—–As originally posted on Medium —–

I have never worked on augmented reality programs. I have experimented with VR a few times, but I have never developed applications for it. However, thanks to the IRES program, I will be conducting research in Ludwig-Maximilians University’s HCI lab all summer, using the Microsoft Hololens as my main device.

Seeing that I had not used a Hololens in the past, I was lucky to arrive in Munich just in time for PerDis 2018. I attended the Hololens Development workshop where we learned to navigate Unity, Vuforia, and the Hololens itself. After a couple hours and many ridiculous looking air-taps, my partner and I were finally able to create a (mostly) fully functioning application.

Day 2

The second day of PerDis was held at the Highlight Towers in an area that appeared to be a miniature Silicon Valley. Our space on the 31st floor overlooked the Munich headquarters of Microsoft, Amazon and several other big tech names. I had work to do at the office so I could only stay for the keynote speaker; nonetheless, I gained insight on displays that I had never thought about.

The presenter, Dr. Nigel Davies, explained the importance of fully utilizing the digital world around us. Namely, ways in which we could make UX more interesting and relevant in places with many displays. A point of his that struck me the most is that our world will soon be filled with these ubiquitous screens. Our malls will be covered in them and buildings won’t be complete without at least a wall’s worth. How can we tailor the displayed information such that users want to interact with them and become excited about the content? It is something that we must keep in mind as we design for the future.

To Wrap Up…

I learned a lot at PerDis 2018; I gained new perspectives, a newfound interest in pervasive displays themselves, and an overall appreciation for the field. Plus, the skills acquired from the first day’s seminar will hold very useful as I delve further into my own Hololens research. I can’t wait to see what next year’s PerDis conference holds in store!

You can keep up with my summer research by following my Twitter or shoot me an email (gll007@bucknell.edu) if you have any questions. Happy coding!