IMMERSIVE DESIGN
STUDENTS: mix of undergraduate and graduate students from many majors across campus
This course focuses on learning and understanding designing in 3D and how to combine physical and digital environments. The current focus is on augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). We do talk about virtual reality (VR), but students don’t design as much for that medium. In order to provide real working projects, the current focus is on mobile-based AR experiences. By the end of the course, students all have a fully coded and working AR experience for a mobile device. Along the way, they also have opportunities to test multiple kinds of headmounted displays (HMDs) as well as explore multiple 3D software programs and AR applications, as wellas explore the full immersive design workflow focusing on user experiences, 3D design, and spatial computing.
Project #1: 3d MOdel
In this project, students investigate product and packing design and create a 3D model of their design that they can launch and test in their physical space using a mobile device.
Project #2: spatial UI
This project focuses on designing an experience for a head-mounted display or smartglasses where the screen(s) are on your eyes. Students look at the full user experience and flow of launching the experience, and then intensively focus on the first 30 seconds of the experience and the interface design.
Project #3: TEAM PROJECT
A project that everyone in the class collaborates together on.
VIEWLINGO: The goal was to concept and create an AR mobile app experience that helped overcome language barriers. The project connected to the design workshop’s focus of creating an application that could help refugees displaced from their homes around the world. The students named their application viewLingo, and you can view more at www.viewlingo.com
Visualizing 81: In 2021, the class worked in with the Newhouse-guided I-81 project (http://visualizing81.thenewshouse.com) to design a way to launch a mobile AR experience showing the past and future neighborhoods around Interstate 81 that divides the city of Syracuse.
Project #4: immersive experience
This is a long-form XR project that the students work on for about half the semester. They have creative freedom on what the experience is, so long as it is functional. It cannot be a prototype; it must be something that can be launched and tested in class. Students all test each other’s experiences and provide user testing feedback before the final project submission. This project uses a compilation of everything they have learned all semester long.