This week, we have improved the Paint Room Experience in preparation for participating in ETC’s Playtest Day every semester. In this test, nearly 8 groups of testers participated in our team’s testing and systematically verified the currently implemented content, mainly for the Paint Room Experience, including the previously mentioned Jim Experience.
During the Playtest process, we collected feedback by observing and inviting participants to fill out questionnaires, which is of great value for subsequent optimization. One of the more obvious problems lies in the design of the physical prop frame: the decorative cloth strips on the frame may sometimes prevent the user from inserting their head into the frame. This physical obstacle to some extent changes the interactive intuition of the experiencer, making them more inclined to use only their hands to directly manipulate the props in the painting, rather than immersing themselves in observation by inserting their head into the painting as we originally envisioned. In response to this issue, we plan to adjust the frame structure in subsequent iterations to reduce unnecessary interference and guide users back to the expected interaction design.
In addition, we have further validated the limitations of AprilTag in practical use during testing. Due to the influence of viewing angle on recognition performance, there may be alignment errors between virtual content and real space in some cases. Although this issue is difficult to completely avoid under current technological conditions, its impact on immersion is significant. Considering that our project is a mixed reality experience that emphasizes the fusion of virtual and real worlds, precise alignment between virtual objects and the real environment is crucial. Therefore, we have begun exploring alternative solutions and optimization strategies in order to achieve a better balance between stability and accuracy.
Overall, this Playtest Day not only helped us verify the feasibility of the current design but also exposed several key experience issues. Next, until the Soft Opening, we will focus on optimizing interaction details and spatial alignment accuracy, and plan to conduct additional public testing next week to continuously improve the overall smoothness and immersion of the experience.