Exploring technology to promote active learning
To emulate the visitor’s user journey on weekends, we wanted our mobile app to have two main features.

Explore and identify points of interests

Store information and answer questions
However, visitors should not have their eyes glued to a screen.
Before jumping into ideation, we agreed that mobile phones should not replace the entire experience.
In a museum context, phones should be a tool to mediate how we interact with the real world.
Uncover more with Augmented Reality
I proposed utilizing Augmented Reality technology to achieve both design objectives.
This interaction method allows visitors to use their device’s camera to explore the labs, never taking them away from what’s happening in front of them.
Why AR fits our needs

Use object recognition technology to plant and identify visual markers on artifacts in the labs

Pulling out and using a camera is normal behavior in a museum setting

Embed additional multimedia content on artifacts that normally wouldn’t fit on a mini whiteboard

Keep the information with the object even as the workroom changes
Client support for AR
“A lot of these exhibits are ripe for AR. In biology and even cultural galleries, a big open field is adding more to the objects and their stories. Museum objects are inherently disconnected from their contexts. There could be cool ways to bring in context to say why it’s existing.”

Kate Fernandez
Director of Interpretation and Visitor Experience