Here’s what Apple’s developer guidelines about Vision Pro show us. Developer Steve Moser took to Twitter to analyze the guidelines. Vision Pro has a Visual Search feature that can identify items, copy printed text, and more and it is a part of Camera and not Spotlight search as Moser expected.
Visual Comfort
To ensure that wearing Vision Pro for a longer duration does not cause motion sickness, Apple has advised developers to use visual cues like dimming, spatial audio, and gentle transitions. The company wants to “pay attention to visual comfort”. Other measures that Apple has asked developers to take for visual comfort include displaying content within a user’s field of view, supporting indirect gestures, avoiding overwhelming motion, and not encouraging excessive movements. This is quite opposite to what we have seen in other AR/VR headsets like Meta Quest that encourage physical activity.
Shared activities
Apple emphasized on not making users feel alone while they are using Vision Pro and the same is reflected in their developer guidelines. Developers have been asked to facilitate shared activities using features like SharePlay. An immersive experience is one of the major focuses of Vision Pro. Hence, Apple says developers must design apps with immersive experiences in Apple Vision Pro. But, at the same time, shared Space for multitasking should be offered & a full Space for focused content.
Spatial Layout
Some XR headsets keep the content in front of the users even when they are not interacting with it. Apple doesn’t want it. The Vision Pro developer guidelines say “Center content within a user’s field of view for a comfortable experience. Anchor content in space instead of the user’s head for natural interaction, and use depth to create lifelike visuals with hierarchy.” Also, Apple has advised developers to use visual cues like shadows and occlusions for offering a natural depth perception. But, developers must overuse such elements. “It should add value, especially in separating large elements. Avoid adding depth to text.”
Privacy
Apple has also focused on privacy in the developer guidelines. Cupertino giant says visionOS doesn’t share where users are looking. System components notify when users interact with them. The developers must design apps for accessibility & visual comfort by ensuring that needed objects are within the field of view.
