PhysioVaping VR
Designing VR software for scientific study
Project Overview
Timeline
May 2025 -
July 2025
Team
Dr. Shu Wei
Roles
VR Design Engineer
Tools
Unity VR
Oculus/Meta VR SDK
Character Creator 4
iClone 8
Skills
VR Development
Interaction Design
Experience Design
Biometrics Integration
Summary
In Summer 2025, I worked at XR Pediatrics (Yale Center for Immersive Technologies in Pediatrics) on a novel VR application designed for an ongoing research study about nicotine use among youth. While the study is still in progress and some details remain confidential, I’d be happy to discuss the design process in further detail in a conversation.
PhysioVaping VR, built for the Meta Quest Pro, immerses participants in interactive scenarios involving vaping. The experience integrates biometric data—such as heart rate, skin conductance, and eye-tracking—to support behavioral research. As the VR developer, I co-designed and implemented the system in collaboration with primary researcher Dr. Shu Wei, contributing to both technical development and iterative user testing.
Problem Statement
Due to the ongoing nature of the study, details about the research problem and findings are currently confidential. The design process and implementation were developed with a focus on behavior, interaction, and social simulation in VR.
Goals and Research
More specifics to come once study is published!
Design Process
Ideation
Utilizing FigJam, we collaboratively sketched out possible VR scenarios, object and character placements, and scene flows to align with research goals. We explored ideas surrounding nicotine use in various contexts and how to simulate them in VR.
Especially with biometrics integration, the scenes were designed in careful consideration of how the tracking of heart rate, eye gaze, and skin conductance would affect the participant's behavior.
More specifics to come once study is published!
User Flow
I created flow charts to map how the participant moves through the virtual space and possible interactions within the given constraints of the study and the environment. The study has specific goals the user must fulfill, and I designed the scene flow so that the participant is pushed to each task, while still having the freedom to explore the space.
More specifics to come once study is published!
Interaction Design
Designing for a VR environment was a unique experience for me. Thinking about UX principles I focused on:
Learning Curve
Lessening shock of VR space for first-time VR users
Quick onboarding and learning process
Immersion
Logical character and interaction placement
Minimal UI, ambient audio, & idle movement
Intuitiveness
Taking advantage of hand and pose tracking in headset
Interactable items are shown to be interactive
I also created flow charts for each interaction to help implementation and programming.
I implemented a gesture-based menu system linked to the left hand, allowing participants to access objectives with a palm rotation, seamlessly blending the interface with the experience.
Proximity-based character interactions were developed to simulate social realism; virtual characters can be spoken to once interacted with, and dynamic spatial audio was developed to convey ambient social cues.
I incorporated world space UI elements, such as buttons and hover states, and sound effects to signify interactable objects and characters in the space.
Prototyping and Implementation
Design
First, I designed and outlined interactions and flows through flow charts and sketches. Taking into account biometrics tracking, room scale, and research aims, I continuously updated the design.
Technical Implementation
Using Unity and Meta VR SDK, I built 3D environments and wrote C# scripts for each flow and interaction of the experience. I used GitHub for version control and worked closely with Dr. Shu Wei in implementation for biometrics data integration.
Iteration
I tested the experience through Quest Pro headset walkthroughs to evaluate spatial layout, scale, and interaction flow. Based on testing, I refined environment features and introduced new systems to improve clarity and immersion.
Character Model Creation
Utilizing existing asset packs, I created 14 distinct characters and associated animations with the Character Creator 4 + iClone 8 pipeline to simulate social environments in VR.
Validation
User Testing
Guided by user-centered design principles, our team conducted a focus group with the target demographic to refine simulated social interactions and contextual cues within the VR experience.
More specifics to come once study is published!
Results
Final Design
The final version of PhysioVaping VR is currently undergoing user testing, with a pilot study scheduled for Fall 2025.
Lessons Learned
Iterate, iterate, iterate — With each run-through in the Meta Quest headset, new pain points, issues, and bugs were found, guiding continuous improvement.
Design for maximum immersion — In VR, environmental immersion and intuitive interaction are key to providing results for research goals and decreasing discomfort for participants
Impact
Upon completion, the study is intended for submission to peer-reviewed journals focused on digital health, immersive technology, or adolescent behavior.
