Contextual Enquiry + Tourism + Augmented Reality
Unearth
An interactive installation that uses Augmented Reality to impart bite sized information to tourists visiting Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in Gangtok, Sikkim, India.
DURATION:
Dec 2018, 2 weeks
SKILLS:
Prototyping, Laser Cutting, Augmented Reality, Interviewing, Contextual Inquiry
TEAM:
With Janaki Syam and
Oorja Nagaich
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The evolution of Sikkim’s economy, technology and culture are the pivots around which this installation revolves. 'Unearth' aims to transform knowledge transmission by sparking curiosity through visuals and integrating augmented reality for added engagement.
Context
From our visit to the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology Museum, we gathered that information presented in museums is often heavy and overwhelming in nature. Smartphone usage is very popular in Sikkim, amongst the people living there as well as the tourists.
The Solution
Through this project, we have enabled viewers to gather bite-sized information in an interactive way by using an app called ‘Blippar’, an augmented reality application. It enables the viewer to scan parts of the installation and learn information about specific locations, cultures, and items from Sikkim. It attempts to tie together our knowledge, with hard work and research in order to show others our view of Sikkim.
These markers are coded into Blippar. When the respective stickers are scanned with the app on a smartphone, information is presented in small bite-sized chunks that we segregated and organised beforehand. To see how it works, watch the video >>
My role
The responsibilities within a team were well distributed. All three of us conducted interviews- individually as well as in groups. I acted as the source of encouragement to approach and speak with people as we were all hesitant in the beginning.
We had deep debates and discussions to identify a possible intervention. We worked towards finding an amalgamation of all our observations and ideas and the outcome was Unearth.
We split the work when it came to fabrication. I worked mainly on the physical installation itself. All three of us were part of deciding approaches of designing and tools to use as well as the information to be included on scanning.
I did most of the documentation including writing and making the video.