Before I was building virtual worlds, I was moving pallets in warehouses. Driving a forklift might not sound like a path into immersive tech, but that perspective gave me something a lot of developers miss: a feel for real space, movement, and machines. Now, when I design VR systems, I’m not just coding—I’m recreating that sense of weight, control, and flow.
1. Ground-Level ExperienceWorking on the warehouse floor taught me how people actually move—how turning radius matters, how inertia feels, and how even a small change in visibility can throw you off. I bring all of that into my level design. A control panel in VR isn’t just positioned for aesthetics—it’s placed where it would make sense to reach, even blindfolded.2. Making Movement Make SenseWhen I build thrust or hover systems in Unity, I’m not thinking in units or vectors—I’m thinking, “What would this feel like if I was behind the controls?” Every motion needs to be deliberate, every acceleration curve needs to tell your body what’s coming next. That realism doesn’t come from tutorials—it comes from experience.3. Interfaces You Can TrustWhen you’re handling machinery, you rely on fast, clear feedback. I take the same approach in VR. Whether it’s a flickering light or a slight vibration, I make sure the player always knows what the system is doing. It’s not just immersive—it’s safe.4. Why This Matters for EveryoneYou don’t need to drive a forklift to build better VR—but you do need to think like someone who’s used machines, not just looked at them. That’s how you build interfaces that don’t just work, but feel right.
The jump from factory floors to virtual flight decks might sound wild, but it’s more connected than you’d think. I still love machinery. I just build it differently now. And every time I see someone instinctively reach for a switch in VR, I know I got the feel right.