How to Stay Up To Date With Spatial Design as a UX Designer
How to Stay Up To Date With Spatial Design as a UX Designer
You’re a UX designer looking for ways to expand your skills and stay up to date-with the latest trends. One area that's becoming increasingly important is spatial design. Understanding how people interact with and navigate physical spaces can provide key insights to improve user experiences. The principles of spatial design apply to both digital and physical environments.
In this article, we'll explore ways for UX designers to get into spatial design through self-study, mentorship, and real-world projects. You'll discover resources to learn the fundamentals, find opportunities to gain experience and get tips from UX designers currently working in spatial design.
Learn the Basics of Spatial Design
To begin with, study examples of great spatial design. Check out award-winning spaces, read blogs, watch videos, and more. Better yet, try the experiences yourself. Pay attention to how designers create flow, direct attention, and evoke emotion. Ask yourself, what makes these spaces so effective?
Next, learn the principles. Things like symmetry, hierarchy, rhythm, and balance are key to crafting a seamless spatial experience. Study how alignment, repetition, contrast, and whitespace are used. See how designers apply these principles to lead users through a space.
You’ll also want to understand user psychology. Think about how spaces can influence someone’s mood, stress levels, and behavior. Learn how to make rooms feel open or cozy, exciting or calm. Consider how lighting, furnishings, and decor play into the overall ambiance.
Of course, stay on top of trends. Notice how priorities like wellness, sustainability, and inclusivity are shaping spaces. See the latest uses of color, materials, and technology. While trends come and go, understanding them will make you a better designer.
With the fundamentals down, you can start practicing! Redesign rooms in your home or create concepts for local businesses. Get feedback from designer communities like Design Buddies. Over time, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to take on bigger spatial design projects.
The key is simply diving in and getting your hands dirty. You have so much amazing potential — now go unleash your creativity on the world of spatial design!
Explore Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Tools
As a UX designer, it’s important to stay on the cutting edge of technology and design. Right now, that means exploring augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) tools. These immersive technologies are shaping the future of design and transforming user experiences.
Check out platforms like Unity and Unreal Engine - they offer resources for learning AR and VR development. You can find tutorials to build simple mobile AR apps or full VR environments. Even if you have no coding experience, these platforms have visual scripting tools to help you pick it up.
Bezel is another tool you can try. They make it easy for UX designers specifically to onboard into 3D design with an interface that’s feels familiar with Figma.
Next, get your hands on some hardware. Many public libraries, meetups, and makerspaces offer AR/VR headsets, glasses, and other gear for members to try out. Once you start building AR/VR prototypes, you’ll get a feel for the capabilities and limitations of different devices.
Finally, stay up to date with the latest AR/VR apps, interfaces, and design trends. Follow influential people in the field, join online communities, and experiment with new platforms and tools as they emerge. The technologies and best practices in this space are constantly evolving.
The key is just diving in and trying it out. Even if you start small, building a few simple AR/VR prototypes will give you valuable experience.
We’re also excited to share a workshop to help you dive into spatial design with our friends at XR Bootcamp:
XR Design Case Study: Creating a VisionOS Prototype (Thu Jul 6, 10 am PT (UTC-7)). Enjoy a sweet 67% discount from Design Buddies. Part of the proceeds will go towards Design Buddies so we can help continue to provide resources and community for all.
Stay on Top of the Latest Mixed Reality Advancements
To stay up to date with spatial design as a UX designer, you need to keep a close eye on the latest technologies and trends in mixed reality. Mixed reality blends the digital and physical worlds, and innovations here directly impact spatial design.
Keep learning
Take online courses on platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and Udacity to strengthen your skills in spatial design, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and related fields. Even if you don't work directly with AR/VR in your current role, having a strong understanding of these technologies will make you a better spatial designer.
Stay on top of new tools
New tools for creating immersive experiences are launching all the time. Check sites like Product Hunt, The Verge, and TechCrunch regularly to discover the latest design tools, frameworks, and SDKs for AR, VR, and mixed reality. Experiment with any free trials or beta versions you can get access to.
Follow tech companies
Major tech companies are investing heavily in mixed reality, so follow them to see where the industry is heading. Pay close attention to announcements from companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Apple, and Snapchat regarding AR/VR devices, platforms, and other technologies. Their moves will shape the future of spatial design.
Keeping an eye on all of these areas will help ensure you have a competitive edge as a spatial designer. While it can feel overwhelming, start with following a few industry leaders and tech companies, then build from there. Staying up-to-date with mixed reality advancements will position you for success in this fast-growing field.
Conclusion
While it may seem like unfamiliar territory, the reality is you already have many of the core skills. You just need to start expanding your mindset and toolkit to apply them in new ways.
Stay on top of trends, get out and experience great spatial design in the real world, learn from other disciplines, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
The opportunities in this emerging field are huge. With some proactive work on your part, you’ll be designing innovative spatial experiences in no time and taking your career to the next level. The future is spatial—are you ready to shape it?
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