This question has been bothering me for a while now. What would it take for a AR OS to make us consider that switch.

Release of Meta SDK Interaction kit finally guided me towards the solution. It gave us the ability to use an index finger as a touchpad – so, we have physical feedback, precision, and a set of gestures we know well from our phones.

I just had to create a project that would give me a glimpse into the future of AR.

I built a prototype in Unity, relying on Meta XR SDK, running on Quest 3.

Swiping sideways on your index finger, with your thumb, translates perfectly to multitasking interactions we have on mobile – swiping the bottom of the screen to switch/close apps.

To replace our phones AR interfaces need to get more comfortable, this is definitely a good start.

With the multitasking out of the way, keyboard was the next blocker to deal with. Data input is a serious problem in AR. To improve the experience of typing I came up with a Palm Keyboard.

Typing on your palm, feeling the resistance of your hand while pushing a button is a game changer.

The gesture of bringing up the UI simulates the act of picking up a phone. It makes using the app intuitive. Grabbing the UI to switch hands or to show it to another AR users (share your screen) is another example of making interactions more natural.