Building the future of wearable and sensory technologies
Xtension is a Unity-based XR experience that explores the use of wearble and sensory technologies to extend the player’s senses to control a virtual spaceship in a hostile environment.
Project Overview:
- Project Goal: Design, build, and deliver a location-based experience utilizing various wearable technology for a live audience at the Entertainment Technology Center’s 2024 Annual Fall Festival.
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Role: Producer, Experience Designer
- Time: 14 Weeks
Contributions:
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Managed a team of 5 in developing a Unity based XR experience utilizing smart fabrics, computer vision and haptic vests to extend users’ senses to control a virtual spaceship
- Managed R&D for both internally developed wearable prototypes and 3rd-party wearable products with resource constraints
- Managed pivots and scope changes to successfully deliver a complete 10-minute-experience for a live festival in 14 weeks
- Facilitated team meetings and external communications to support technical challenges in working with 3rd-party products
- Project Goal: Design, build, and deliver a location-based experience utilizing various wearable technology for a live audience at the Entertainment Technology Center’s 2024 Annual Fall Festival.
- Role: Producer, Experience Designer
- Time: 14 Weeks
Contributions:
- Managed a team of 5 in developing a Unity based XR experience utilizing smart fabrics, computer vision and haptic vests to extend users’ senses to control a virtual spaceship
- Managed R&D for both internally developed wearable prototypes and 3rd-party wearable products with resource constraints
- Managed pivots and scope changes to successfully deliver a complete 10-minute-experience for a live festival in 14 weeks
- Facilitated team meetings and external communications to support technical challenges in working with 3rd-party products
My reflection on Xtension
Development Process
We undertook parallel development process for the game development and room setup, giving ample time for integration at the end of the project.
Using agile methods for project management, I set 1 week sprints for our game development to make rapid iterations given the tight time constraint we had.
Prototyping
Prototypes were developed internally to understand various existing input and output methods. This exercise established a shared understanding of compelling interactions with wearable technologies within the team, allowing us to develop more refined interactions and experiences.
Playtesting
Playtesting was a critical component to our develoment and iteration process.
Evolution of Space
Week 4 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11
(Onboarding section on the left) Week 12 Week 15, Final
(Onboarding section on the left)
Reflection on the project
Project Website