The Visionary Series: Ali Heston
When it comes to the next steps in mixed reality, no one is better positioned to make the calls than Ali Heston, who works at the seam of UX, AR, and VR at Niantic.
Ali is a literal visionary in that she builds out UX visual systems for AR and VR at Niantic. She has a stacked resume in the mixed reality space, having had experience across consulting and cutting edge companies in this burgeoning industry. Even though the potential of malicious users keeps her up at night, she is inspired by a bright future in the mixed reality world which will not only create unprecedented experiences, but make them more accessible to more people around the world.
Let’s hear from Ali!
What do you do for your work, and how did you first get involved?
I’m a UX Designer that works specifically at the intersection of AR/VR and games. I’ve been involved in the VR/AR space for quite some time across consulting and industry roles. My career initially started due to my interest in digital art as well as communication and culture because a good portion of my initial undergraduate college courses were in creating 3D art as well as learning about anthropology and psychology of people. I fell in love with both, and once I found out about human-computer interaction I immediately switched my major knowing it was a perfect fit for my interests. Early on, I experimented with CAAVE systems, tried out an Occulus DK2, and fell in love with VR shortly after that. I graduated in 2017 with a VR project and knew that I wanted to work more in design.
I kept talking with individuals in the industry. There was actually a Facebook Group for women in VR/AR, and that community not only taught me a lot, but built out my network across people in tech hubs across the country.
Because AR and VR hardware is currently unfamiliar to a large amount of consumers, a good portion of my job is making sure that users or players feel comfortable with using and performing actions in this unknown space. This includes onboarding people to input controls, which means I have to keep up to date in terms of controllers, hand tracking, and other peripheral support that a piece of hardware might offer. Not only that, but the tech makeup behind Oculus, Hololens, and Magic Leap input all have different capabilities and constraints. Because of this, input like hand tracking that might have similar underlying technology will have a different form of interaction design on each platform since they require an adherence to different design standards set by that hardware.
What are you most excited about in your space/industry? What's most transformative? What are you most worried about?
I’m most excited about the opportunity for this technology to help people in a vast multitude of ways. These technologies force designers to think about the holistic human experience in terms of their physical abilities, sensory abilities, cognitive abilities, spatial environment, etc. In its design, we have the opportunity to not only recognize the vast array of human ability, but also help those that have been stereotypically neglected or left behind in the past. We can use this technology for overt good in helping humans connect to one another in ways they couldn’t before, and I think that’s amazing.
To that, however, is the negative side of innovation. Never before have we as digital agents had power over other people’s physical environments. The repercussions of that is huge, and it scares me so much given what we have seen happen in the social media world. People often think of the “inexperienced” user, but we also have to think of the malicious user as well - those that can and will harm other people. Technology creators, now more than ever, are responsible for a deeper layer of malicious usage of that data as well. Human data and environmental data that is private and personal to our users will be used for capitalistic gain, some good and some bad. As the industry grows, we need to be able to protect and inform users of how their data is being used, often against them, and it’s a huge responsibility. I think about this a lot because it is a huge responsibility, and I’m dedicated to finding solutions in this space.
When you think about the industry, what do you think will happen in the short term that will absolutely blow people’s minds? What changes do you think will take longer than expected?
A hard question! I think in the short term we’ll see more convergence between overt AR experiences and VR experiences. Currently deemed “passthrough VR” the line between what is distinctly AR and what is distinctly VR will start to blur much more quickly than most realize. I think what will take longer than expected is a solidification of design standards. Often I talk to people interested in “how to do design for VR/AR” and the truth is this is a very quickly-evolving space where design is constantly changing based on not just the type of app or experience your user is invested in, but the platform as well. Solidification of design only really occurs when there is a solidification of platform standards for hardware and input - and I don’t think that will happen any time soon.
What’s been the most interesting or inspiring experience you’ve had (both before your current job and the path you've been on to get to where you are)?
I think the most inspiring experiences I’ve had are with the VR/AR community at large. I come from the midwest and am originally from Indiana, and so early on, most of my opportunities for communicating with people invested in the intersection of VR/AR were online. I got the opportunity to meet people at hackathons, game jams, conferences, etc. Through these experiences, I was able to learn about their unique experiences and it inspired me to learn and grow more. I’m constantly amazed by the work that people are creating to advance this industry step by step.
Who are your mentors? How and why do they inspire you?
I have a lot of different mentors, but there are a few that truly inspire me.
The first is Steve Lukas; when I was starting out initially in this industry he saw my passion and drive and brought me on as a designer for his multiplayer AR drawing application. He was the first person to believe in my potential and for that I will be forever grateful.
The second is Reginé Gilbert; an amazing designer, professor, and author that has been at the forefront of the intersection of tech innovation and accessibility. She inspires both myself and so many other people to think beyond the realm of the stereotypical user and advance our thoughts into designing for others.
The third is Timoni West; an amazingly talented individual who has advanced my thoughts around spatial and input design. They have been a wonderful mentor in my journey to understanding VR/AR holistically and I would not be the designer I am today without them.