Andrea Silverman
Case Study: Designing Metaverse AR Wearables
to Shape Real-World Headset Innovation
Why Simulating AR Wearables in the Metaverse Matters
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The rise of augmented reality (AR) wearables is transforming how people interact with digital content in real life.
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However, testing and refining AR interfaces in the real world is expensive, slow, and often lacks user diversity.
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The Metaverse offers a low-risk, high-iteration environment to simulate AR wearables, allowing us to test UI/UX interactions before real-world manufacturing.
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This case study explores how designing fashionable and sporty AR headsets in a virtual space can inform the development of real-world AR headsets.
Understanding User Needs for Future AR Wearables
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AR headsets in the real world often fail due to poor UI design, lack of intuitive controls, or missing key features users want.
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Traditional user testing methods require expensive prototypes and limited real-world environments.
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The Metaverse provides an ideal space to test how users naturally engage with AR wearables in various digital environments, such as fashion districts, sports arenas, or social spaces.
Key Research Questions:
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What icons, UI elements, and experiences do users want in an AR headset?
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How can we simulate real-world interactions using Metaverse-based AR wearables?
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What design principles can we extract to apply to real-world AR devices?
Virtual Prototyping and User Simulation
Phase 1: Concept Design in the Metaverse
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Developed two core concepts:
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Fashionable AR Headset: For users interested in styling, virtual shopping, social sharing, and beauty.
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Sporty AR Headset: For fitness-focused users seeking vitals tracking, coaching, safety alerts, and group workouts.
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Created holographic UI mockups showcasing realistic, meaningful icons and overlays.
Phase 2: User Interaction Simulations
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Deployed headset concepts in simulated environments:
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Shopping district in Decentraland for Metaverse Fashion Week.
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Observed:
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Which icons and gestures users gravitated toward.
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How users navigated virtual environments with contextual overlays.
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Emotional engagement, usability, and request for features.
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Phase 3: Insight Analysis and Real-World Translation
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Clustered feedback around preferences and frustrations.
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Identified high-value features such as:
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Gesture-based control.
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Real-time AI feedback.
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Customizable interface design.
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Social elements like leaderboards and AR emotes.
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Compared findings with known AR development challenges.
Findings and Design Insights
Key Takeaways from User Behavior
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Users prefer floating UI elements over fixed HUDs for a more natural experience.
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Gesture-based interactions (pinch, swipe, tap) feel more intuitive than traditional buttons.
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Customizable UI layouts (like color themes and widget placement) increase user satisfaction.
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Live AI coaching for fitness was a highly desired feature in the sports headset.
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Social interactions (sharing outfits, leaderboards, emoji reactions) significantly increased engagement.
Design Principles for Real-World AR
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Lightweight, modular UI is preferred – avoid overwhelming users with too many elements at once.
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Context-aware notifications (e.g., “Turn left in 500 feet” appearing only when needed) reduce visual clutter.
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Haptic feedback and voice control integration improve usability for hands-free experiences.
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Real-time AR overlays for navigation and shopping provide functional value beyond entertainment.
The Metaverse as a Sandbox for AR Evolution
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Using the Metaverse to test AR wearables allows designers to experiment with interactions before investing in expensive hardware.
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By observing how users engage with virtual AR headsets, we can refine UI/UX principles for real-world devices.
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This approach accelerates development, reduces costs, and ensures that AR headsets align with user expectations.
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Future work: Expanding simulations to mixed reality spaces, integrating AI-driven personalization, and applying findings to AR hardware production.
Icons and features commonly used in health apps, smartwatches, and fitness wearables. Health & Vital Tracking Menu: Heart Rate Monitor ❤️ – Displays beats per minute (BPM) Blood Oxygen (SpO2) 🌬️ – Oxygen saturation tracking VO2 Max 🏃♂️ – Measures maximum oxygen consumption ECG (Electrocardiogram) 📊 – Heart rhythm monitoring Body Temperature 🌡️ – Tracks changes in temperature Hydration Reminder 💧 – Alerts to drink water Stress Levels 😌 – Measures stress via heart rate variability Activity & Performance Metrics Menu: Step Counter 👣 – Tracks daily steps Calories Burned 🔥 – Measures energy expenditure Distance Traveled 📏 – Tracks miles/km run or cycled Speed & Pace ⚡ – Displays current running/biking speed Cadence Sensor 🏃♀️ – Measures steps per minute Elevation Gain ⛰️ – Tracks altitude changes Recovery Time ⏳ – Predicts needed rest after workouts Power Output ⚡ – Measures energy exertion for cycling or lifting Training & Coaching Menu: AI Coach 🧠 – Provides real-time feedback and workout guidance Workout Plans 📅 – Displays structured exercise routines Drill Challenges 🎯 – Suggests goal-based tasks (e.g., “Shoot 10 free throws”) Live Running Form Checker 🏃♂️📏 – Helps improve posture & technique Obstacle Warning ⚠️ – Alerts for potholes, sudden turns, or traffic Tactical Strategy 📊 – Suggests game tactics for team sports Breathwork Training 🌬️ – Guides deep breathing for endurance Smart Notifications & Motivation Menu: Personal Best Alert 🏆 – Celebrates new records Streak Counter 🔄 – Tracks workout consistency Cheer Mode 🎉 – AI coach or friends send virtual high-fives Leaderboard 📈 – Ranks progress among friends or competitors Achievement Badges 🥇 – Rewards for milestones Live Progress Sharing 📡 – Allows friends to track workouts in real-time Music & Entertainment Menu: Music Playback 🎵 – Control playlist & volume Beat-Synced Running 🏃🎶 – Adjusts music tempo to match pace Podcast Mode 🎙️ – Plays motivational or instructional audio White Noise 🌊 – Helps focus during workouts Virtual Race Mode 🏁 – Compete with AI or real people Navigation & Safety Menu: GPS Route Mapping 🗺️ – Guides runners, cyclists, or hikers Emergency SOS 🚨 – Sends distress signals with location Fall Detection 📉 – Alerts contacts if a fall is detected Auto-Pause ⏸️ – Stops tracking when user rests Night Mode 🌑 – Enhances visibility for nighttime workouts Traffic Alerts 🚦 – Warns of cars, pedestrians, or terrain changes Recovery & Wellness Menu: Stretching Guide 🧘 – Provides cooldown exercises Foam Rolling Assistance 🎾 – Suggests muscle recovery techniques HRV (Heart Rate Variability) 📊 – Tracks stress and recovery Mindfulness & Meditation 🧘♂️ – Helps with post-workout relaxation
Future Expansion for Digital Drip Wearable Line
Prototypes exploring movement, self-expression, and digital fashion in Decentraland.
Project Overview:
Initially for Metaverse Fashion Week 2025, I was focused on creating a diverse wearable line including hair, bodysuits, headsets and emotes. While I plan to explore that line next, the time crunch that I had for this event, along with teaching myself Blender, and weight painting reduced the amount of time left to create. Instead, I chose to focus on headsets. The prototypes below reimagine digital fashion by introducing animated wearables that evolve with the user, creating a fluid, ever-changing identity in the Metaverse. This project explores how avatars can break free from static appearances, instead becoming hyper-personalized canvases that shift, glitch, and transform in real time.
In traditional fashion with gravity as a design factor, movement is organic—fabric flows, textures shimmer, and garments respond to the body. In Decentraland, wearables are typically static. This project bridges the gap, using animated textures, emission effects, and layered transparency to create the illusion of dynamic movement within the constraints of Decentraland’s wearable system.
Design & Technical Approach
Goal: To simulate animation on wearables in Decentraland, this prototype uses:
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UV scrolling → A shader-inspired trick that moves textures across the surface, creating a continuous effect (e.g., dripping paint, cascading circuits).
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Emission maps & transparency layering → Used to create glowing neon elements and the illusion of disappearing/reappearing textures.
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Emote Activation → Wearables can adapt and transform.
By combining these techniques, the wearable achieves a visually compelling animated effect—a step toward more interactive and responsive digital fashion.
Key Features & Innovations
🔹 Holographic Dripping Fabric – A bodysuit that mimics melting circuits, shifting in color and pattern dynamically.
🔹 Glitch-Responsive Motion – Textures that "flicker" or shift as the avatar moves, symbolizing identity in flux.
🔹 Augmented Reality Overlays – Transparent elements that display floating holograms or Metaverse maps.
🔹 Neon Pulse Effects – Integrated glow mechanics that react to user motion.
🔹 Infinite Customization – Modular outfit elements that allow for real-time transformations.
Challenges & Learnings
Decentraland does not currently support fully rigged animations for wearables, meaning traditional movement (like cloth physics) is not possible. This prototype circumvents that limitation by using animated textures, transparency tricks, and scrolling UVs to create an illusion of dynamic motion.
A key challenge was balancing visual complexity with Decentraland’s polygon and material limitations. By creating a body suit to maximize the polygon count, optimizing textures and using low-resource animation techniques, the design maintains performance while still pushing the boundaries of what wearables can do.