Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
Designer Yin She together with Lenovo User Experience Design Group has created Lenovo’s AR Virtual Display Manager, allowing users to create and manage virtual displays using the ThinkReality A3 glasses tethered to their PCs.
Lenovo’s Virtual Display Manager is a simple, intuitive, and purpose-built user interface that allows users to create and manage multiple virtual displays by connecting the ThinkReality A3 glasses to their PCs.
This augmented reality solution increases productivity by enabling users to extend their workspace without compromising physical desk space.
Lenovo’s Virtual Display Managerwas awarded a 2021 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
By viewing the virtual displays within the glasses, users also have the security and privacy they have been seeking in technology, especially in open or public workspaces like at the office or in a café.
This holistic hardware and software solution was designed for users who work while traveling or desire mobility at the office.
Working outside the office environment presents a significant challenge for office workers.
Without multiple external monitors to display content such as data sources, spreadsheets, and even emails, the productivity of these individuals is considerably reduced.
Recreating the office setup in a work-from-home environment is expensive and often physically impossible due to limited space, and moving multiple physical displays as workers move from place to place within or outside these spaces is not practical.
With both default and user-customized pre-sets for various display configurations, users have the flexibility of working however they choose without compromising desk space.
By manipulating 3D space, this solution can scale endlessly, turning your environment into a productivity canvas and replacing the need for physical materials like boards and big-screen TVs.
Rigorously tested across a diverse and inclusive population, the software is equipped with many user controls that provide better and more ergonomic body positions and multiple input modalities that extend its accessibility to a greater user base.
By replacing physical monitors and securing data privacy, Virtual Display Manager is an intelligent, intuitive, and sustainable solution for highly productive users.
Driven by comprehensive user research, AR Virtual Display Manager meets the needs of the target users who seek productivity tools without sacrificing space.
It also addresses the need for more privacy when traveling in public spaces such as airports, planes, and cafes.
The software was rigorously tested throughout development across a diverse and inclusive user population.
Its intuitive interface flattens the learning curve while instant previews combined with ergonomic adaptive display pre-sets, allow users to work comfortably from anywhere.
The software was even tested with users with impaired vision, which drove the addition of several user controls that provide endless flexibility in virtual display adjustments.
Customization and personalization were at the heart of design: Virtual Display Manager provides built-in display pre-sets for users to quickly get started, while customized options allow for more configurations as they gain more experience with the software.
Users can switch between Multi-display, Ultra-wide, and Vehicle modes quickly and easily with a touch of a button.
Τhey can also make adjustments based on these pre-sets, such as changing resolutions, adjusting the depth and space between each display, and even the display viewing angles.
They even have the option to restore the pre-sets to their original settings at any time.
Users can create their own customized pre-sets and add or remove displays based on their hardware capabilities.
Finally, the software works holistically with its hardware components.
The glasses come with a fit kit that allows users to select from a range of temple ends and nose pieces that were tested across various countries and anthropometric scales.
The nose pieces can be further molded to conform to various shapes, sizes, and angles.
This hardware comfort combined with the software flexibility enhances the augmented reality experience.
Each ThinkReality A3 is managed by Lenovo’s ThinkReality Cloud Portal which provides custom configurations, device management, app creation, and app management all from a single location.
IT administrators can manage devices across the world from the comfort of their desks and with intelligent built-in telemetry, have the power to collect important device utilization metrics and insights they have never had access to before.
With the ever-changing workspace, a more global approach to business, and the acceleration of digital transformation, the ThinkReality A3 software modernizes the future of productivity and allows all users to embrace virtual experience through a beautiful and purpose-built design.
Project: Virtual Display Manager
Designers: Yin Shu, User Experience Design, Lenovo
Manufacturer: Lenovo