How did Google weave “daydreams” from Cardboard?

In recent days, Wired magazine conducted an in-depth interview with Google's VR team to explore the behind-the-scenes story of Google’s Daydream View R&D and Google’s views on VR. Google does have some differences. In their eyes, comfort is more important than technology.

One morning in June 2014, Google CEO Pichaya had just finished a Google I/O speech at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and left the booth. On the way, he met Jon Wiley. Wiley also had a speech, but Pychai. The word made him stop. Pichchai said that everyone in the audience can take a VR device today. It is Google's Cardboard.

Although Wiley has been responsible for controlling the overall aesthetic of the search giant, one of Google's most famous designers, he had never heard of Google's VR project before. As a result, Wiley specifically ran a trip to Cardboard's booth. He picked up the Cardboard headset on the table and tried several demo projects. During that time, he asked friends to record photos of him. A few minutes later, he put the matter in his stomach and stood on the stand to introduce the audience to his professional material design language. However, Wiley's original Witness was a devil, and after he stepped down, he began to unknowingly remember Cardboard.

Prior to this, Wiley's work at Google had been the design of search products such as voice search and the iconic Omnibox. In Wiley's eyes, it is the highest level of design that hides the complex and powerful but cold computer science and engineering development into a simple and intuitive interface. And Cardboard is very similar to its respected spiritual core, so Wiley is fascinated by it. “Cardboard is a humble piece of work. I'm not bragging about it. It's theoretically cardboard. In the 90s I saw VR development. It's not easy to integrate this technology into cardboard.” Wiley Said.

A few months after Google I/O ended, Google’s gang of VR rookies found Wiley and asked if he would be willing to join the VR project. At the time, VR technology developed rapidly, but no one had ever considered authenticating what the virtual world should look like.

Originally, Wiley wanted to follow Google's tradition and only took 20% of his time for the VR project, but after he left and thought again, he still dismissed the idea. Wiley feels that he must devote all his energy. At the beginning of 2015, Wiley officially became the head of Google's immersive design department. Under his leadership, the department wanted to find out how people will use VR now and in the future. This is a big project involving billions of people.

Previously, Wiley had been responsible for Google's most mature product, but he must adapt to this new world after switching to VR.

Although VR is still in its infancy, there are several iron laws in the industry, one of which is “Don't let users play vomiting.” So Wiley added several architects and sculptors to his team. Together explore a way for the public to experience the VR experience.

User interface

The user experience of VR is different from other products, and it starts when you pick up the headset. At the moment, the design of VR headsets on the market is a bit odd: they are heavy and heavy, and it's strange to wear them on the face. Playing for a long time can also cause back pain. Google can't solve all problems once and for all, but they learned the lesson and avoided falling into the pit of their predecessors. For example, Daydream View headpieces are made of fabric instead of the usual plastics, so they are lightweight compared to the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and even the Samsung Gear VR. Although the performance of the View head-mounted device is not enough, it is full of personality, and unlike the alien products, people have the desire to wear.

In fact, in Google’s eyes, the “comfort” demands have always been more important than “technology”. The Daydream team has adhered to this creed from the very beginning of development. Their goal is to allow users to wear headsets and immerse themselves in the virtual world, so comfort is a top priority. "You have to go completely into the virtual environment and be surrounded by it completely. At the same time you have to carry a helmet. Then what do you wear and where do you go?" Wiley said.

In the eyes of Google’s chief VR film producer Jessica Brillhart, users immersed in virtual worlds are more like “visitors” than “audiences.” People are not watching the things created by producers in the virtual world, but are really eager to do so. Live in it. Under this guiding ideology, the Daydream team gradually lost interest in the grand space station or holographic deck. Instead, they were more interested in VR exploration in real-world scenarios.

Bringing the VR world closer to the real world doesn't sound too difficult. You may even think that Google is a bit unrestrained, but Google designers are convinced that this path is correct. VR technology is the main immersive experience, so your brain will be "deceived" and believe what you see is true. Once you encounter a bug, not only the screen will be delayed, but you may feel that users will feel unwell, and some may also cause users to produce Strong fear.

Google once developed a VR scene, in order to make the space look bigger, they put a door in the background, but this makes users feel scared, they worry about what will pop out behind the door. Xiao Bian learned that in the early VR image applications, Google put everything in the attic, giving people a strange feeling. Daydream team leader Joshua To said: “Each person has a different understanding of the attic, but most people feel that there is a feeling of invading the privacy space of others when they go there.” In the VR world, everything starts from scratch and Google can only fight for it. Makes users more comfortable to play.

When you first wear Daydream View and launch the app, you come to Daydream Home. It's like a big forest in a gurgling river. It is very similar to the real world. The only difference is that it is always perfect and there are no mosquito bites. When a user opens a movie on Google Play, he enters a breezy room with a collection of classic movies. They are displayed like mini statues. Harry Potter’s magic robe hangs on the wall, next to it. Forrest Gump, like a box of chocolates. At the same time, there is also a Tyrannosaurus howling at the overturned jeep ("Jurassic Park"). When you open a movie, you will come to a moss-covered open space. The screen hangs between the trees. It will play the movie. Joshua To said that in the future, users will have more control, but for now, this environment is as cool as you are into the playground of billionaires.

Of course, Google will not only play this trick. Hulu, a streaming media video site, is also developing similar VR experiences. They believe that if users can watch TV at the place where the story takes place, it must be cool. In the prototypes they developed, users could sit on the deck like the Vikings to see the "Viking Saga," and the screen for playing movies was the sail of a warship. However, although this viewing experience is novel, it is easy to distract, and some people may also be seasick. Therefore, the vice president of Hulu Technologies believes that before the VR technology matures, it is still more perfect to build the existing viewing experience.

During the interview, Wiley would sometimes stare at the ceiling of the office with his own chair. “Although these words are somewhat deviant, in the VR world, the materialization seems to be a comeback.” In recent years, major technology companies have abandoned this design style that directly embodies real things, and they are on the road to abstraction. There are some political mistakes in the materialization. However, Wiley thinks that the standard in the VR world is somewhat different. "A button is a button. You can walk to an item and press it." For example, the door handle, its shape already tells you how to use it. Since this method is simple and practical, why Want to re-invent a use? Wiley wants to bring human capabilities to the VR world instead of forcing users to accept another interface.

This is Google's current plan. When users generally accept this comfortable experience, they will continue to move forward. Google has a dedicated team responsible for this part of the work.

Toddler

In July 2015, Google’s VR project changed from playing tickets to more ambitious projects. Rob Jagnow and a team of engineers asked their colleagues: “There are some areas in the VR field that we have not yet explored. If it is you, you want to What do you know?” The question was answered by 220 people. Some people are curious about sports, some people are interested in reading, and quite a few people are interested in VR shopping.

Jagnow's team is called Daydream Labs and it only has one job: creation. They will directly ask questions or assumptions. For example, how do you comment in the VR world? What do people's legs look like? Are virtual gardening fun? They make a simple prototype and then test it. Every other week, they will invite everyone to the team to try and tell the lab what they think. The staff will put helmets on the visitors' heads and ask them questions. The first item is related to the text. They want to find out how far the text is. The second project is related to drums because people love drums.

The first time I saw Jagnow was in early November last year, Daydream was about to be officially released. Jagnow received us very warmly and he was wearing a T-shirt with the Daydream logo. Daydream View's test room has only four white walls. Yagenot told us that the laboratory has developed 90 projects at the same time. He also said: "We are also developing a virtual co-occurrence animation system that can share physical simulation experiences among different customers."

When I was preparing for a question, Jagnow gave me an HTC Vive and he started showing me "Keyboard Drums." The experience is somewhat similar to the input test, but touch input is used. The keyboard like a typewriter came before my eyes, and I had two wooden clogs in my hand. Someone asked questions before: "How can I make typing less boring?" The lab found the answer: Enter the text as if it were a drum. I tried it, so the input is really fun.

I stayed in the test room for an hour, during which Jagnow took me to experience a number of pilot projects. Sometimes I would turn into a thousand-foot-tall giant and play a racing car in Central Park, New York. Sometimes I will experience the fun of building models in the house. Sometimes I would also stand inside the museum's statues. The little equipment around me could record my voice and movements. After looking back at myself, I realized I was almost on the same network as YouTube.

Jagnow didn't show me the full version of the Google VR experience, he said it was being developed. After all, allowing users to move freely without dizzy vomiting is currently the focus of the Google team, and talking about a beautiful background now seems like a waste of time.

Jagnow said that they follow a principle when designing prototypes: let it enter the VR world at a faster rate. Draw a prototype product on paper. When you walk into VR, you will marvel at its existence. This is the speed that Google wants. In addition, Jagnow stated that everything is difficult at first, and no one can find the correct answer on the first try.

“What will you do in the VR world?” Such questions will linger in the ears of developers for a long time, we must spend a lot of time to get a complete answer, in addition, with the change of screen, processor, lens and operation mode, This answer is also constantly changing. These complex problems have caused Wiley headaches. How much will VR develop in ten years? Wiley said: "For now, we have developed many interfaces that simulate what people understand and are already familiar with. The next step It may be a magical thing that feels like super power, similar to telepathy or mind reading.” He firmly believes that technology will surely have a mature day, but we need to wait patiently.

Jagnow

Future handle changes will be the key, Wiley said: “We can use our hands to express a variety of meanings, but it will take a long time to use it for immersive experiences.” However, as a drama professional graduate, Wiley Feeling fascinated with all sorts of subtle movements, he couldn't help but think about the future of handles and body movements. Google has invested a lot of energy in this area. They bought eye tracking company Eyefluence in October last year. Right now, Daydream View's handle is easy to use, but it is not Wiley's future wand.

Xiao Bian noticed that subtle input tools are constantly impacting the VR market. Some of them are developed by Google and others are from other companies. For example, Oculus introduced the Touch handle, which is recognized when we press the button, and it can be recognized when we lift the finger. Microsoft HoloLens can also recognize a limited set of actions. Leap Motion is developing new sensors that can be placed directly into the helmet, allowing the user to see the hands directly in space as they move through the sensor.

“This is a golden opportunity for designers, and we can introduce more human elements into computing,” said Mark Rolston, founder of Argo Design Studio. Compared to VR, Rolston prefers AR technology because it is more natural. However, Rolston thinks "VR designers will rethink everything once the handle technology has made a breakthrough." As VR and social networking become more integrated, users can co-exist in a virtual space, and the entire VR world will undergo even greater changes.

Hueb's Eggebrecht thinks: “The biggest challenge is how we use our existing advantages and keep them intuitive and concise. At least we can't scare users.” VR does have hope to be the most intuitive and natural computing platform, but it also needs To continue to explore, this exploration process is worth it.

Wiley said: “Our job is to fill the gap. At the end of this divide is the computer and the end is human.” From DOS to GUI, touch screen and voice control, and even Google’s search box, all of this is to make The computer is closer to humans. “Every time a computer gets closer to humans, people will enjoy using computers more and more when they are close.” When computers really understand users and understand people’s body, brain, words, emotions and respond, we’ll Will enter a new world that is not restricted by the physical world. What will the world become? Wiley has no idea for the time being. However, one thing is certain: it must be a fairyland.

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