Valkure — VR Cybersecurity UX Research
case studyUX Researcher + Interaction Designer — room acquisitions, participant incentives, usability test questions, and data coding. 10-week capstone, team of 4 at University of Washington HCDE.
screens
Capstone research poster — HCDE @ University of Washington, Spring 2022
Academic capstone project — University of Washington HCDE Spring 2022
the problem
Cybersecurity professionals rely on fast-moving log files and 2D visualizations to monitor networks. VR Ulysses built Valkure — a 3D spatial environment for network security — but had no usability data on whether professionals would actually find it valuable or integrate it into their workflow.
The research question: how could Valkure be improved to best suit what cybersecurity professionals deem valuable?
the process
the solution
Current Product Recommendations
- — Condense node separation to reflect the OSI model more intuitively
- — Surface contextual vulnerability information with clear severity and remediation steps
- — Fix contrast and legibility issues inaccessible to users with any vision variation
- — Anchor info popups to the user's viewing position rather than the node's location
- — Support multi-source consultation through a VR HUD or background 'monitors'
Strategic Recommendation
- — Pivot Valkure's target audience from industry professionals to newcomers in the field
- — Professionals found the 3D visualization novel but couldn't justify replacing existing tools
- — Students found it intuitive, explorable, and more engaging than 2D network diagrams
- — Points to a strong educational use case
timeline
key features
