Virtual reality and 360 video require a new way of thinking in the creation of immersive experiences. Without an established vocabulary and set of practices, you need to understand both the challenges and opportunities afforded by immersive technologies. Compelling immersive environments and 360 videos require a creative mindset and new design strategies and tools. How do you create immersive experiences and narratives that go beyond simply replicating the existing models?

In this workshop, you will participate in a design thinking and prototyping activity in the morning and have the opportunity to create a small VR 360 project in the afternoon. Through reviewing carefully curated case studies from existing projects, participants will deconstruct and share mapping diagrams on the creative process behind these experiences. You will discuss the challenges of creating presence in high-end VR and how to foster a sense of embodiment, agency, space, and interactivity. You will walk away from this session with a new tool set of both design insights and application skills.

In this session, you will learn:

• About developments in creating VR experiences and the types of content best suited for 360 stories
• How to prototype experiences and stories in VR 360 following a design thinking method
• How to prototype using 2-D and 3-D tools and visual applications
• How to create a short VR 360 project with 360 cameras and platforms

Audience:

Beginning and intermediate designers, developers, and managers of VR and 360-degree video. All users will benefit from the design thinking exercises and project activities.

Technology discussed in this session:

HTC Vive VR headset, the new Microsoft mixed reality headset, Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream View headset, a variety of 360 cameras, 360 capture, Adobe Premiere, and editing software.