In the last several years AR, VR, and MR have gained popularity as platforms for gaming, entertainment, education, and even home design.

As a User Experience designer who mostly prototypes for Web and Mobile, I was interested in exploring these new interfaces.

After attending  a lecture at UCLA Extension, in which I was exposed to various AR/ VR technologies and products, I understood that despite the significant technological developments, such virtual experiences are still quite premature and new to our world, and the user experience might be problematic and difficult in terms of how our body reacts to it: 

Users have complained that Virtual Reality headsets caused them headaches and nausea, and thus the experience is usually limited to up to 30 minutes; Augmented Reality is mostly implemented in mobile applications, and users need to hold up their device as if taking a photo, of which they will probably get tired after several minutes.

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A new development that has caught my eye is the AR Smart Glasses, which are still in the development stages by Apple. Source 

The design has not been released yet, but many bloggers try to predict how it might look and function - lightweight, minimalistic, fashionable, and will probably be synced with users’ smartphones or smart watches. Source

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Bearing this in mind, I came up with an idea for a hiking interface that will both guide and educate users who enjoy exploring nature.

As a person who loves traveling all around the world, it is important for me to know where I am located and what I am seeing.

If the AR Glasses technology will be as developed and as predicted, I believe it may be precisely the appropriate platform for my concept.

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My vision is to create a product that would allow users to explore the wonders of nature without feeling as if they travel in a virtual world.

The app will include exploring, navigating, and voice detection features; these would be customizable by users to allow for minimal distraction while hiking.

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