Books

I publish on topics including futurism, extended reality, artificial intelligence, interaction design, game development, and technology culture. Three of my books have been published by Springer Nature / Apress (New York): Unreal for Mobile and Standalone VR (2019), UX for XR (2021), and UX for XR, Second Edition (2026).

UX for XR

User Experience Design and Strategies for Immersive Technologies (Design Thinking, Springer Nature / Apress 2021)
by Cornel Hillmann. Get it on Amazon (link)

This book explores how to extend traditional digital platforms into the emerging field of extended reality (XR) by analyzing best practices, case studies, and industry breakthroughs in AR and VR. It defines and evaluates UX principles tailored for XR, emphasizing spatial cognition, experiential design, and social dynamics. Through real-world examples and prototyping techniques, the book provides a framework for applying UX strategies in immersive environments, highlighting the roles of space, senses, and storytelling in designing effective XR interactions.

Unreal for Mobile and Standalone VR

Create Professional VR Apps Without Coding (Springer Nature / Apress 2019) by Cornel Hillmann. Get it on Amazon (link)

This book guides readers through building VR applications for mobile and standalone head-mounted displays (HMDs) using Unreal Engine. It covers the full VR development process, from production tools and workflows to performance optimization, using two complete projects as learning tools. Designed for media designers and creatives, it emphasizes real-time visualizations and Unreal's blueprint visual scripting system, enabling non-coders to prototype and build interactive VR experiences. With a focus on Android-based VR platforms, the book highlights their growing use in business, entertainment, and education.

UX for XR - Second Edition

User Experience Design and Strategies for Immersive Technologies (Design Thinking, Springer Nature / Apress 2026)
by Cornel Hillmann. Get it on Amazon (link)

This new edition significantly updates and expands the first edition by incorporating recent developments in the field of extended reality. It addresses the Apple Vision Pro, the emerging paradigm of mixed reality head-mounted displays, and includes production examples using tools such as ShapesXR and VR Builder. The extended edition further introduces new chapters that explore the opportunities and challenges of generative AI and vibe coding within design workflows, the growing potential of 3D Gaussian Splatting, Avatar UX, WebXR, and additional real-world design process examples.