SIGGRAPH
VR Theatre
IMMERSE the theatre experience to showcase curated VR films, seamlessly transporting conference attendees between the films and our virtual world. The 2018 SIGGRAPH VR Theatre was a new addition to the computer animation festival at SIGGRAPH, annual computer graphics conference running since 1974.
VR Theatre, MVP (minimal viable product)
Experience Design and Development
The SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival committee wanted to enhance last year’s initial launch of the VR Theatre experience by increased immersion, transitioning attendees more smoothly from the physical to the virtual world, and incorporating 2018’s “Generations” theme into the experience. Our team designed and developed this by asking, “How might we extend the VR lobby into the real physical space?” Through many iterations using weekly sprints we created the space to transition attendees among VR movies hand selected by the committee. We used the moire from the conference branding to lead the viewers throughout the entire experience from the moment they step foot into the theatre. We seamlessly transitioned from projection-mapped real physical world to VR headset. We staged this like a performance with cues once the theatre was full and when the attendees finished to invite them to exit.
Role: Project Manager Company: Master’s Degree Client Project Client: SIGGRAPH Time: 4 months Team: PM, Developer, Developer, UX Designer, Designer, Sound Designer, Motion Graphics.
User Journey
We designed and developed stages of the conference attendees’ experience to solve for the ask from the client. Seamless immersion with 2018 conference branding displayed.
Decisions Made
Showing the thought process and design behind each decision made offers insight into a stage of the experience. SIGGRAPH started with two individuals who wanted to have a platform to share industry knowledge. It became just that, and the annual conference has travelled to many cities over the years to bring professionals together to grow the industry. Our moire is the “actor” that initiates actions in the experience. This also helps to hide the need for interactivity that most people desire.
Double Diamond Design Model
We used the Double Diamond approach to help structure our team’s process. The ability for the team to think broadly created a team culture of openness which is extremely important in the creative process. This was only possible by our ability to come back together to create solid solutions and prototypes to test throughout.
Final Outcome, 2018 SIGGRAPH VR Theatre
Vancouver, Canada
From Aug 12-16, 2018 over 16,500 people from around the world attended the conference. The VR Theatre was a ticketed event inside the conference and was sold out for all 4 days, with waitlisted lines for people just incase someone didn’t show. “We had people almost jumping on top of each other to find a way to get into the theatre." said Yangos, who managed the theatre each day.
Article by The Centre for Digital Media:
“The whole thing was a great success with very positive feedback. Colleagues overheard hallway conversations with people recommending the VR Theater to complete strangers.” – Yangos, CD at 2018 SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival
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