Case Study: Assurity improves physical space testing with VR research using Optimal Workshop

Assurity improves customs gate layout with Optimal Workshop using VR

Assurity, a New Zealand-based technology delivery consultancy, was recruited by the New Zealand Customs Service to improve passenger flow through customs gates at Christchurch International Airport. Their challenge was to test and research a physical space design without the high cost and disruption of building a physical prototype. They partnered with Optimal Workshop, using its Surveys product to gather qualitative insights during their innovative user research process.

The solution involved using virtual reality (VR) to create an immersive prototype of the customs environment for user testing. Optimal Workshop's tools, particularly Reframer, were used to efficiently capture observations and analyze data from these VR sessions. This approach provided highly valid, immersive feedback that led to direct design changes, including increasing the space after security and dividing it according to the users' preferred layout. The project successfully demonstrated the value of VR testing to the client, providing usable results and proving it as a valuable tool for future work.

Assurity