Experiential Design / Task 1

Shim Yi Xun || 0363292

Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
  Experiential Design - MMD60204  

Experiential Design - Task 1

  Overview  

> Module Information Booklet

> Class Activities

> Task Instruction

• Topic Ideas
• Reflective Report

> Feedback

> Reflection

  Module Information Booklet  

  Class Activities  

Activity 1: Journey Map

For this activity, our task was to select a location—such as a zoo or a museum—and create a detailed user journey map that illustrates the experience of visiting that place. My group decided to focus on Sunway Lagoon, a popular theme park in Malaysia. 

As we developed our journey map, we took the opportunity to explore how we could integrate AR techniques into the visitor experience. This exercise sparked discussions about real-world apps of AR and how could they enhance visitor engagement while also addressing various challenges faced by them.

Activity 2: Gym

This task is to imagine a scenario in either of the two places (e.g. kitchen, shopping mall, gym). What would the AR experience be and what extended visualization can be useful? What do you want the user feel?

Also worked as a group, our scenario focused on the gym, and explored how AR could transform workouts and enrich the user experience in the overall fitness journey.

Activity 3: Marker-based AR experience

In this activity, we learned how to do marker-based AR using the Vuforia Engine (website). The step at first was quite confusing and complex as we needed to generate a license key and create a database to store our marker image. After uploading image to the database, we moved on to import this setup into Unity.

After that, we added a 3D cube above the uploaded image.

It was an exciting moment when I successfully saw the cube appear while scanning the image. I felt thrilled to bring the virtual into reality on my own!

To further enhance the interactive experience, we also learned how to add interactive buttons on the screen. These buttons allowed us to control the visibility of the cube, so that we could show and hide it.

Animation can be worked too by using the keyframes. All in all, this was a fascinating exercise that opened my eyes to the AR in interactive design.

  Task Instruction - Trending Experience  

Students will explore current market trends through a series of exercises to gain a better understanding of these technologies and the knowledge to create content based on them. Students will conduct research and experiments to find out the characteristics and limitations of these technologies, which will help them decide which technologies they should adopt in their final project.

Requirement:

1. To complete all exercises to demonstrate understanding of the development platform fundamentals
2. To write a short reflective report on their blog based on their findings.
3. To propose 3 potential ideas for their project.

  Topic Ideas  

We were required to come up with three potential ideas for our final project. Me and my partner, Siang Huey Yee, we first propose our own ideas. After then, we dicussed all the ideas together and chose the most potential and feasibility.

Here are my topic ideas: 

Idea 1: My Art Gallery

Problem Statement:

Many people may have difficulty appreciating art in depth due to a lack of artistic background or difficult to remember the works they have seen. And the traditional galleries may not provide a personalised or interactive experience.

Proposed Solution:
My Art Gallery allows users to "collect" artworks by scanning AR markers. These works are then stored in a personalized virtual gallery where users can write a journal and reflect on their experiences. Additionally, the built-in wiki function will be provide too for each work, deepening the appreciation and understanding of art.

Sketch:

Idea 2: Nature Journey

Problem Statement:

Urban lifestyles often isolate people from nature, which will lead to increased stress. Many people lack opportunities to connect with natural environments and experience tranquillity in their daily lives.

Proposed Solution:
Nature Journey offers a nature experience where users can simulate the feeling of being in a natural environment by scanning themed cards (e.g., forest, beach). The app provides immersive visuals and ambient sounds to help users relax and reconnect with nature anytime and anywhere.

Sketch:

Idea 3: Manage My Fridge

Problem Statement:

People often forget what's in their fridge, and eventually get into trouble with food waste, expired food, and forgotten snacks. Manually tracking food inventory is a huge challenge for humans.

Proposed Solution:
Manage My Fridge can scan and track your foods in the fridge. Users can set expiry dates, receive alerts for soon-to-expire items, and use filters to quickly locate your forgotten snacks. This helps reduce waste and improves food organization and awareness.

Sketch:

  Reflective Report  

  Feedback  

Week 2

Idea 1: The interactivity is too lack, try to think more potential features instead of just viewing the artworks.

Idea 2: Same issue as Idea 1, you need to think more interactive elements, like playing snowballs or creating a snowman in the winter scene. Try to repurpose this idea, if it is just for ASMR, it will be limited.

Idea 3: This one sounds more practical, but you might require extensive 3D scanning in order to develop it.

  Reflection  

Before joining this module, my understanding of AR was quite limited—I mainly thought of it as a flashy tool used in games or filters (sorry but). However, after going through the class activities and hands-on tasks like creating marker-based AR with Vuforia and Unity, my perspective completely changed. I began to understand that AR not just as a visual effect, but as an interactive medium that could enhance real-world experiences. Learning how to create wireflow and user journey also helped me think more critically about how AR could be integrated significantly into our everyday lives. These exercises encouraged me to look at current problems and think creatively about how AR could solve them in a way that feels natural and intuitive.

Through further research into existing apps and market trends, I saw a gap in how AR is used for emotional and practical purposes—like mental wellness or daily convenience. That’s what led me to propose the three ideas: My Art Gallery, Nature Journey, and Manage My Fridge. Each idea came from a mix of personal interest and real-world needs, shaped by the knowledge I gained from class and research. Whether it’s helping users reconnect with nature, better manage their food, or deepen their appreciation for art, I now see AR as a powerful tool for building a meaningful while also accessible experiences.