Description

Teams of 2–4 students (undergraduate teams separate from graduate teams) will design and develop an XR application addressing a real-world engineering problem or need. Projects may focus on either VR or AR—a dual-modality (VR+AR) solution is not required. While teams may draw inspiration from XFactory, they are free to choose any engineering domain as long as they meet the constraints below. Projects must integrate core technical topics and apply human-centered and XR design principles introduced early in the semester (Module A > A2).

Goals

Define and justify a real-world engineering problem suitable for XR intervention.
Apply key XR technical topics (Unity/C# scripting, VR locomotion/navigation/UI, or AR spatial awareness/tracking/anchoring, interaction logic, feedback) appropriate to the chosen modality.
Embed human-centered XR design principles throughout conceptualization, prototyping, and evaluation.
Perform at least one round of internal testing and validation to improve the XR experience.
Communicate design and technical decisions through documentation, presentations, and reflective analysis.
Assess team dynamics via structured peer evaluation to ensure accountability and balanced contribution.

Requirements

Engineering Relevance: Problem must be grounded in an engineering domain (e.g., manufacturing, healthcare, infrastructure, product design, robotics, maintenance, training, remote operation, design visualization).
Modality Choice: Teams may choose VR only or AR only. Dual-modality solutions remain allowed but are not required.
Technical Breadth: Must leverage at least three major technical pillars from the course within the chosen modality.
Real-World Framing: Define stakeholders, users, and articulate the value of the XR solution.
Design Principle Application: Explicitly apply and document human-centered/XR design principles.
Internal Testing and Validation: Conduct one round of testing, collect feedback, and iterate.
Peer Evaluation: All members evaluate each other’s contributions; used in individual assessment.

Deliverables

Week 3: Project Proposal

Problem statement & engineering context.
Target users / stakeholders.
Description of the planned VR or AR system (or both, if the team chooses dual-modality).
Key technical components to be used.
Preliminary rationale for chosen design principles.
Success criteria / evaluation metrics.
Team roles and timeline.

A PDF (≤3 pages) report submitted through Canvas. We will review proposals and provide feedback offline.

Week 7: Midterm Prototype

Working partial implementation showing core functionality in the chosen modality.
Updated design rationale.
Results from the single required internal test (method, participants, findings).
Planned iterations based on feedback.
Evidence of applied design principles to date.
Technical architecture overview.

A prototype submission (platform of the team’s choosing), a report (2–3 pages), and a short video walkthrough (< 5 minutes) submitted through Canvas or a linked platform. GitHub may be used but is not required.

Week 13: Final System + Evaluation

Polished XR component(s) implementing promised features.
Results from testing and iteration.
Design principles assessment with evidence.
Interaction description (if dual-modality).
Technical documentation (architecture, build/run/deploy instructions, limitations).
Deployment guidance (e.g., headset simulation fallback, mobile AR setup).
Final presentation demonstrating the system and its engineering impact.
Team reflection covering collaboration, design/technical trade-offs, and lessons learned.
Individual contribution summary with peer evaluations (structured form).

Code & Repository

Meaningful commit history or version tracking on any platform of the team’s choosing (GitHub optional).
A top-level README or equivalent describing the solution, build/run instructions, and media.
Organized project structure suitable to the chosen modality(ies).
Reports (proposal, midterm, final, reflection) included or clearly linked.

Graduate Extensions

Graduate teams must do the above plus:

Focused Literature Review:
- Select 8–10 recent peer-reviewed papers (IEEE VR, ISMAR, CHI, UIST, DIS, etc.).
- Summarize each (≤250 words) and explain its influence on the design.
Research-Informed Enhancement:
- Implement a research-inspired innovation relevant to the chosen modality.
- Provide comparative insight (baseline vs. enhanced behavior).
Study Design for Validation:
- Formulate hypotheses grounded in the literature.
- Design a structured user study to test them.

Deliverable Checklist

Project proposal + pitch
Midterm prototype + interim report + walkthrough
Final system + evaluation report + presentation
Team reflection + individual peer evaluations
Clean project repository (platform of choice) with clear documentation
(Grad only) Literature summaries, enhancement, structured validation

Logistics

Team formation by Week 2.
Proposal due Week 3.
Midterm deliverable due Week 7.
Final deliverable due Week 13.
Reflection & peer evaluations due Week 14.
Submission via Canvas or linked platform.
Final presentations at end of term; all team members must participate.

Evaluation

Undergraduate Core (100 points)

Problem Framing & Engineering Relevance (10 pts)

Criterion	Description	Points
Real-World Justification	Clear engineering problem, stakeholders, and articulated value of the XR solution.	5
Technical Breadth	Meaningful use of ≥3 course pillars in the chosen modality.	5

Design Principle Application (20 pts)

Criterion	Description	Points
Coverage & Evidence	Principles applied; documented with concrete artifacts.	10
Quality of Interpretation	Thoughtful use of principles in interface, interaction, feedback, transitions (if applicable).	10

Technical Implementation & Functionality (25 pts)

Criterion	Description	Points
Core Features Working	XR application functions as promised and addresses the engineered solution.	10
XR Mechanics	Correct application of techniques appropriate to VR or AR.	10
Code Quality & Organization	Modular design, clean code, maintainability.	5

Usability Testing (10 pts)

Criterion	Description	Points
Testing Round	At least one internal testing iteration.	5
Iterative Response	Evidence that feedback led to improvements.	5

Communication & Documentation (15 pts)

Criterion	Description	Points
Reports & Rationale	Clear articulation of design and evolution.	6
Presentation & Demo	Effective final presentation; working demo.	5
Repository & Instructions	README, build/run guidance, media, versioning.	4

Team Process & Peer Evaluation (15 pts)

Criterion	Description	Points
Collaboration & Roles	Balanced contributions, clear role distribution.	8
Reflection Depth	Insightful analysis of process and challenges.	7

Graduate-Specific (15 points)

Criterion	Description	Points
Literature Integration	Relevance and synthesis of selected literature.	5
Research-Informed Innovation	Novel enhancement grounded in research.	5
Study Design	Structured evaluation aligned with research goals.	5

Submission Instructions

Teams may use any platform (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.) to host and submit code, assets, and documentation.
Tag or organize milestones in a clear versioning scheme.
Include:
- A top-level README or equivalent with build/run instructions, system overview, and media links.
- Organized folders for system components.
- Reports (proposal, midterm, final, reflection) either in the repo or clearly linked.
All reports must also be submitted on Canvas, along with presentation slides and peer evaluations.