UX Design for Virtual Therapy: Enhancing Engagement and Self-Disclosure
Problem Statement:
The effectiveness of virtual therapy relies on thoughtful UX/UI design in avatars and virtual environments to enhance user engagement and self-disclosure. This integrated study aimed to determine how anthropomorphism levels, environment aesthetics, and user interaction principles affect therapeutic outcomes in virtual settings.
Project Description:
This project focused on the UX/UI design of six virtual avatars with varying anthropomorphic characteristics and the development of a therapeutic virtual environment for VRChat, a platform with over 70K daily users. The goal was to create accessible, intuitive, and engaging interactions that enhanced usability and user engagement within virtual therapy spaces. By leveraging UX principles like Hick's Law, the Aesthetic-Usability Effect, and Gestalt principles, the interface and interaction designs prioritized reducing cognitive load, improving decision-making, and fostering emotional connection to support therapeutic outcomes.
Role and Responsibilities:
As the primary UI/UX Designer and researcher, my key responsibilities included:
User-Centered Research and Strategy.
Conducted research on user needs and preferences for VRChat’s 70K+ daily users, creating personas and empathy maps to inform the design
Avatar and Interface Design.
Designed six avatars with varying anthropomorphism levels, balancing user comfort with Uncanny Valley theory.
Applied Fitts’s Law to optimize avatar customization and interface navigation.
Virtual Environment Design.
Developed a therapeutic environment using color therapy to evoke calmness and openness.
Applied Gestalt principles to ensure intuitive layouts, hierarchy, and reduced visual clutter.
Simplified decision-making through Hick’s Law, streamlining navigation and reducing cognitive load
Prototyping and Testing.
Created interactive prototypes in Figma, testing usability and iterating based on user feedback to evaluate engagement and improve interaction flows
Development and deployment.
Designed and deployed the virtual environment and avatars on VRChat using Unity, ensuring accessibility and seamless interaction.
Created an intuitive onboarding process for first-time users.
Process and Methodologies:
1. Research and Literature Review:
Investigated psychological impacts of avatar and environment design on user engagement and therapy outcomes.
Conducted a comparative study of interaction flows to understand user preferences.
Studied fidelity, anthropomorphism, and the uncanny valley to design the avatars.
2. Wireframing and Prototyping:
Tested prototypes using user testing on interface layouts, measuring completion time and satisfaction levels.
Developed low- and high-fidelity prototypes for avatars and menus in Figma
Designed six avatars with varying characteristics (e.g., human-like, semi-human, and abstract) to study their impact on self-disclosure.
Designed and built a therapeutic virtual environment in Unity, incorporating principles of color therapy and room design.
3. Usability Testing:
Conducted task-based usability testing to evaluate avatar customization and environment navigation, focusing on metrics such as task completion time, error rates, and user satisfaction. Iterated designs based on findings to improve intuitiveness and reduce cognitive load.
4. Final Design and Integration:
Designed environments and avatars in Unity and Blenders and deployed them on VRChat.
Focused on seamless integration of UI components to ensure natural, fluid interaction.
4. Data Analysis:
Analyzed the collected data to identify patterns and insights to enhance user engagement.
Conducted statistical analysis to compare the effectiveness of avatars in encouraging self-disclosure across conditions.
Challenges and Solutions:
Challenge: Intuitive design and easy navigation during avatar and environment selection.
Solution: Used Hick's Law to simplify choices and streamlined onboarding.
Challenge: Designing avatars that feel relatable yet not unsettling
Solution: Applied insights from the uncanny valley to balance anthropomorphic and abstract design elements to enhance user engagement.
Challenge: Creating a calming environment that doesn’t distract
Solution:Applied Gestalt principles for visual design and incorporated user feedback to refine layouts
Key Learnings and Skills:
Mastered principles like Fitts’s Law, Hick’s Law, and Gestalt theory for immersive UX/UI design in VR.
Developed advanced skills in prototyping (Figma), 3D modeling (Blender), and Unity for VR environments.
Gained expertise in conducting comprehensive user testing in VR contexts and applying data-driven iterations.
Data collection and analysis.
Acquired knowledge of the psychological aspects of avatar design and their impact on user interaction and self-disclosure.
Results and Impact:
Successfully designed six diverse avatars and an intuitive VR interface, reducing interaction time by 20% based on testing data.
Identified key UX principles that enhance self-disclosure and usability in virtual therapy settings.
Contributed actionable insights for therapists and designers to create engaging and effective VR therapy platforms.
