AllyChat
An AI-powered VR job interview training tool designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
3D + UI Design
TAMU Innovation X 2022-2023
About the TAMU Innovation X Program
Project Overview
"Developing Inclusive AR/VR Environments for People with Disabilities: Leveraging Multi-sensory Immersive Technology and Machine Learning"
Studies have shown that VR can be a valuable tool for offering support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across different aspects of their lives. Similarly, chatbots and conversational agents hold promise in improving competence training and well-being management for this particular user group.
While AllyChat can technically be used for any topic of conversation, our objective for this project was to make an inclusive job interview practice tool dedicated to individuals with these disabilities.
Virtual Environment Implementation Process
During the planning phase of the AllyChat VR application, we placed significant emphasis on the design and ambiance of the virtual environment to ensure its suitability as an effective job interview training tool. We explored three distinct directions: a cozy living room, a bustling cafe-style setting, and a professional office-lounge area. The living room aimed to foster a relaxed atmosphere, while the cafe-style setting offered the advantages of a more public space. Ultimately, we struck a balance by opting for an office-lounge environment that could replicate a semi-public/private space, accommodating both casual conversations and formal job interviews. To promote open communication, warm tones and natural lighting were chosen to create a calm setting. This versatile scene was thoughtfully designed to meet the project's diverse needs, and provided a lifelike atmosphere for interviewees to practice job interviews with a companion.
Virtual Character Implementation Process
When brainstorming what we wanted our virtual character to look like, we had to be very intentional with our decisions, as they would be the main source of eye contact in our application. Studies have demonstrated that the style and appearance of virtual characters can have a significant factor on a user's behaviors, interactions, and emotions in virtual environments. A very realistic character may evoke a negative reaction and disrupt the feeling of immersion, as its robotic movements/behavior could clash with its human-like appearance (often recognized as the "uncanny valley" phenomenon). On the contrary, an overly cartoon-ish appearance could also be dissonant with our project, especially considering the fact that this is a job interview practice simulator.
After experimenting with different models and testing them with the Aggie ACHIEVE students, Our team agreed to implement a semi-stylized character model, that seemed to be a good fit for our scenario. I then went ahead and edited its skeleton rig to make the body proportions a bit more realistic.
Designing the UI
I designed the basic UI components for opening the application and interacting with the virtual character. Although this wasn't fully implemented by the end of the project term, we were able to incorporate some of the elements into our working application and hold it as a reference for future development.
