I want to take a moment to reflect on one of the most valuable real-life experience projects I have ever completed during my time at the University of South Carolina. First and foremost, I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone for a job well done over the past three to four weeks. A special thanks to my teammates, Joe and Trace, for their incredible support and collaboration as we worked on our two augmented reality experiences and the onboarding/offboarding forms. I have learned so much from both of them, and I am truly grateful to have been assigned to such a fantastic group. Additionally, I want to extend my appreciation to Professor Khalili for being an exceptional creative director. Your guidance helped us navigate this project effectively. You made the entire process organized and manageable, and your encouragement throughout has been immensely supportive. Thank you for providing us with a taste of the real world and what to expect as we move forward into the graphic design industry. Finally, thank you to the Columbia Museum of Art for providing us with the opportunity to create something truly special for everyone and for hosting such an amazing and enjoyable event! It was a pleasure to see the local community come out to support the arts, and I hope the public had a great time exploring the AR scavenger hunt.

To revisit the beginning, over the past three to four weeks, the interaction design students were assigned a client-based project. The Columbia Museum of Art contacted Professor Khalili to develop a scavenger hunt for their annual Arts and Draughts event. The purpose of this project was to gain real-world client experience and to experiment with Adobe Aero to create an augmented reality experience for the residents of Columbia. When I was first assigned this project, I will admit that my initial reaction was one of panic and nerves. This project not only represented the University of South Carolina, but I also had no prior experience with creating augmented reality in Adobe Aero. With over 22 people working together on this large project, it immediately felt like “too many cooks in the kitchen.” I was genuinely terrified and anxious about how we would manage to create something innovative and cohesive that would satisfy the museum's expectations and encourage them to collaborate with us in the future. The client requested thirteen to fourteen individual augmented reality (AR) experiences that showcase art pieces throughout the museum. This includes pieces from the permanent collection, special exhibits such as "Intersection on Main Street," the atrium, and the outdoor sculptures. The goal of this scavenger hunt is to educate the public about these artworks, guide visitors to various locations in the museum (similar to a self-guided walking tour), and provide an additional engaging activity for their Arts and Draughts event.

After reflecting on everything, I can honestly say that the entire experience was a success. Let me first break down the steps to how we went from the initial creative brief to the final result over a three-four week time frame. First, we needed to come up with a collaborative system and place that all groups could gather their research and collaborate together. Professor Khalili recommended for one member of the group to start a Miro board, in which we can creative seven individual frames for the seven groups made up of three-four people each. From that point, we as a class decided to set up a GroupMe chat as well, to establish an additional and consistent way to communicate with each other outside of class. all the small groups also set up an additional small text group chat with each group member, establishing exactly three methods of contact: two to contact the large group, and one method reversed for contacting just the small groups. There was also a tone of open communication during clas/studio time during the week to allow the entire class as a whole to ask and answer clarifying question with each other and the creative director. Overall, this system proved to be incredibly successful and allowed the large group to collaborate with each other easily while focusing on their individual AR experiences.

After our initial client meeting at the museum, my team was assigned two experiences. We toured the entire museum with Associate Director of Engagement Wilson Bane and Collection Specialist Noel Nelson. As a group, we discussed the overall flow of the scavenger hunt, which was no easy task, but we managed to finalize it and were assigned two of the thirteen experiences.We decided to focus on the large chandelier in the atrium, "Untitled," by artist Dale Chihuly, and the Sarah Mae Flemming Swing Coat, created by artist Patricia A. Montgomery, located in the Intersection on Main Street exhibit. Wilson and Noel expressed a desire for at least one augmented reality (AR) experience for both the chandelier and the swing coat. From that point, we conducted research on each art piece and created a mood board in Miro. To make the workload more manageable, we divided tasks among group members. Joe and I took on the chandelier, with Joe responsible for adding animation to the sculpture by making the blown glass pieces swirl and rotate. I focused on making the piece shine and sparkle. Trace was in charge of making the images on the swing coat pop out and ensuring the small triangles moved smoothly and flowed throughout the coat. Additionally, I was tasked with creating clues and maintaining consistency in all written components of the AR experiences, as well as delivering the clues to other groups. I also took on the responsibility of designing a digital layout of the scavenger hunt flow for everyone to refer back to throughout the project. Additionally, I kept notes for all groups regarding the feedback received from Wilson during our follow-up visits to test the flow and stops of the scavenger hunt. While I dedicated significant time to my group's individual AR experiences, I also assisted other groups by testing the overall flow and experiences at the museum outside of class and reporting back through GroupMe. Balancing this with my own tasks was challenging, as I needed to stay alert and take notes on everyone's experiences. However, I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the team as a whole!

In creating the augmented reality (AR) experience, I encountered several challenges, as I had never worked with AR in Adobe Aero before. Initially, I animated a basic GIF using Adobe Photoshop, importing the sequence of images into Adobe Aero via a compressed ZIP file. While this created a lighting effect, it flashed and strobbed, which could be problematic for individuals with light sensitivity issues. After informing my group about this issue, Trace suggested that I create a GIF animation sequence in Procreate, using various brushes and a Gaussian blur effect to achieve the illusion of sparkling instead of strobing. I took the hex code colors from an image of the chandelier and created various colored orbs, forming a sequence that gave the impression of sparkling lights. I then imported this Procreate file as individual PNG layers, zipped the file, and integrated it into Joe's Adobe Aero file, where it had the swirling animation effect. Combining both effects resulted in a fun, whimsical experience that added life and movement to the chandelier. Overall, I would estimate that this effect took around six hours to complete, with four of those hours spent learning how to work in Adobe Aero and Photoshop and the remaining two hours focused on animating in Procreate and importing the files into Adobe Aero. Next, I created the clues for both the chandelier and the jacket, which were handed off to the respective group members to incorporate into their AR experience (the stops before the chandelier and before the jacket). Here are the final clues: For the chandelier: "Look yonder, and behold the glass swirls in flight, Sparkling and twirling, a mesmerizing sight. Seek the work that's made by flame. The next clue will call your name."For the jacket: "Where untold stories unfold, There's a place where history is bold. A coat is draped, its fabric vibrant and bright, Reflecting a journey towards equal rights. A tale of courage, stitched with care, Draped near the Intersection, the next clue is there."

To summarize my final studio day of class, I completed a project that explored the various laws of interaction design. First, Fitt’s Law states that the time required to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and the size of that target. In the context of the scavenger hunt, Fitt's Law applied to the placement of QR codes, the arrangement of experiences, and the positioning of clues. Second, Hick’s Law explains that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. We applied Hick's Law in the AR scavenger hunt by simplifying and breaking down complex choices within the experience. We avoided overwhelming users by giving them clear directions for moving from one clue to another (e.g., “go to gallery 20”), simplifying choices for galleries, and providing users with the option to exit the scavenger hunt early. The flyer we created clearly directed users on how to participate, outlining the steps involved. Third, Jakob’s Law states that users spend most of their time on sites they are familiar with and prefer experiences they recognize. We empowered users by utilizing familiar interfaces. The scavenger hunt itself was designed to be a familiar experience, as using a camera to scan QR codes involves consistent and predictable actions throughout the journey. Fourth, Miller’s Law suggests that the average person can only retain between 5 to 9 items in their working memory. We applied this principle to the AR scavenger hunt by limiting overwhelming information. Clues, posters, and wayfinding signs helped break down and guide users through the experience, with a clear hierarchy to chunk information effectively. Fifth, Occam’s Razor is a problem-solving principle that suggests selecting options with the fewest assumptions. In our scavenger hunt, we applied this law to the map and instructions, as well as to editing the experience itself, ensuring that the triggers for the AR experience were straightforward with a manageable number of stops. The Pareto Principle states that roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. We utilized this principle in the AR scavenger hunt to focus on the most crucial features that needed accessibility to users, particularly regarding navigation and the design of AR codes, as well as gallery placement. Tesler’s Law states that every system has a certain level of complexity. In the context of the scavenger hunt, we recognized that it was essential to have triggers or anchors for onboarding and offboarding users during the AR experience. The Von Restorff Effect occurs when something stands out significantly. In our scavenger hunt, while the QR codes for the general scavenger hunt remained consistent, the visuals used for onboarding and offboarding were distinct and designed to stand out. Lastly, the Zeigarnik Effect refers to the tendency of people to remember uncompleted tasks. In our AR scavenger hunt, we provided a shorter option for the experience that still felt complete, ensuring that participants did not leave feeling unsatisfied. This project has allowed me to apply these interaction design principles effectively while enhancing user experience in the AR scavenger hunt.

After the AR scavenger hunt was completed and showcased at the Arts and Draughts event, I would like to highlight several factors that we may not have considered or been informed about before creating the AR experiences. First, the music in the atrium area on the second floor, where our booth was set up, was incredibly loud. This made it difficult to engage with people passing by or to capture their attention to participate in the scavenger hunt. Second, there was a sign with a QR code for another museum tour positioned next to our booth, along with our QR code for scanning the first clue. This caused some confusion among participants as they weren't sure which QR code to scan. A potential solution would have been to relocate the competing QR codes to a different area of the atrium, away from our sign. Additionally, we experienced issues with Adobe Aero not automatically launching when individuals with Samsung smartphones scanned our QR code. They were required to download the app to partake in the scavenger hunt, which may have deterred some participants. Moreover, distractions from the silent disco located along the path of the scavenger hunt might have caused some people to lose interest or give up halfway through the first leg of the hunt. Unfortunately, several of these challenges were beyond our control. We did our best to keep participants engaged and informed about the scavenger hunt and the accompanying raffle.

After completing the experiences and working during studio time and at the museum, I can honestly say that about 20% of this project was dedicated to creating the actual experience, while 80% was spent on research and understanding how the scavenger hunt would flow and how each stop would work together consistently. According to the professor, this is truly representative of how the graphic design industry operates, with individuals collaborating to complete projects. While group work is not always easy, this team put in a strong effort to create something wonderful for the CMA. It was incredibly rewarding to talk with everyone during the Arts and Draughts event when we showcased this AR scavenger hunt to the public. This has certainly been one of the most memorable projects I've completed at USC. It's hard to believe that I only have one more assignment left for this course, which is the portfolio website that will tie all the work from this semester together, similar to a process book.

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