an entry-level product, reconsider the base stations but keep the controllers.
Next Steps
Another game with higher motion such as Skyrim or any blade and sorrercy may increase the amount of motion sickness and gives a chance to observe it in action.
Consider partnering and studying big screen VR they current have the lightest headset by creating a custom 3d printed mold for your face.
Letting users use the MetaQuest 3 and cheaper alternatives, do more research on the index's strength and see if its providing enough value to justify 1000
Key Takeaways
Perhaps our sample sized is too biased but it seems to be a huge push in desire for users to use VR headsets for gaming rather than anything else. However, with consumers' purchasing power in our demographic, we can see an opportunity for valve to help more gamers.
Motion sickness is and will continue to be an issue but establishing scope and understanding for what can cause motion sickness to the user may be important. THere seems to be a big disconnect in the types of games that can cause sickness and the ability for it occur.
Thank You!
Sources!
https://www.reddit.com/r/VRGaming/comments/rvqw0e/how_to_beat_motion_sickness_with_vr/
https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/virtual-reality-sickness-VR-motion-sickness#:~:text=Motion%20sickness%20is%20a%20condition,of%20VR%20motion%20sickness%20symptoms.
https://www.pcmag.com/comparisons/sony-playstation-vr2-vs-valve-index-the-best-tethered-vr-headset
https://techwireasia.com/07/2023/meta-headset-sales-outperform-other-brands-in-2023/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1222146/xr-headset-shipment-share-worldwide-by-brand/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/265018/proportion-of-directx-versions-on-the-platform-steam/
https://www.statista.com/topics/2532/virtual-reality-vr/#topicOverview
https://www.reddit.com/r/ValveIndex/comments/16el0uf/my_review_of_the_index_one_week_later
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/reality-applications-market-458.html
Research Slides
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1R7unU3wTEh8lrk-bE1jVPuifh_gLJYGInqsdZsARJ-s/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_tTRuLTUUSV4cG16rlHUh39qlgmtlPkzD5SaUpUqcBs/edit?usp=sharing