Adobe: PDFs in Virtual Reality

Overview:

During the course of my internship at Adobe, I explored and developed different methods for experiencing PDF text and image content in Virtual Reality (VR). I worked independently on this project, with my managers serving as mentors.

Duration:

May 23, 2016 - August 12, 2016

Summary:

VR technologies pose a new engaging and immersive paradigm for experiencing content. Most current VR applications focus heavily on imagery and visuals and give limited consideration to the role that text plays in these environments. Given this, I explore different possible experiences of PDF content in VR. The final prototype shows the different ways in which text interaction can occur to enhance a VR content experience, ultimately modeling new VR experiences for users to consume and interact with.

 
 

Approach

I explored methods for:

  • Selecting content for VR experiences

  • Dropping PDF pages into VR

  • Showing document text vs. social media annotations 

  • Indicating reading status

  • Consuming text

 

 

  • Enhancing readability

  • Performing scrolling

  • Using gaze 

  • Placing text

  • Creating a discovery experience in VR

  • Navigating within a VR scene and between multiple scenes

 

This video walks through specific interactions and features established while exploring the idea of PDFs in the Virtual Reality space.

Outcome:

  • Designed a high-fidelity prototype that illustrates how PDF text can enhance a VR content experience, ultimately modeling new VR experiences for users to consume and interact with.

  • Produced patent worthy results - Pending Patent: Methods and Systems for Generating Virtual Reality Environments from Electronic Documents.