Experiential Design / Task 1

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22/4/2024 - 18/5/2025 (Week 1 - Week 4)
Shawn Wong Kai Hen / 0375372
Major Project 1 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Experiential Design - Task 1


  INTRUCTIONS  



  Week 1 -Introduction To Experiential Design  

In Week 1, we explored different ideas using Augmented Reality (AR). We watched past student projects to understand how AR works and to get inspired. Mr. Razif also shared some helpful tips, especially about creating strong visual designs and making sure our ideas are useful.

After that, we had a short lecture about the basics of AR. During class, we tried out AR features from Google. It was fun to see how a cat-like model could appear in our real-world space using just a phone.

Fig 1.1 AR Testing - 1/5/2025

  Week 2 - Concept of Experiential Design  

In Week 3, we explored the core concepts of experiential design. We learned that experiential design is a multidisciplinary field that integrates various areas such as:

  • User Experience (UX)

  • Brand Experience

  • Customer Experience

  • Information Architecture

Rather than being limited to a single design discipline, experiential design draws from multiple perspectives to create meaningful interactions.

We were then introduced to key design techniques, particularly user mapping methods. These include:

  • Empathy Maps

  • Customer Journey Maps

  • Experience Maps

  • Service Blueprints

An empathy map helps us better understand a specific user by visualizing their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We also looked into journey mapping, a useful technique for identifying challenges in a user’s daily experience and finding effective design solutions.

To apply what we learned, we worked on our first group activity: creating a journey map together. This hands-on task helped us see how design tools can be used to improve real-life experiences.


Fig 1.2 Group Activity - 1/5/2025

My group had decided to make a journey map though a Casino on Genting Highlands. In the casino, we visualize the scenario in the order below:
  • Planning Trip
  • Genting There
  • Finding Casino Entrance
  • Entry & Security Check
  • Exchange Cash To Chips.
  • Finding Table Of Game
  • Playing Games
  • Taking Breaks Or Looking For Drink
  • Leaving & Finding Way To Parking
We have done the journey map and is ready for the present to Mr.Razif to explain about our journey map. But we forgot to take photo during our present. 😣

After we done the present, Mr.Razif gave us feedback and comment and asking we how to solve the problem with using AR. After the explanation, our ideas not enough to support and not solving the problem. So Mr.Razif need us to think more about this.

After all groups had presented their work, we began our first session with Unity. Mr. Razif had instructed us to install Unity during Week 1 in preparation for this lesson. In this session, we were introduced to the basics of the software through a simple tutorial, allowing us to get familiar with its interface and core functions.

1. During the loading file in unity, Mr.Razif guide us to download the Vuforia first. After done open the unity file, we need to copy the API key and paste in the unity for us to access libraries such as dataset.

Fig 1.3 Copy API Key - 1/5/2025

Fig 1.4 Insert Image - 1/5/2025

After creating a database in Vuforia and uploading the desired image as an Image Target, we can access this database within Unity. From there, we are able to retrieve and use the uploaded image directly in our AR project.

Fig 1.5 Setup ImageTarget - 1/5/2025

2. After setting up the image target, we simply clicked the play button at the top. The cube we created earlier then appeared on the uploaded image, demonstrating that the AR setup was working correctly.

Fig 1.6 Play Test - 1/5/2025

Due to time constraints, Mr. Razif ended the class and informed us that the Unity tutorial will continue in the following week.


  Week 3 - Continue Unity Tutorial / Working On Selected Ideation  

In today's class, we continued last week's Unity tutorial. Mr. Razif guided us through creating a canvas and adding two buttons to it—one for "Hide" and one for "Show." These buttons were used to make the cube appear and disappear during runtime.

Fig 1.7 Create Canvas - 6/5/2025

At this stage, we needed to activate the buttons by using the SetActive function for both the buttons and the cube. To do this, we dragged the cube into the On Click() section of the button in the Inspector, allowing us to control its visibility during runtime.

Fig 1.8 Setactive Button - 6/5/2025

In the end, the result will looks like this:

Hide & Show Cube - 10/5/2025

  Week 4 & 5 - Video Stop / FX Effect  

Over the past two weeks, I decided to combine both tutorials into one summary. Mr. Razif introduced a new tutorial on how to play and stop a video when the image target is triggered.

We started by creating a plane in front of the image target and importing a short video clip into Unity. Then, we added a Video Player component to the plane and assigned the video clip to the Video Player through the Inspector. Once everything was set up, clicking the play button allowed the video to play directly on the plane when the image target was detected.


Fig 1.9 Create Plane - 20/5/2025

Next, we created a new button in the canvas. The purpose of this button was to pause the video when clicked. To achieve this, we linked the button to the video player's Pause function through the On Click() section in the Inspector.

Fig 1.10 Create Button - 20/5/2025

Here is the result after linking the button to the image using code. When the button is clicked, the video pauses at that moment. I will share the code at the end, as it is combined with the next part of the tutorial.

Video Pausing - 20/5/2025

  • Create Explosion FX Effect
After completing the video pause feature, Mr. Razif began guiding us on how to add FX effects in Unity. We started by visiting the Unity Asset Store to search for a suitable visual effect. Once selected, we imported the effect into our Unity project and added it to the scene.

Fig 1.11 Assets Store - 20/5/2025

After downloading the effect from the Asset Store, we returned to Unity to import it. We opened the Assets panel and selected Package Manager. From there, we located the downloaded effect, clicked Import, and successfully added it to our Unity project.

Fig 1.12 Import Assets - 20/5/2025

Now that the effect appears in the Project panel, we created a new folder named "Prefabs." We then dragged the explosion effect into this folder to keep our project organized and easily accessible.

Fig 1.13 Select Effect - 20/5/2025

Next, we returned to our Video Toggle script in the Inspector and dragged the explosion fire effect into the appropriate slot below the script. This links the effect to the script so it can be triggered during runtime.

Fig 1.14 Active Effect - 20/5/2025

Here is the code that controls both the video pause function and the explosion effect. We set a condition where the effect will only be triggered if a value is greater than 3. This means the button must be clicked at least three times to activate the explosion. Once the effect is triggered, it also destroys the video object, causing the video to disappear from the scene

Fig 1.15 Overall Coding - 20/5/2025

Here is the final outcome: when the button is clicked more than three times, the video is destroyed and the explosion fire effect is triggered.

Explosion & Destroy - 20/5/2025


  Project 1 - AR Proposal Ideations  

AR Ideations - 2/5/2025

  Project 1 - Meeting & Idea Selection  
  • Meeting and getting feedback from Mr. Razif
My Selection Idea - 3/5/2025

After the meeting with Mr. Razif, I received the following feedback and comments on areas for improvement in my proposal:
  • Consider incorporating educational elements into the idea to make it suitable for children and support learning opportunities.

  Project 1 - User Persona / User Journey Map  
  • Create User Persona and User Journey Map
This week, I began developing user personas for my target audience, focusing on children aged 3 to 7 years old. Each persona represents users from different countries, highlighting their unique challenges and goals. In addition, I created a user journey map to illustrate how children would learn to use my application. Below are the user personas and the user journey map:
User Persona & User Journey Map - 11/5/2025



  REFLECTION  

Experience
Developing my AR idea helped me see how technology can make learning more fun and engaging especially for young children. I started by asking: How can we help kids learn better while actually enjoying it?

Traditional learning tools like posters and books often don’t keep children’s attention. That’s why I created Color Catch an AR game where kids learn colors by hearing them, seeing them, and tapping on the correct ones. It turns their surroundings into a playful learning space using AR.

This approach makes learning more active and memorable. Instead of just looking at pictures, kids interact, listen, and move—which helps them understand and remember better. I also learned that even a simple AR game can have real educational value when it’s designed with the user’s needs in mind.


Findings
By creating user personas and mapping out their journeys, I gained valuable insights into our main users ,children aged 3 to 7.

One key takeaway is that young children have short attention spans, so activities must be quick, interactive, and visually engaging to keep them focused. Multisensory learning combining visuals, sounds, and touch greatly improves their understanding and memory.

Navigation also plays a big role. Controls like Replay and Next need to be simple and intuitive, using large icons, voice prompts, and fun feedback so kids can use them on their own.

Lastly, while the game is designed for children, parents and caregivers are still essential, especially during setup or early use. Their support helps children navigate and enjoy the experience safely and confidently.


Observations
Through developing Color Catch, I observed how AR can powerfully support early learning especially by strengthening visual and auditory connections. In the game, children hear the name of a color while seeing and interacting with it in real space. This pairing makes learning more natural and memorable compared to static images or flashcards.

Adding mini-game elements like tapping the correct color after hearing it turns passive watching into active recall, which is essential for deeper understanding in young children.

When designing the user journey, I found that simplicity is critical. Young kids cannot manage complex menus, so every interaction must be immediate, clear, and intuitive, with large icons and playful voice prompts.

Most importantly, this project showed me that AR is not just about being “cool” it should have a clear educational purpose. When used thoughtfully, AR can create learning experiences that traditional media simply can’t offer.



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