Why poorly executed solutions spoil great ideas.

Past Projects  •  Monday 8th May 2023

Businesses who cut too many corners during their start-up phase risk reducing their chance of success, before they've even hit the market.

One of the challenges faced with virtual reality is that the user is unable to view where they are in the real world, making it somewhat tricky for them to avoid obstacles in the real world.

For this reason, virtual reality suppliers provide large open spaces, called Bays, where players are free to move about without walking into furniture, tripping over cables or bumping into other people.

As a form of entertainment, virtual reality is considered an emerging technology requiring the latest, most expensive hardware to run convincingly. Powerful, liquid-cooled gaming PCs, known as Rigs, are housed in custom-made backpacks and worn by the user to avoid having cables running across the floor, creating potential tripping hazards and dangerous entanglements.

It's this combination of spacious Bays and wearable Rigs that delivers an immersive VR experience not easily replicated at home. For these reasons, virtual reality arcades are fast becoming a popular attraction for people wanting to lose themselves in the worlds of cyberspace.

Founded in mid 2017, Untethered VR was one of the first virtual reality arcades to hit the streets of South Australia. Incredible Co was approached to develop their website and unique online booking system.

The arcade featured five Bays, each of which could be shared by up to four players who took turns wearing the backpack and goggles. Players could also book additional Bays for cooperative games or the more competitive, head-to-head battles.

There were three timeslots to choose from, 30, 60 and 90 minutes, and vouchers too, purchasable in-store or online, and these were redeemable during the booking process. It was clear from the start that a brand new booking system was going to have to be developed.

Working with Cale McPherson of Divide, we co-designed the UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) for the front end of the website. The back end was then developed and seamlessly integrated into the latest version of our Content Management System.

The result was a simple and intuitive system that made the entire booking process an easy and frictionless endeavour for all parties involved.

During the start-up phase, businesses often make the mistake of cutting too many corners and settling for minimum viable products or services that are merely watered-down versions of their original ideas. However, this approach can be counterproductive and result in less appealing products or services that fail to capture the consumer's interest.

Untethered VR chose to prioritise their appearance and user experience by investing in a custom-made system instead of settling for a stock solution. This decision enabled them to become leaders in the emerging virtual reality arcade market.

The design showcased here is a reworked version of Cale McPherson's original concept from Divide, created specifically for this article.