Zeality — Designing for VR Before It Was Cool
Junior Product Designer | 2016–2018
Summary
Zeality was an immersive VR/AR platform used by sports and media partners like the 49ERS, SF Giants and NHL Sharks.
As one of three designers, I built out UI wireframes, iconography, and animations to create a cohesive design system across both the core app and our white-labeled partner apps.
Wireframes for our dashboard
VR was uncharted territory in 2016. With limited user understanding, and a small team, there was much for us to achieve. The MVP iteration app had launched with the basics.
Our goal: Grow user base & identity, while testing and validating business & revenue models.
My goal was to dive in deep and learn as much possible, as it was my first product design job.
Animation I created for introducing VR and our product for our users.
Collaborated on several UI enhancements to refine user experience and interface flow.
My first task was to work on the iconography for our categories
Story board of animation
Core Obstacles:
• Users knowledge
• I knew very little of VR
Research & Discovery
As my tasks shifted more toward UI planning, our conversations and user outlines became clearer. I identified our primary audience as fans—specifically, fans of our various partners in the sports scene.
Me testing early VR Fruit Ninja
Partnerships & User Impact
•Sketched onboarding flows, designed a 3-second animation walkthrough, and created icons for complex, abstract concepts in VR.
•Created prototypes of concept app features
•Created buzz in our VR community by designing marketing campaigns
•Our process was with short turn arounds but we kept our meetings often and short
I created a short marketing video for us to create a buzz about big sports names joining the VR community
Wireframes for the content creator desktop app, I sketched
Creators Dashboard UI, by me
User Testing
Results from testing at the Giants Venue
Building a System
• Created our design library, conducted audits, and adapted visual styles for partner apps without losing brand clarity.
• Kept our brand consistent with internal updates to new branding in our system, and audits after releases
Email blast for new website release
We had many partners so it was important for us to abide by their brand guidelines
Iconography for categories by me
Design audits I did. I'm sure the dev team were not thrilled by my colorful notes.
Highlights & Outcomes
Global User Reach
UI Layout screens created
Partnership with Giants, Sharks, T-Mobile, & Vikings
We got recognized by CIO Review
Reflection
What I learned:
• How to create clarity in complex, unfamiliar spaces
• The importance of asking the right questions early, and often
• That iconography and onboarding are critical in emerging tech
VR buttons for headset created by me
