Project Overview
Submerge is a multisensory experience powered by AR technology, conceptualized for Carnegie Museum of Natural History to address its challenges and engage visitors by providing immersive visual stories and interactive learning experiences.
Client Design Brief
Choose an exhibition space and redesign its visitor experience of:
(1) Wayfinding
(2) Information browsing
(3) Experiential learning
(4) Social interaction
What are the primary objectives for this project?
01 Attract & invite participation
Entice people to visit, explore, and participate in ways they value and enjoy
02 Enhance the learning experience
Design immersive spaces and interactive activities for visitors to engage in multi-sensory learning
03 Connecting emotion through AR
Encourage visitors to connect the anthropocene with natural history through relatable narratives
My Role
Exploratory research, Stakeholder interviews, Concept development, UI/UX, 3D animations, Video Production, Project management, AR Effect
Tool
Figma, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Dimension, Aero, Cinema 4D, Rhinoceros 3D
Timeline
5 weeks
(Oct - Nov 2021)
Team
Kate Yuwei Guo, Elaine Lu
Outcome
Submerge is an ambitious project that merges exhibit design and mobile augmented reality (AR) technology to create an interactive experience for visitors.
It aims to set an example of how AR can be used to add a unique layer of interaction to static environments.
By providing personalised, gamifyed learning experiences, Submerge is able to captivate the curiosity of visitors and bring natural history to life.
Moreover, the project has generated a buzz due to the possibility of users creating their own content on social media platforms, which could potentially lead to an increase in the number of visitors.
In this way, Submerge is pioneering the way in which AR can be used to enhance both learning and recreational experiences.
Project Timeline
Research & Project Definition
Literature review, interviews, contextual observations, opportunity areas, design principles
Concept Development
Museum exhibit selection, scoping & prioritization, content map, user journey, storyboards, systems diagram
Experience Design
Mobile UI/UX, 3D object animations, 3D modeling, visual design, branding & marketing assets
Prototyping & Testing
Video production, proposal framing, testing, UX refinements
Submerge
AR tech-powered multisensory experience of prehistoric underwater world.
01 Onboarding
How can we entice people to the show?
AR Poster - A trailer of the exhibit
Museum exhibitions are all connected. Often there is multiple entrances that leads to the exhibition.
The AR poster could be placed at the entrance to act as the trailer and introduction to the AR experience.
Touchpoint on multiple channels
AR poster is the first point of contact for the museum to attract visitors on multiple channels, such as social media and physical prints.
The AR storytelling can be activated by scanning the QR code on the poster, or by downloading the Museum App for a more complete experience.
This also serves as a lightweight trial for people to learn how to appreciate AR experiences.
⭐️ Get ready ~ The video has sound on 🔊
02 Exploratory Learning
How to turn passive observation into proactive interaction?
Help visitors navigate through the space by storytelling
This exhibition hall displays fossils in a way that intends to reflect their positions and habitats in nature
However, the information boards and fossils are scattered in space which makes it hard for people to make the connection.
This makes me think "What if we can create an AR experience that tells the stories and connect all the fossils together?"
⭐️ Get ready ~ The video has sound on 🔊
2.1 Scan the fossils to activate the augmented reality (AR) effect and interact with the life-size sea creatures—hear their roar!
“Many people don’t even notice the mosasaurs on the ceiling. If you look up close, they actually have two sets of teeth. I always have to point out this detail to visitors.” — Staff
“I want to know what the fossils were like when they were alive.” — Visitor
2.2 Meet all the prehistoric creatures
All of the creatures are intertwined, and the underwater world is just one part of the grand narrative of nature. The same patterns of food chains and evolution can be seen throughout the museum.
Traditionally, the indexical nature of the exhibits makes this story fade to the background and visitors only realize it through passive learning.
Our new concept of augmenting the static artifacts then being presented with related artifacts and species can be applied to any exhibit.
⭐️ Get ready ~ The video has sound on 🔊
2.3 Share your own Museum Thriller online
Create your own immersive museum visiting experience and share it with the public to spark conversation about the relationship between humans and nature.
⭐️ Get ready ~ The video has sound on 🔊
When visitors enter the exhibit, they can repeat the behavior of scanning fossils to see their living form：
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Gestures include tapping on the creature to see them move, scale up and down, rotate, and move closer to see them in detail.
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Tap on the name tag to view more information about the sea creature
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Explore the relationship between predators and prey by tapping on the bubbles to discover informative details about their connections.
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Check the ecosystem map, which indices other sea creatures to find and learn more.
03 Tangible Interaction
Learning through multiple senses
Attracting and engaging children and families
During our field interview, many families remarked that the museum is one of their favourite places to spend quality time together, but they all expressed a desire for more activities that would allow the children to learn through play.
Provides tangible learning for younger audiences to play with and researchers to study from
We created a sandbox with clay modal to simulate the tangible interaction station in our proposal.
Many visitors were attracted by our station and expressed their interests in learn more about fossil excavation and preservation.
“People learning different ways so having something people can touch definitely helps with learning.. even my first reaction was to touch the fossils.” — Head Preparator, PaleoLab
“I would want to know how they got the fossils…” — Visitor
04 Visitor Reflection
Learning through sharing
When visitors enter and exit the exhibit, they will pass by a glass display case with fossil models. We plan to use that surface to transform it into a “live” water tank.
Here, visitors can detect a fish from the projection and leave comments as (1) feedback for the museum or (2) learnings from the exhibit.
This encourages visitors to explore the connection between aquatic ecosystems of the past and present.
It also encourages them to take a perspective of a fish in the aquatic ecosystem, rather than that of a human.
Visitors can choose a fish from the tank, write a message, and read comments from other visitors who have also chosen that particular fish.
“We always want visitors to leave with learning something new and maybe take action in meaningful ways that relate to the natural world… help protect it.” — Staff
“I like sharing when I learn something interesting” — Visitor
To be continued...
More behind the scene and design process is coming!
Stay tuned for the full project. In the meantime, please contact me for more details.
Experience Map
Submerge is a systematic immersive visiting experience through 4 phases:
(1) Onboarding
(2) Exploratory learning
(3) Tangible interactions
(4) Visitor interactions
The purpose 4 touch points are to generate awareness and publicity for the museum and engage visitors through improved multi-sensory experiences at the exhibit, then provide a takeaway by offering a moment of reflection for visitors and feedback to the museum.
