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UX DESIGN INTERNSHIP 2023
Paradise Project - Holographic Earth
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This case study is in progress...
INTRODUCTION
Paradise Project - Holographic Earth
Timeline
Overview
The Paradise Project is a space for humans to explore the earth along with the different religions and races of the people that walk it. The Center for the Human Family, home of the Paradise Project, is a virtual exhibition used to educate the public on human life, earth, and animals.
In this project, I designed the holographic earth for the virtual exhibition. This project was designed to enhance the learning experience of the earths atmospheric and structure layers, tectonic plates, and magnetic fields.
Phase 1: May - August 2023
Phase 2: September - October 2023
Team
Tools
Eric Korman - Project Manager
Edona Zenuni (Me) - UX Designer
Keya Kadakia - UX Designer (Assist)
Craig Hussey - UNITY Developer
Christian Hadjigeorgiou - UNITY Developer
Xiaoyuan Lin - Full Stack Developer
Figma, UNITY
The current Paradise Project is lacking 3D educational elements + objects, creating a less interactive learning experience for users.
PROBLEM
Why does this problem matter?
The main goal of this virtual exhibition is to create a space that encourages users to learn about the earth. An ineffective experience can lead to significant drop-off rates. Fixing this issue means more financial and social support.
What impact does it create?
Who are we solving for?
Users that are looking for a more involved and hands-on way to learn about the internal and external workings of the earth.
Creates a learning environment that appeals to the Think Round audience so that the experience is more effective, thus leaving users more educated.
Think Round users want more 3D objects/artifacts and gamification in the Paradise Project.
RESEARCH
How do Think Round's users feel about the Paradise Project so far?
We conducted 25 user surveys in order to gather qualitative and quantitative insight as to what my users’ needs, preferences, and behaviors.
The first part of my survey was dedicated to gathering general user input when navigating through a virtual museum space, and the second half was dedicated to specifically gathering feedback on user needs, preferences, and behaviors on the Paradise Project floor.
3D objects & artifacts
There is a need for interactive elements (ability to interact with 3D artifacts/objects). Users liked the ability to zoom into objects and play with 3D objects.
Gamification/Quizzes
Users mentioned the desire for a more immersive experience. The idea of gamifying the Paradise Project or involving quizzes appealed to them.
Creating an educational globe that involves the user to freely explore the internal and external workings of the earth.
DESIGN GOALS
Think Round's UX design strategy focuses on creating simple, interactive, and educational products with a large population in mind.
We achieve this by keeping a simple design system that appeals to a large audience and constantly iterating on the design based on user feedback.
For this project specifically, we heavily focused on the educational, interactive, and user population aspects of Think Round's design strategy.
Educational elements
Visual and written explanations of earth. eg. depth, temperature, elements, minerals.
Diverse user group
Designs should be understood by persons between ages 10 - 60 with average computer literacy.
Exploring different ideas for the holographic earth
IDEATION
Idea 1: VR earth with a guide bird
My first idea was to create a VR experience with a bird character (think Duolingo's Owl) that guides and educates users around the earth. Users would have to "peel" earths layers to get to the core.
Pros
- Provides an immersive experience
- Gamifies experience by making users work to see each earth layer
- Bird character provides feedback + encouragement.
Cons
- VR is still not widely understood by the general public (my user group)
- Requires extra tools for users (VR equipment)
- Steep learning curve for VR
Verdict
Idea rejected due to the risks of the technology choice being too advanced for our large and diverse user population. Varying computer literacy, education, and age of users are factors that may influence the understanding of this concept.
Idea 2: 3D earth with menu
I explored the idea of having a 3D earth that users can spin, zoom in + out of, and click on with a side menu for additional control. Also, a slider placed under the earth would allow users to slide for depth and temperature exploration. The earth changes according to the slider.
Pros
- Freedom to explore and learn at desired speed
- Interactive slider bar to view how earth changes based on temperature + depth
- Minimal learning curve for menu and earth
- Interactive 3D object users can play with
- Menu allows for different learning methods
Verdict
Cons
- Lack of gamification features
Idea selected due to the minimal learning curve with the menu and ease of implementation.
Idea 3: Mining + digging earth
I had the idea of gamifying the earth by getting users to mine through the earths layers. Users would have to work to unlock the different layers and information for that layer.
Pros
- Gamifies progress through the earth
- Ability to give encouraging feedback to users as they dig
- Engaging for younger users (think Minecraft players)
Verdict
Cons
- Idea doesn't work well for magnetic fields + tectonic plates sections
- 3D earth is lost because of the close up view
- May feel childish to older age group
- Limited view of the earth.
Idea rejected because the idea did not translate well for magnetic field and tectonic plate sections. Users also lose the ability to interact with 3D objects with this idea.
Exploring different ideas for the menu
IDEATION
Idea 2 requires a menu for the holographic earth. This section focuses on a few menu design ideas.
Idea 1:
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Idea 2:
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Idea 3:
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Verdict
Idea 3 selected by designers on our team, though user testing is in progress for the menu.
The 3D earth is an object that users can spin, zoom in and out of, and interact with the hotspots for the different categories.
A 3D holographic earth with a menu for additional control
SOLUTION
Exploring different areas of this solution
Checklist
Although the layers can be clicked on the earth itself, i created a checklist to make identifying the layers easier.
Multi-Select
When multi-select is enabled, multiple items can be checked off and when its off, only one item at a time can be selected. We added this feature because we didn't want users utilizing 'clear all' for the wrong reason or having to go back and uncheck items just to view one item at a time.
Clear + select all
The clear all and select all features are convenient ways users can clear the checklist of select all at once.
3D earth object
Hotspots
The hotspots on the earth are buttons that open up information about the selected layer.
3 Items Selected
1 Item Selected
Information Page
3 Items Selected
1/3
Slider bar - my team decided to hold off on this feature for now
Mostly Finished Earth Prototype
Accessibility Settings
What I learned during my internship
The importance of teamwork
With tight deadlines, our team of 6 managed to pull this project through just in time for its launch. Without the other 5 members, this project would have not become a reality.
Plans change often
Based on the business needs, our plans had to change a few times for this project. One of the biggest challenges was pushing usability testing back. This is something we're now working on.
My team and I are currently working on usability testing and evaluating outcomes + results.
© 2024 Edona Zenuni
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