OrbiShare
VR Experience to Support BIPOC Mental Health
Share to Inspire, Explore to Understand. Immerse yourself in a Pacific Northwest-inspired landscape, crafted to nurture mental well-being, enhanced by soothing sounds and an AI voice-over.
Type
The Seattle Public Library
Role
UX Designer Unity Designer User Researcher
Tools
Figma Unity Procreate
Date
January 2024 to June 2024
Mental health is a prevalent issue among the BIPOC community, exacerbated by support system and stigma associated with it. We are leveraging the unique advantages of Virtual Reality to build a virtual community where they won’t feel alone in their mental struggles.
Initial Research Methods and Insights
Mental Health is Prevalent Issue
Just like their white counterparts, BIPOC individuals experience mental health related issues frequently, triggered by work, family, and relationship, among other reasons.
However, these issues are often exacerbated among BIPOC by a lack of community support. In African American groups, mental health issues are associated with personal weakness, making it harder for people to seek professional help.
Sharing is a Coping Mechanism
5 out of 6 participants that we interviewed indicated that knowing that others are going through the same problems, or simply sharing their mental concerns alone can help them alleviate negative feelings.
Nature Helps Alleviate Mental Concerns
Seattle boasts one-of-a-kind natural environment for people to explore and rest their minds. Many of the participants who responded to our surveys and user interviews would take a walk in a park when they feel overwhelmed. For those who don’t have easy excess to nature also indicated interest in exploring the nature to heal their minds.
1/VR: Users are immersed in nature where they can explore the environment and interact with glowing objects which represent strangers’ stories about their emotional well-being.
2/AR: Users or library patrons can see the physical library they are in and collaborate on virtual library graffiti to express themselves.
With the design question “How might we create a community for BIPOC to connect and share mental health concerns in a VR setting?” in mind, we came up narrowed them down to two ideas based on novelty and implementation possibility.
Iterative Prototype Process
With the determined direction of 1/VR, we reproduced a storyboard and a user journey to guide us in the next phase of prototyping.
Environment Design
Testing evolved through three phases
Paper prototypes with projected panoramas viewed in Meta Quest 3 with six library participants, semi-interactive DraftXR prototypes to test user interactions and environmental storytelling, and finally, fully functional Meta Quest 3 prototypes with four participants to refine gameplay and storytelling elements.
How to use OrbiShare
Accept the Mission
Follow an illustrative storyline to learn about the history of the Forest, and accept your mission to revive the Forest.
Explore the Forest
Walk around in the Pacific Northwest-inspired landscape, crafted to calm minds and nurture mental well-being.
Leave Your Story
Share your personal stories anonymously in a virtual space by typing on the virtual keyboard.
React to Others’ Stories
You are not alone in this virtual community. Read and react to heart-felt stories left by other users.
