Project Overview:
Beneath the contemporary surface of Humber College territory are histories of belonging that have been erased, overlooked, contested, and forgotten. This project is to help Humber College with their Land Acknowledgement to provide an influential way of recognizing the histories and heritages of the land and increase awareness about the unique and enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and traditional territories, including practices and spiritualities that continue to develop in relationship with a place today. For this project, I focused on the ecological heritages around the Humber River with a focus on their relations with indigenous communities living there.
Based on the research, five key opportunity areas for this project were identified:
- Educational Engagement:
- Opportunity to create an engaging and fun educational experience for users through gamification, making it enjoyable and memorable for users to learn about the Humber River's ecosystem and history.
- Interactive Learning:
- Opportunity to leverage interactive elements to teach users about indigenous peoples, ecology, history, and navigation using waterways, providing a hands-on learning experience.
- Cultural Acknowledgement:
- Opportunity to incorporate indigenous languages and cultural elements respectfully, acknowledging the heritage and contributions of indigenous communities to the Humber River area.
- Environmental Awareness:
- Opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the Humber River ecosystem and understanding its ecological significance through interactive simulation.
- Branding and Visibility:
- Opportunity to reinforce Humber College's branding and visibility through this innovative VR experience, showcasing the institution's commitment to cutting-edge education and community engagement.
Research, Competitive Analysis, Inspiration:
We have drawn inspiration from a variety of successful VR and AR experiences, such as Titanic VR, Kayak VR, Pokemon Snap, and Driftscape.
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Titanic VR
- Exploring the Wreckage: You take on the role of Dr. Ethan Lynch, an archaeologist, tasked with exploring the wreckage of the Titanic at the bottom of the North Atlantic. You pilot a submersible vehicle, navigating the exterior of the ship and potentially completing missions like recovering artifacts or filming a documentary.
- Witnessing the Sinking: This experience puts you in the shoes of a survivor onboard Lifeboat 6 during the night of the disaster. You'll witness the chaos and tragedy unfold from a first-person perspective, hearing the sounds and conversations of those around you.
Kayak VR
Kayak VR Mirage offers a visually stunning and immersive kayaking experience that can be both relaxing and challenging. It's a great choice for VR enthusiasts who enjoy exploring beautiful locations and the feeling of paddling through virtual waters.
Driftscape AR
- Interactive Content:
Tapping a marker reveals more information about the specific location you're facing. Think of it like a "Pokemon Go" feature for historical sites, museums, or interesting local spots. - Engaging Activities: Driftscape AR goes beyond just information. It offers features like scavenger hunts (Quests) that use AR to make learning about your city fun and interactive. You can play these quests on-location or from the comfort of your home.
- Gamification and Rewards: The app incentivizes exploration by awarding points for visiting designated spots. These points can be redeemed for rewards that enhance your visit, potentially including discounts or special offers at local businesses.
Ideation, User Flow & Wireframes
After a thorough analysis, we gathered down our thoughts and ideas on sticky notes.
From the gathered ideas of our screens, we designed a basic user flow for our users, which later became the basis for the ideation of our low fidelity as well as high fidelity prototypes.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes and Sketches:
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Hi-Fi UI Designs and 3D Environment:
For creating the high-fidelity prototype I used Figma (for 2D UI screens) and Bezi (for 3D spatial design & prototyping). Humber College brand guidelines (for colors, logo and typography) were as the design style guide.
