spatial-ux

Spatial UX

When to Use

When designing the spatial organization of content, navigation, or interaction in a 3D environment.

Core Jobs

1. Spatial Hierarchy

Establish importance through space:

• Proximity: close = relevant, far = background
• Scale: larger = more important (use carefully — very large objects in AR can feel threatening)
• Height: eye level = primary, above = secondary, below = tertiary
• Depth order: foreground vs background as organizational principle

2. Depth Cues for Clarity

Human depth perception cues to leverage:

• Occlusion: objects in front block objects behind (strong depth cue)
• Perspective foreshortening: farther objects appear smaller
• Atmospheric perspective: subtle blur/haze on distant objects
• Drop shadows: helps objects read as floating vs embedded in world
• Motion parallax: objects at different depths move differently with head movement

3. Navigation Design

In spatial environments:

• Teleportation (VR): reduces motion sickness, but loses sense of scale
• Smooth locomotion (VR): immersive, causes sickness for some users — offer both
• Physical movement (AR/MR): user walks naturally — design for walkable spaces
• Waypoints and maps: spatial environments need orientation aids (landmarks, minimap)

4. Environmental Storytelling Through Space

• Use lighting to direct attention (bright = look here)
• Use sound spatially (audio cue from the direction of important events)
• Negative space as breathing room — don't fill every cubic meter

Key Outputs

• Spatial hierarchy diagram
• Depth cue specification
• Navigation design (locomotion approach)
• Environmental UX guidelines

Anti-Patterns

• Flat 2D thinking applied to 3D space (all elements at same Z depth)
• No waypoints in large environments (users get lost)
• Only smooth locomotion in VR (excludes users with motion sensitivity)
• Overloading spatial cues (too many competing visual signals)