Today, VR experiences can be divided into two primary categories: active and passive. The choice between it depends largely on the target audience and the type of experience the designer wants to create.

‍Active VR experiences are interactive and dynamic, where users are hands-on with the virtual environment, making choices, manipulating objects, and engaging directly with the story or environment. In contrast, passive VR experiences focus on observation and listening, offering an immersive, cinematic journey without requiring user interaction. This makes passive experiences ideal for storytelling and educational content, particularly for users who may not be familiar with complex controls or gameplay mechanics.

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When designing VR experiences, especially for museums, it's important to consider the target market, which often includes a diverse mix of families, tourists, and students. These visitors have varying preferences, with some favoring passive storytelling and others looking for a more interactive experience. To accommodate this range of preferences, a combination of passive and active VR elements can be an effective way to engage a broader audience.

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In this blog, I’ll focus on UX and XR design for passive VR experiences, with  "Saints and Scoundrels" VR Experience at the Landesmuseum Stuttgart as focus.

‍"Saints and Scoundrels": A Walk into the Past

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The Lichtenstern Altarpiece holds significant cultural importance from the Middle Ages within the Cistercian nunnery near Heilbronn. The VR experience, titled "Heilige und Halunken" is a 12-minute crime story that transports users back to the 15th century, focusing on the creation of the altarpiece which was commissioned by Abbess Margarete von Stein in 1465., the workshop of Master Lienhard's who was commisioned to make the relic and , the incident of stolen relic "Saint Ursula" . Who is behind this and why was the relic stolen?

This project is part of the Museum 2.0 concept, where museums are evolving beyond traditional displays. By utilizing VR, this experience bridges the gap between the past and present in ways traditional exhibits cannot achieve.

Experience it at Landesmuseum Stuttgart.

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This passive VR experience has an objective for users to observe the conversations and history behind the Saint Ursula Relic.  Since "Heilige und Halunken" does not rely on user interaction, the design needs to use other user sense like visuals  and auditory that keeps users engaged with the story till the end.

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Redesign UX /UI Design Focus for Passive VR Experiences
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Given the needs of passive experience , i started with the same story arc to capture the essence of the visuals that has an immediate impact to support user's auditory experience.

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User Interface Design: Passive Experience with an Interactive Illusion

For the user interface (UI) design i'm trying to focus on presenting autoplay content in a way that provides users with a sense of agency and orientation while maintaining an immersive and uninterrupted narrative flow. My inspiration is an storybook/audiobook-inspired visual approach that runs automatically but incorporates interactive cues to guide the user through the experience.

I sketch different low fidelity UIs in the initial stage, various low-fidelity UI sketches were created to explore different design ideas and concepts. The focus was on finding a balance between passive experience and user engagement through minimal interaction.

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Medium Fidelity Interface

I decided to use a centralised UI that represent a storybook , a carousel that visually represents the progression of the story. The highlighted central panel dynamically indicates the user's current position in the narrative. Smooth transitions between panels gives it an illusion of active user involvement.

Transitions in the carousel panels are synchronised with the audio UI. Users sees visual cues in sync with changing of audio guide.

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User Flow

Users enter the experience, greeted by a thematic background and the carousel UI.

The first panel is highlighted, and the narration begins automatically through audio UI .

The carousel auto-rotates clockwise in a form of audio book library, advancing the story with visual cues of movement and progress.

Users can visually follow their current position through highlighted panels or optional progress bars.

To support user's gaze experience, a panel that highlight the object will appear to support the audio UI

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High Fidelity Interface

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This VR interface design successfully bridges the gap between passive and interactive storytelling. By combining a visually engaging carousel with synchronized audio and interactive cues, the experience remains immersive and intuitive. The high-fidelity design achieves a harmonious balance of narrative flow, user orientation, and engagement, creating an impactful VR experience.

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