MelloMind is a subsidiary brand of EsVedra that is focused on providing corporate health experiences. EsVedra is a global community of wellness content creators offering locally-driven, science-backed experiences to users around the world through the EsVedra App.
ISM has partnered with EsVedra to design and develop MelloMind’s VR meditation application. At the initial stage of the project, the product was named EsVedra but as it evolved EsVedra found great potential to make it part of its subsidiary brand, MelloMind. I initially joined the project as an XR designer and after the XR development phase, I was offered the role of the lead product designer.
ISM invested in an initial pilot research phase to explore the concept of VR meditation, leading to the development of a testable prototype before my participation as the VR designer began. The prototype underwent the first round of usability testing, providing valuable insights that served as a solid foundation for our team to envision and design innovative VR experiences. Leveraging the findings from user testing and taking into account VR limitations, we embarked on the next phase, conducting a comprehensive competitive audit to identify market gaps.
ISM and EsVedra collaboratively decided on designing new VR scenes with a different look. We picked themes and moods for these immersive spaces, creating various concepts based on XR research. After discussions with the team to decide on the experience for each scene, including the environment, storyboards, and architecture, we moved on to 3D design and developed them for initial VR testing.
After the initial testing, we fine-tuned the experience and 3D design. We brought the 3D spaces into the Unreal game engine, incorporated environmental sounds and motions. Different videos were created as a mock-up of the experience and were shared with EsVedra for additional feedback. With all the feedback in hand, we made further technical refinements before passing the designs on to the development team.
Following the XR design phase, I took on the role of lead product designer in the project. Given my experience in designing VR scenes, we seized the opportunity to enhance the overall user experience (UX) and user interface (UI), aiming for a consistent design language across the entire product. Our team persisted in refining the design, drawing insights from data gathered during the initial usability testing of the first UI prototype and incorporating feedback from our design review session.
The initial menu UI (created by the previous design team)
Usability testing feedback + our design review notes for the first UI
Insights from the initial usability testing guided our future design decisions. To kick off, we established an initial user flow. Subsequently, we employed a mid-fidelity prototype—a simplified version—for a follow-up round of usability testing. I took on the responsibility of planning and organizing this phase. The primary aim was to:
Usability Testing for the second UI (Mid-fi prototype)
Usability testing feedback from the second UI
To find solutions that are most meaningful to users, it is important to analyze what the competitors are doing in the market. Our strategy involved delving into the approaches our competitors adopted to address the design challenges identified in usability testing. To gain a deeper understanding of their products, we organized sessions for team members to explore each competitor's product using VR headsets.
User feedback and the insights gained from competitor analysis proved invaluable in identifying overlooked aspects of the user flow. This realization coincided with EsVedra unveiling "MelloMind" as the new name for the product. As we progressed with the final UI design, the user flow underwent enhancements and refinements.
Deep user research as well as all the rounds of usability testing helped us find the main challenges and the best solutions to them.
Challenge 1
Solutions
Challenge 2
Solutions
Challenge 3
Solutions
Challenge 4
Solutions
This project was a significant journey, blending my industrial design skills with UX/UI knowledge and expanding my understanding of VR research and design. Designing in VR was quite different from mobile and desktop and heightened my awareness of device limitations.
The pivotal moment of emotionally detaching from a design allowed for clearer user insights, marking the inception of a remarkable product. As we went through rounds of user testing, it became clear that what we initially envisioned didn't always align with how users truly interacted with the product.
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