In the next few months, I'll be looking a lot more at next-generation technologies that are phasing into the market. In that spirit, I will be taking you along on the journey of exploring what this transition could look like, especially with the apps we use on a daily basis.

The first exploration I'll be doing is a remote friends and devices tracking app inspired by the FindMy app from Apple. There is currently no FindMy app available for VisionOS and Apple Vision Pro doesn't even support FindMy yet. Therefore it's an excellent opportunity to explore how this kind of application could work for a spatial computing environment.

Here are some initial thoughts and ideas:

- Since this app will be designed for VisionOS, I will apply principles from Apple's guidelines to spatial computing.

- The layout and map will retain the familiar windowed format people are used to on phone or tablet applications, as these experiences do not require special immersive or 3D adaptations.

- The one area I'm most excited to explore, however, is the guided location prompts that help users find items that are in their close proximity. Visual cues can be added directly overlaying the location of such items.

Here are some initial sketches and the inspiration from Apple's FindMy application.

The Result

I embarked on developing a concept for an app designed to track both people and devices in a Spatial Computing environment, drawing inspiration from Apple's FindMy app.

Here are the results of that exploration:

I found that certain interface elements, such as the map view and list of people/devices, are best retained in a window format to maintain familiarity and clarity.

When a user wishes to track a specific item, the interface undergoes a transformation, displaying an arrow indicating the direction the user should proceed and the distance to the item. Leveraging augmented reality overlay, the user can be guided to the precise location of the item in 3D space, significantly expediting the locating process.

To bring this concept to fruition, I recognize the necessity for objects to be trackable in 3D space, a capability facilitated by newer ultra-wideband chips which are already installed in many of our devices.

This exploration has allowed me to delve into enhancing existing interfaces for a Spatial Computing context.