How Do You Deal with Navigation Challenges in Mixed Reality Spaces?

I’ve been experimenting with some creative ways to navigate in mixed reality (MR) spaces, and I’ve hit a bit of a wall. My goal is to make my experience within these environments feel as seamless and intuitive as possible. For context, I love exploring AR features, but sometimes I find myself getting confused about directions, especially when trying to move between virtual and real-world alignments.

Here’s where I’m coming from: I recently came across the concept of an online compass, which inspired me positively. An online compass, often called a “compass for browser,” is a digital tool that helps users identify directions directly through a web browser. It uses device sensors to determine orientation and provides simple but accurate directional guidance. This concept intrigued me because it seems like a tool that could bridge the gap between understanding real-world and virtual spatial alignment in MR experiences.

One challenge I’m facing is how to ensure I’m moving in the right direction without breaking immersion. For example, when I’m exploring a virtual world layered onto my physical surroundings, I sometimes lose track of where I am in real life. This can be disorienting, especially when there are overlapping elements like sound cues or visual markers that don’t align perfectly with what’s around me. Has anyone else experienced this kind of issue?

I’ve tried a few different techniques, like slowing down and focusing more on my physical environment, but I feel like I’m still missing something. I wonder if there’s a smarter way to handle this—or maybe I just need to think about navigation from a totally different perspective.

For anyone who’s dealt with similar situations, how do you stay oriented without feeling like you’re constantly pausing to recalibrate yourself? Are there specific tools or techniques that have worked for you when navigating MR spaces? Or is it more about adopting a mindset or practice that I haven’t thought of yet?

Hi Natia,

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns and your personal experience with AR/MR.

Something I believe would be beneficial to resolve the feelings of disorientation would be to have a minimap that shows your cardinal direction along with where you’ve traveled from the beginning of the experience. Minimaps are something often seen in video games to orient your virtual avatar and keep track of where objects and entities are in relation to your current position. I foresee that one could work quite well being reimplemented in an AR application.

How would you do so? We offer something called the World Pose System that combines GPS, compass heading, and internal tracking data to create an accurate representation of where the user device is in geographical coordinates (real world space).

Let me know if you need additional clarification or have any other questions or concerns!

Kind regards,
Maverick L.