Minor Project-Final Compilation

 23/9/2024 - 8/1/2025 (Week 1 - Week 15)

Teu Yu Tian / 0371923
Minor Project | Bachelors of Design (Honour) in Creative Media | Taylor's University

Final Compilation

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1. INSTRUCTIONS:

Project briefing

Week 1

During week 1, we were briefed by the lecturer regarding the project option in this semester. I decided to work on WarisanXR project and teamed up with other classmates who are interested in this project. I been selected to become the group leader. 

Contextual Research

Our first task is to understand the project and do contextual research. I mainly focus on researching client's company, similar project around the world (competitor), technology used which related to function and limitations of XReal Air 2 Ultra AR Glasses 

We conducted a site visit at the National Museum on 29/9/2024 but failed to find the selected venue: Museum Sementara. Although, we got to see the content, try out existing AR technology in museum, and play with some traditional games. 

Week 2

Our lecturer, Mr. Mike, set up a group meeting for our group and one another group to meet with the client, Mr. Justin from TrueXR company. An online discussion was conducted before we met with Mr. Justin to discuss FAQ questions we wanted to ask. 

Meeting with Client

We found that the client mainly focuses on the planning and framework of the entire XR experience, rather than the content. They also need our help to find a way to attract 30% of the current museum visitors to join the experience.

Week 3

User Personas

Based on the research, we came up with 3 targeted personas which are local families, students and foreign visitors. Members are divided into 3 small groups and each group work on 1 user personas. I work on local families personas with Ying Yi.

First draft of user personas.

 

We got the feedback from our lecturer stating that our user personas need to be more general and represent a larger group’s needs and pain points. So, we continue to refine the information and started the survey questionnaire.

Week 4

Survey questionnaire

We refined the user personas based on feedback. Each team member was required to gather 19 responses. The survey was distributed via social media, and we successfully collected a total of 141 responses. 

Week 5

Meet with client and try out AR glasses

We had the opportunity to try out AR glasses during the client’s visit to our campus. This helped me understand their limitations and what to consider during ideation and design. 

 

Based on the client’s feedback, the plan shifted to a pop-up exhibition with 5-6 AR content, mainly are traditional dance and artifacts. Through the conversations, we also found that current AR glasses still have many limitation need to be considered:

Survey Analysis

The survey data was analysed.

Week 6

User journey, user personas and empathy map

Week 6

We continued to work on the design process in the Miro board. User journeys are created based on 3 personas. I work with Ying Yi on user journey map for local families.

Everyone comes out with creative top 5 ideas and more possibilities are explored.

I started to set up the design role and distribute the job for each team member, The preparation for presentation slides are also started:

Proposal Part Distribution:

Research

- Overview (Kelly)

- 3 competitors (Simon)

- 3 User Personas (Chao Ran)

- Primary Data (Survey response) (Ying Yi)

- User Journey (JiaErn)

Ideation

- Problem Statement (Yu Tian)

- How might we? (Yu Tian)

- Big Idea(Yu Tian)

- Brand Positioning(Hui Yi)

- Brand Colour & Moodboard (feelings: cultural but edgy)(Hui Yi)

- Brand Font (Hui Yi)

- Promotional Materials (ticket, poster, website*, social media*)(Kelly)

- Spatial Experience (Floorplan, user flow)(Simon)

- UI Design (ChaoRan)

- Pedestal Design Ideas (Ying Yi)

- Props Ideas (JiaErn)

- Extra Content/ Activities Ideas* (Yu Tian)

Week 7

Our group initially struggled during the ideation phase because we did not have a solid theme to connect our ideas. We only had a few random interactive concepts related to Malaysian art and culture, such as:

• allowing users to choose the colors of a Wau (traditional kite) and watch it fly
• interact with a lion dance that throws mandarin oranges to visitors
• tap instruments to produce sounds—all in AR holograms

I asked all members to propose three ideas for the theme and concept. After voting, we decided on a theme: expressing the beauty of Malaysia through its culture, art, and diversity. The overall approach focuses on showcasing the different festivals celebrated in Malaysia.

Week 8

To make the experience more fun and interactive and to immerse visitors in this cultural journey, we realized that we need a storyline.

I discuss the storyline with Jia Ern and Kelly. They come out with some interesting ideas:

Story Background

Visitors become the main characters in a mission to awaken the dying Harmony Flower in a village. To restore its strength, visitors must collect blessings from five different cultural festivals, bringing joy and unity back to the village.

Five Festivals and Collectible Items

1. Chinese New Year: Angpau (red envelope)
2. Hari Raya: Ketupat (rice cake)
3. Pesta Kaamatan: Stalk of rice
4. Gawai Dayak: Raga (Iban bamboo basket)
5. Deepavali: Diyas (oil lamps)

Content

At each of the five stations, visitors will learn how these festivals are celebrated. They will experience decorations, foods, and traditions through physical props, images, videos, and 3D hologram animations.

Ending

The story concludes with visitors successfully collecting all the items and awakening the Harmony Flower. This final celebration symbolizes the restoration of unity, harmony, and inclusivity, enveloping the village in an atmosphere of peace and joy. Visitors will feel fully immersed in the beauty of Malaysia's cultural convergence, leaving with a sense of hope and harmony for the future.

Exhibition Concept

Inspired by this storyline, we sketch a floor plan shaped like the five petals of a hibiscus, Malaysia's national flower. We decided to make Hibiscus as the main motif of the whole exhibition, now the content feels connected and solid.

Theme

I come out with the name of the theme:

Warisan XR: Blooming of Culture

This theme expresses the beauty and diversity of Malaysia's rich cultural heritage.

I decided to switch the task for my members as I got to know more about their strength and technical skills:

Storyboard - JiaErn，Yu Tian, Simon (check UI content with storyboard), ChaoRan (help to draw)

Elements & content (use Photoshop or sketch for mock up, search for video) - Chao Ran, Ying Yi , Hui Yi, Yu Tian

floorplan - Hui Yi, Ying Yi, Yu Tian

Art Direction/Font- Chaoran, Yu Tian

Key Visual (use Photoshop) - Jia Ern

UI design Simon, Yu Tian

Photobooth - Kelly, Ying Yi (other idea for social opportuninites for every content, example: they can take photo at every station)

I involved in most of the part, but generally just provide them a direction or outline and let them do the execution part, and see anything need my help.

Some sketches and ideas I did: 

I explore some floorplan on sketch

 

A rehearsal was done before the presentation.

Proposal presentation 15/11/2024 (Friday)

WARISANXR Proposal by Jiaern Ng

Week 9

We got the feedback from client and lecturer. 

From overall client's and lecturer's feedback, we need to modify our theme and content to be more universal, suitable for both local an foreigner. The floorplan need to fit 15 people all at once, and make sure each station can fit 3 people. Virtual guide and photobooth need some adjustments. 

Inspired by TeamLab project, we incorporate projection mapping into our planning, user can interact with lantern, and instrument in AR glasses, watch traditional dance and interact to collect the items.

New moodboard:

I planned the timeline for executions and change the task again.

Hui Yi and I brainstorm the floorplan, option 12 are selected for the final execution.

Sketch done by Hui Yi

Sketch done by me

Week 10

We discuss the idea of how to let visitor collect the item in class, Kelly's idea has been selected which is hunting item inside an image. Everyone continue their task. 

Our daily life in class :)

Week 11

I come out with first station visual, and it got approved by lecturer, so I let other members to continue hunt all elements (lantern, dance, flowers and touch up). 

Week 12

Kelly gives a better idea on the activities to collect items, which visitor can play a mini game to collect the falling angpau(or other elements) but need to avoid the bomb.

Continue the works.

Week 12 Group Photos (ganbatte minasann)

Week 13

I continue to work on visual and gathered the props image for mini game.

I refine the storyline and write the first draft of content for the stations, Hui Yi and Simon help to continue modify the content and put into UI. 

Week 14

I work on key visual more. I help Hui Yi to modify the lanterns and design the background of these 2 stations.

Week 15 

We do some final refinement and keep on working on the presentation slide for this week, as many changes are made before the day, we had 2 meeting in this week.

WARISANXR Final Presentation-Group 9 by yutian.teu

We received positive feedback from the client:

• They liked our ideas for the flower petal concept, lantern interaction, and the design of the projection mapping background. These concepts can be implemented in their project.
• The curved screen enhances the immersive experience. 
• The UI design visuals were on point, accurately reflecting how the interface would look when using AR glasses.
• Overall, we successfully visualised our concept.

Although, there are areas for improvement:

• They prefer a virtual guide that feels more relatable or direct. While Bloomy sparks curiosity, it is our own creation and cannot be found in the real world, so people might feels less connection with it.
• They expect to see more integration of the hibiscus theme in the planning.
• There are limitations in screen capturing with AR glasses, so the idea of taking pictures through AR glasses may not work well at this stage.

Finally comes to the end, submission done!

Final Submission File

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s4UU6fiZYemtovu2G5LvnQeQS0FGgiWE2wip4Y_eHcY/edit?usp=sharing

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2. Feedback:

Week 1

• Grouping
• Project Briefing
• Topic Selection

Week 2

• Meeting with the client to clarify the questions.
• Update meeting details with lecturer. 

Week 3

• User personas should represent a large group, suggested to revise the goal and needs to fit in most of the people

Week 4

• Finalising survey questionnaire 
• Survey distribution

Week 5

• Meeting with the client to test the Xreal Air 2 AR glasses. 
• Further refine user personas based on feedback: the user personas need to represent the majority group of people.

Week 6

• User journey
• Top 5 idea, categorise the ideas
• Insight statement 
• Presentation slide 

Week 7

• Prepare a proposal presentation slide. 
• Need to include research, floor plan and material use, idea, photo booth, detail storyboard for content, key visual.  

Week 8

• Rethink the floorplan and crowd control but keep 5 petals idea
• AR elements need to stands out rather than props, add more interactive elements
• Refers to the TeamLab project for exhibition ideas and overall immersive experience.
• Decide whether the virtual guide needs to be free roaming or onscreen, but need to meet the client's requirement.
• Storyline need to be more fun
• Implement AR elements in photobooth, and design needs to be less cluttered.

Week 9

No class

Week 10

• Keep the 5 petal floor plan and measure it. 
• Think about the fun and interactive content. 
• Assign members to do research on the background of flowers and feasibility of projection mapping on curved screens. 

Week 11

• Floorplan is alright.
• Keep the flow coming in 3 by 3. 
• Make sure the content of all stations and photobooth are connected to the storyline.
• Keep the photo booth as a last surprise
• Create storyboard for the exhibition, separate it by layer:
• Layer1: Projection mapping
• Layer2: Lantern
• Layer3: 3D elements
• Layer4: UI Design
• Photobooth Design

Week 12

• should show as the actual space
• use camera to stimulate what we would see
• marking on the floor to make sure where we should stand
• maybe different types of stage  so things don't floating, then decorate,generate in 3d
• 5 key visual of the 3d look, what exactly we see
• maybe animate in blender, and choose 3 different angle,  render three person standing , one communicate everything and one what ppl see using their eyes
• or just lion model no need animate, to see the angle (low poly)

Week 13

• Lanterns No Blur & opacity, consistent
• Background flower too less??
• Pedestal ok, should project something or map AR something 
• Ui better reading
• Sunbear is black, backup plan
• Text too small, two hand with stick, 
• Final scene need different tone, flower, climax 
• Interaction rule: don't make the interactions to user that not necessary
• Ending can remove drag to image
• Photoboth too dark, not matching to the art direction
• Final presentation: Problem Statement & how might we, floorplan, Storyboard

Week 14

• Flower layer how moving, only batik got 3 layer
• Consistency flower, different patterns & colour
• construct a piece to miro
• Rationalise and break it to layer
• Bear cannot see, need to change it to new virtual guide, can change its colour for each station
• Make sure UI transparency is visible and suitable for game play.
• Make sure photobooth style same with the station design
• Staff hold ipad and control AR firework to take photo

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3. Reflection: 

Week 1

During week 1, we were briefed by the lecturer regarding the project option in this semester. Three projects are given which are cultural MR experience, collaborative board design and air purifier branding design. My friend and I are interested in the WarisanXR project. We teamed up and grouped with other classmates who are interested in this project. Our first task is to understand the project and do contextual research. It is important to gather the information such as latest technology, competitor analysis, company background and product details in order to start user research and design. We conducted a site visit at the national museum but failed to find the selected venue.

Week 2

Our lecturer, Mr.Mike, set up a group meeting for our group and one another group to meet with the client, Mr,Justin from TrueXR company. An online discussion was conducted before we met with Mr.Justin to discuss FAQ questions we wanted to ask. Meeting sessions with clients before starting the project helps us understand more about the requirement and expectation of the client, and also gains a deeper understanding of the project. After meeting, we found that the client mainly focuses on the planning and framework of the entire XR experience, rather than the content. They also need our help to find a way to attract 30% of the current museum visitors to join the experience. I am glad that I have an opportunity to meet with a real client. This helps me to better prepare myself in a real world industry on how to talk to clients and what I should be aware of when doing a real project. Though, I found myself needing to hone my communication skills more.

Week 3

The weekly meeting for this week is to complete the user personas. Members are divided into 3 small groups and each work on 1 user personas. Based on the research, we came up with 3 targeted personas which are local families, students and foreign visitors. We got the feedback from our lecturer stating that our user personas need to be more general and represent a larger group’s needs and pain points. User personas help us to identify the goals, needs and pain points of the target audience so that we are able to come out with the user centric design to meet the users or market needs. 

Week 4

We refined the user personas based on feedback from our lecturer and also created a survey questionnaire. Each team member was required to gather 19 responses. The survey was distributed via social media, and we successfully collected a total of 141 responses. This data provides valuable insights into the public's opinions, allowing us to modify the user personas based on real data to ensure accuracy and reliability. Public opinions are crucial, as they often reveal valuable suggestions and unexpected insights. This experience helped me practice the UI/UX research process and better prepare for industry research projects.

Week 5

We had the opportunity to try out AR glasses during the client’s visit to our campus. This helped me understand their limitations and what to consider during ideation and design. Based on the client’s feedback, the plan shifted to a pop-up exhibition, giving us creative freedom while emphasizing the importance of spatial design, content, and interaction. Talking with the client and testing advanced technology highlighted the need to understand equipment capabilities, such as gestures and interactions that users can do. This project broadened my knowledge of mixed reality design and expanded my perspective on the role of a UI/UX designer beyond apps and games.

Week 6

We continued to work on the design process in the Miro board. User journeys are created based on 3 personas. Everyone comes out with creative top 5 ideas and more possibilities are explored. I started to set up the design role and distribute the job for each team member. The preparation for presentation slides are also started. Meeting and discussion kept on going, the big picture of the overall exhibition started to be more solid. I gained more experience on soft skills such as managing team members and project timeline. This would greatly help me in future team collaboration as well as gaining experience of being a project coordinator. 

Week 7

This week, I worked on the proposal presentation slide, including research, floor plans, material selection, conceptual ideas, a photo booth design, a detailed storyboard, and key visuals. I mainly work on the station content. Through this process, I gained valuable insights into blending creativity with functionality while effectively communicating ideas. Collaborating on the project allowed me to better understand teamwork dynamics and the importance of cohesive design strategies. This experience has enhanced my skills in project planning and presentation, which will beuseful for future exhibition and design projects.

Week 8

no class

Week 9

 This week, we work on the feedback provided by the lecturer and client. Key suggestions included rethinking the floor plan for better crowd control, enhancing AR elements for interactivity, and referring to TeamLab for inspiration. We were also advised to decide on the virtual guide's functionality, refine the storyline for more engagement, and declutter the photobooth design. The feedback highlighted areas for improvement, mainly needing to focus on prioritising AR elements and audience engagement. It reinforced the importance of balancing creativity with practicality while adhering to client requirements. This feedback is crucial for refining our ideas and ensuring the exhibition is interactive, immersive, and well-organized. It provided clear directions for aligning with industry standards. I will apply this learning to finalize our plans, improve interactivity, and create a feasible design, skills that are directly relevant to future exhibition and design projects.

Week 10

This week, our team keep working on their original task from last week. We updated progress and addressed client feedback by refining the five-petal floor plan and enhancing interactive, culturally significant content. Nex tasks included researching flower backgrounds and exploring projection mapping. Key changes focused on improving layout flow, simplifying the photo booth, and unifying the artistic style to create a cohesive and engaging visitor experience. I assigned some of my members to work on it. For me I incharge on enhancing the interactive content and UI design. 

Week 11

Hui Yi and I worked on refining the art direction of the exhibition. The moodboard is okay based on the lecturer's feedback. I keep on working on the storyline and copywriting for UI design, and also find assets for the interaction part (mini game). This process helped me understand the importance of integrating storytelling with interactivity on UI to create a meaningful experience for visitors. Balancing creativity and practicality was a key takeaway as I worked to enhance engagement through thoughtfully designed content. This experience has equipped me with valuable skills in storytelling and interactive design that will be essential for future projects.

Week 12

We keep on working on the progressions, there are many small areas that need to be refined but overall our designs are all on track. Since we did not have much time, we decided to focus on producing visuals instead of prototype or demo walkthrough. This planning allows our group to focus more on producing good visual outcomes and delivering our ideas. Some of my members use 3D software to generate the first point of view and we use it for the key visual background. We found the pedestal needed to be used so that the 3D hologram is at the same level with eye level. 

Week 13

This week, I worked on story writing for the content to put into the UI design. I also gathered th 3D assets for the mini game and music instrument. We improved the lantern designs by maintaining consistency, ensured the background flowers were more noticeable, and explored incorporating projection or AR elements into the pedestal. We also focused on enhancing the UI readability and aligning the photobooth with the overall art direction. For the final scene, we worked on creating a more engaging tone to heighten the sense of climax. Through this process, I learned the value of integrating feedback into the design workflow and how each visual and interactive element can enhance user engagement. 

Week 14

This week, I focused on overseeing the tasks and progress for all team members, ensuring that the final presentation and project deliverables were on track. By following up on each teammate’s responsibilities and guiding the overall workflow, I ensured that all elements of the project were aligned with our objectives. This role emphasized the importance of leadership and effective communication in managing a team project. Through this experience, I learned how to balance project coordination with individual contributions, improving my organizational and problem-solving skills. Monitoring progress and resolving challenges allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of project management and teamwork dynamics. 

Week 15 

The project has finally come to an end. We had two meetings this week, and the final presentations are now complete. Overall, we received positive feedback from the clients. They liked most of our ideas and designs and believe our work is applicable to their project. While there are still areas for improvement, I think our group did a great job. I felt satisfied and appreciated when receiving positive feedback from the clients.

This project was a real challenge for me. As someone new to the AR field, with no past experience in exhibition design, and being a Sem 3 student to lead the team, it was a bit overwhelming. However, I’m grateful to all members who always attending weekly meetings, staying until the end, collaborating well, and willing to do the work even if they are not familiar with the task. I’m glad I met all good people, they really did a great job. Thank you as well to Mr. Mike for consistently providing valuable feedback and guidance throughout the process. This project has been a significant learning experience for me. I’ve gained a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses—for example, I’m good at guiding people, accepting comment, but need to improve my time management, productivity, decision-making skills. 

This experience has opened up new possibilities for me in my design career. I’ve learned that UI/UX can extend to exhibition design, and the knowledge I’ve gained in the mixed reality field will definitely benefit my future career pathways.