UX for XR

Overview

An undergraduate course teaching the UX methods specific to XR—the ones that carry over from screen-based design, the ones that break, and the ones that only exist in spatial contexts. Students leave with wireframing, prototyping, and usability-testing chops for AR and VR.

Context

UX methods developed for the flat screen don't always survive the transition to spatial media. Depth changes affordance; hand tracking changes Fitts' Law; head-worn display changes what 'clear' means. This course teaches students to notice when their existing UX instincts stop working, and gives them a set of methods that do.

Approach

1. 01

   Sequenced the course from screen-native UX (heuristic evaluation, IA, wireframing) through XR-specific translation (spatial affordance, depth cues, comfort constraints).

2. 02

   Grounded every assignment in WCAG and UDL principles applied to head-worn and spatial contexts—accessibility as first principle, not audit.

3. 03

   Ran weekly hands-on labs with usability testing across AR (mobile) and VR (headset) platforms.

4. 04

   Structured critique around the specific ergonomics of the medium—session length, comfort, cognitive load.

Outcomes

• — Students left with a portfolio of AR and VR wireframes, prototypes, and usability tests.
• — A repeatable UX-for-XR curriculum that fits within the broader NYU Tandon IDM XR ecosystem.