Welcome to Learn Spatial Design

Featuring ShapesXR as the go to tool!

My name is John, I am a designer currently working as a Spatial Computing Interaction and Product Designer at Nanome, a molecular visualization software company. I have worked exclusively in immersive UI/UX and interaction design for spatial computing platforms since 2019. I have experience designing applications for Meta Quest, PCVR, Microsoft Hololens and Magic Leap, and now Apple Vision Pro. 

When I started transitioning from ‘traditional’ UI/UX design to immersive and spatial design in 2018 I learned that sketching in 2D can help one think, but it also hides complexity and ignores the body posture that a user will actually do in a given immersive experience. There were some tools like Tiltbrush (and later Multibrush), Gravity sketch and Microsoft Maquette, but a multiplayer prototyping software like ShapesXR did not exist. I would use software on computer screens like Blender or Unity, and sometimes single-player immersive tools like Maquette and then record screenshots and gifs to share with my colleagues and document designs for handoff. This was not ideal. 

In ShapesXR, the immediate clarity of having collaborations within the space as the design was progressing converted everyone, suddenly we weren’t staring at sketches or screenshots and being confused, but were directly engaged in the design and on the same page for implementation. That’s why it has become my go to tool to start off and iterate on Spatial and Immersive projects professionally and personally. However, tools are only part of being an effective designer. Join me as we explore the perspectives and workflows needed to go from idea to application.