Sure, the final product is neat, but how did we get there?

Jumping into the VR metaverse is overwhelming. I was disappointed to find there are tons of libraries for developers—but very few centralized resources for designers. As creatives, we pride ourselves on our ability to apply design thinking to everything. So, where are all the thought leaders in VR design? There’s little to no consensus around even the most basic design standards—like typography or accessibility.

Basically, VR design is a wild west free-for-all.

However, instead of seeing this as a deterrent, I see it as a call to action. The more we create, the faster we learn. This is an opportunity to define the future web. Here’s a crash course to get started:

1. Know the difference between VR and WebVR

What’s the difference between VR and WebVR? The accessibility of the technology. WebVR doesn’t require any additional (very expensive) equipment to get started. All you need is a laptop, some WebGL chops, and a viewer—like Google Cardboard ($15). We actually did all of our prototyping with a Cardboard and the View-Master Deluxe VR Viewer ($40). WebVR is ideal for applications with light content and short user durations.

Better yet, users don’t even need to visit the app store. With WebVR, you can engage with the experience directly from your smartphone or desktop. Since it lives on the web, not in a native application, all viewers need is a simple hyperlink.