
Please give us an overview of your background, what inspired you to get into immersive tech, and your journey into the VR industry.
While in college, I majored in computer science and worked as a full-stack engineer intern at a company. Halfway through school, I realized my passion was in design, which led me to transition my major to UX & Product design. My journey into the VR industry began shortly after graduating college in 2016 when I attended a hackathon and had the opportunity to use the Oculus Rift and motion leap technology, creating an extraordinary immersive experience. This pivotal Moment XR sparked my obsession with virtual reality and its vast potential for learning and exploration.
Leveraging my background in design and a deep understanding of spatial relationships, I co-founded MomentXR, a company dedicated to making 3D designs more accessible for extended reality (XR) creators. In addition, we aimed to simplify and streamline the creative process for those working within the XR industry.
Eventually, I relocated to Barcelona to work for a pioneering virtual reality game studio called Mega Particles. The studio has been developing VR experiences since 2014 and has released an initial version of a game called Poker VR for the Gear VR platform. My role involved redesigning the game to incorporate hand tracking and 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) functionality, significantly enhancing the immersive qualities of the experience.
Aspiring to create mixed-reality art installations capable of transforming physical spaces using VR tools, I ventured into freelancing and artwork. My vision involved designing multi-user experiences allowing participants to explore these digital realms together. However, the onset of the pandemic derailed these plans, and I shifted my focus to remote collaboration solutions.
I joined a company called Arthur, which offered a virtual reality office platform designed for enterprise meetings and collaboration. As a designer, I spent nearly two years with Arthur, helping to develop and refine various features to create a seamless, fully digital office space. Our work attracted diverse clients, and we built some genuinely innovative features during my tenure.
Eventually, Inga from ShapesXR approached me, and I became one of their first beta testers. ShapesXR is a tool to address the fundamental challenge of designing within XR environments. The most effective way to design for XR is to create within the medium, and ShapesXR embodies this philosophy. As a result of my professional experience and the skills I gained at MomentXR, I was well-equipped to contribute to developing and refining ShapesXR’s innovative design tools.