Vega
Wireless all-in-one 3D Scanner
Role
Product Designer
Platform
3D Scanner
Time
2024 - Present
With the growth of consumer-level 3D scanning demand, users hope to achieve high-precision object scanning through lightweight and portable equipment, free themselve from long long cables and heavy computer.
Objective
Build an all-in-one standalone portable 3D scanner, which can handle scanning small to big objects and also post-processing in scanner itself
Make the software intuitive enough for newbies who's never touched 3D scanner before to easily start using
What I've done
I was responsible of designing both the built-in software of the scanner and the matched software for PC. Here I present the scanner-side software only.
Here're my tasks:
Analyse Requirements
Stakeholder Interview
Brainstorm
Competitive Analysis
Information architecture
Write PRD
UX Design
UI Design
Meetings
Fight with software developers
Tell hardware staff we need everything
Endless Testing
Watch it finally being launched and cry
Key Design Showcase
Reasonable layout suitable for using with both hands
The industrial designer gave it a silicone case with two protrusions that can be used to hold. So the right way to hold this scanner is to grip on those protrusions with both hands.
Therefore, I decided to put those key features on both sides for each thumb to be easily reached.
🎉 Bonus: Even the slider is a circular sector, slide it with your thumb is a very smooth experience.
The Navigation
Initial Plan - You'll see the file list first, then you can click '+' to start scanning
Selected Plan - You'll see the scan page first, then you can reach file list there
A more intuitive way for calibration
The traditional way of calibration is to point the scanner to the center of the calibration board, adjust the angle of the scanner(which has its rules), and move the scanner along the line formed by scanner and board center. At the same time, you have to keep an eye on the PC’s screen, which displays the board and the position your scanner casts on the board. As you move along the line, the scanner will automatically capture images when it hits appropriate height(which, of course, also has its rules).
The hardest part is moving along the line, why? Because you have to keep the angle whilst keep the scanner cast at the center of the board, and also you have to twist your neck in order to look at the computer screen.
Now we have a chance to improve the experience vastly. Here're the 2 key things we did:
Offer users a stand for calibration board
With this angle-calculated stand, there's no need to keep scanner at those hard-to-keep angles. Users just need to hold their scanners horizontally (parallel to the plane where board and stand are placed) and point at the center of the board.
Turn the vertical height indicator into flat circles to represent different height
Just like a AR game. The white circle represents the current height, and blue circle represents the target heights you need to reach. The task for you is to use white circle to eliminate all blue area, then you win the game.
"The scanner is easily calibrated in just a few minutes using the calibration board and stand" —- From one comment
Light&Dark theme to adapt to different environment
You'll never know where your user would take the scanner to, so it's crucial to display the interface clearly in different lighting environment.
For developers to better implement this, I also build a design library. With carefully arranged tokens, both the figma design and the final UI developed can switch theme easily.
🎉 Try clicking the lightbulb on the bottom-right corner
Smooth transition to kill the boring waiting
There're always some actions will take more time to process, so I added a fluid animation and also showed tips for how to better use the scanner while users waiting. (Animation credits to my outstanding visual designer)
🎉 Try clicking 'Apply' on the bottom-right corner
Additionally, the animation echos with the scan opening (oh yeah, starting scan also takes a little time), the colorful flowing light is kind of like a brand throughout the software.
🎉 Try clicking the blue 'Start' on the right
Spread out
Users can tell you how I'm doing
"While the Vega is not necessarily a replacement for an engineering grade metrology scanner, its affordable price and ease of use makes it an excellent all round scanner for most users’ scanning needs" ——@Christopher Pardell
"The user experience is pretty good both on the device itself and the desktop app. They've clearly thought about a lot of things in detail and it's good to see regular improvements to the software that solve bugs and improve the UX" ——@Jof
"The onboard Vega software is intuitive and not being tied to the computer is really convenient" ——@DJ
"It’s been fairly intuitive, well build, and it just looks cool!" ——@RAM
