After the Shift UX306 · Wilfrid Laurier · 2026
Interaction designSpatial UX · Front-end engineering
A seated VR prototype exploring first-responder life after work, through a loved one’s perspective.
Scene 1 of 6: Start at the dinner table. A familiar object gives the participant a concrete action.
After the Shift is a short seated VR experience developed in UX306, Design of Immersive Spaces, in the context of Wounded Warriors Canada. It explores the home experience of a first-responder family through a loved one’s perspective, using everyday objects and a domestic setting.
The work behind the interface
I led the group, built and iterated the ShapesXR prototype, designed spatial layouts, frame transitions, and object interactions, participated in user testing, and developed the showcase website. Teammates contributed research, narrative, audio, presentation work, and client communication.
The documented prototype uses domestic objects, including a dinner plate, to turn a home setting into a sequence of actions. I built the spatial layout and object interactions in ShapesXR.
A familiar object gives the user a concrete action within a sensitive narrative.
I built and iterated frame transitions alongside the scene layout. In the prototype, interaction instructions and narration help establish when an action is available.
The person should know where they are in the experience and what to do next without needing a separate interface lesson.
I developed the project showcase website to connect the prototype with its context and the team’s contributions. The portfolio image is a capture from that documented project.
A reviewer should be able to understand the spatial work even without VR hardware.
Inside the prototype
The coat interaction waits until narration ends. Separating those moments directs attention to one object at a time; timing and discoverability still need headset testing.
Recorded educational prototype. Playback loads only when requested. Watch on YouTube ↗
Outcome & limits
The team created and iterated a ShapesXR experience and a web showcase. My contribution connected team coordination with hands-on spatial prototyping and front-end delivery. The linked project documents the shared work and individual roles.
This is an educational prototype, not a therapeutic intervention. No clinical effectiveness is claimed. The project had multiple versions; this case keeps its claims at the level supported by the documented work rather than combining unverified details from different versions.
Six public prototype captures; scope, not an effectiveness measure
Fahad, Ilhan, Prableen and Shaina; shared narrative and production
ShapesXR lead and project showcase development
Proposed · What I’d explore next
Build an accessible, branching React / TypeScript walkthrough with captions, keyboard choices and an explicit state machine.
Test keyboard completion and caption access; comprehension of the family perspective; qualitative feedback alongside headset comfort testing.
Record a minimal event trace to find confusing transitions. Keep dialogue authored and reviewed. An optional AI debrief could draft reflections within that reviewed material, with clear boundaries and human review. AI is not necessary to the experience. Neither the original prototype nor this proposal establishes therapeutic efficacy.