Vuforia Chalk, PTC’s augmented reality remote assistance platform, allows experts to visually guide technicians through complex procedures with intuitive, spatially-aware annotations. The product enhances real-world collaboration and enables organizations to “rapidly and cost-effectively deliver AR to the hands of service and operations technicians with the mobile devices they have today. My design interfaces improved usability metrics across all platforms. They expanded Vuforia Chalk’s adoption into manufacturing, service, and training environments where hands-free operation and intuitive interfaces are essential for complex equipment maintenance, assembly, inspection, and repair.
In my role, I led UI/UX design across desktop, mobile, and RealWear platforms, creating a cohesive visual language while addressing platform-specific constraints. I collaborated with AR developers, product managers, and field researchers to translate technical capabilities into intuitive experiences, developing consistent UI systems and responsive designs for challenging industrial environments.
Confidentiality: The insights and designs shared in this case study belong to PTC's property while I was employed and reflect some of my contributions to PTC's Vuforia Chalk. Specific details have been modified to protect sensitive information while showcasing my UI design skills.
Project Duration: January 2021- August 2021
Key Partners: RealWear, Microsoft HoloLens
Team: Fas Lebbie, Denni Smith, Dev yamakawa, James Lema
PTC’s Vuforia Chalk, while powerful in its core AR capabilities, continues facing challenges in adoption across different user environments. Building a cohesive experience across its supported devices (iOS 11+ devices, Android 6.0+ devices, and desktop browsers) was at my core day-to-day activities to help the team realize its mission of “increasing workforce effectiveness and efficiency – anytime, anywhere.”
The sections below show some design artifacts for Chalk desktop, mobile, and Realwear. Overall, through deep research across all platforms, I helped improve the design systems through additions of visual language and interaction patterns, improved spatial awareness system that provided clear visual cues about camera movement and position, enhanced annotation system with intelligent object recognition that improved the stability of digital marks on physical objects, along with more precise visual feedback about annotation placement and visibility.
Story Boards
Desktop Expert Interface
Mobile Technician Interface
RealWear Hands-Free Interface
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Designing for cross-platform experiences across web, mobile, and RealWear AR interfaces helps contribute in a small way to expanding adoption to over 1 million enterprise users who incorporated Chalk into their daily workflows. Seeing field technicians complete complex tasks with remote guidance and knowing our work as the design team made the difference between equipment downtime and operational success. The design system I established influences PTC’s approach to AR products, ensuring accessibility and intuitive operation across diverse industrial environments.
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Collaboratively designed the desktop expert interface to enhance usability for remote guidance. Some key features included a streamlined annotation toolset with context-sensitive controls for Chrome and Edge, environmental awareness indicators for optimal camera movement and connectivity, and a split-view layout that maximized the video feed. Additionally, I implemented a connection management dashboard to improve session and participant management.
For mobile, I delivered a technician interface that enhances usability for field technicians. Some key features include edge-anchored controls optimized for one-handed operation, a simplified annotation palette with touch-friendly targets, and a camera guidance system for improved AR tracking. Additionally, I implemented network quality indicators and adaptive streaming controls to ensure seamless performance in manufacturing and service environments.
My work also extended to designing immersive experiences with RealWear’s hands-free interface to enhance usability during service and assembly tasks. Some key features include a voice command visualization system with clear feedback, a minimalist design that maintains field visibility, and high-contrast elements for readability in various lighting conditions. Additionally, I implemented a visual confirmation system for voice commands, improving new technicians’ assistance during training.
