December 2019 - June 2020

HistoryMaker VR

Design Director

Client: Schell Games, RAND Research

Platform: Oculus Rift

Team Size: 15

Duration: 6 months

Link: Steam Store

Overview

Students can use HistoryMaker VR to give live presentations or record themselves acting as their chosen historical character. Desktop account setup and duplicated “buddy controls” enable teachers to easily set up content and help students without ever having to put the headset on.

Responsibilities

As the Design Director for HistoryMaker VR, I:

  • Researched and chose the historical figures represented in the game, working closely with the team to strike a balance between representing lesser known historical figures and ensuring that the figures we chose would be easy to incorporate into middle school level history curriculum.

  • Collaborated with our UI/UX artist to design the floating desk that players use to interact with the experience, with a focus on accessibility and ease of use for players who are new to VR.

  • Guided the development of accessibility features, including the “buddy controls” - a duplicate set of controls that appears on the desktop and allows the experience to be operated almost entirely by a helper outside the VR headset.

  • Lead playtests with teachers and students, including bringing the experience into classrooms.

  • Designed a feature where students could use the included props and backdrops to create their own sets for their videos.

  • Wrote a complete walkthrough, suggested activities, sample lesson plans, and troubleshooting guide to set teachers up for success in integrating the experience into their classes. These materials can be viewed here.

A flowchart detailing the available controls while the player is in performance mode

Example Documentation

A slide with several flowcharts showing how the controls work in Performance Mode

Details of the desktop-side class management tools for teachers

A slide detailing the UI for managing classes in HistoryMaker VR

Diagrams of the intended desktop functionality during play

A slide showing two diagrams of the desktop view while playing HistoryMaker VR. The left diagram shows the controls during regular play, and the right shows the view when Buddy Controls are active.

Documentation for the selecting a pre-made scene to perform with

A slide with a diagram of the scene and controls for selecting a set in HistoryMaker VR, with a description on the left.

A slide explaining how the controls for making a custom set would work

A slide with a diagram of a control panel and set, showing what the player sees when creating a custom set.