Advanced Experience Design:
A VR Journey to Sustainable Tourism

Advanced Experience Design:
A VR Journey to Sustainable Tourism

Immersive VR for Marine Conservation

Immersive VR for Marine Conservation

Immersive VR for Marine Conservation

An interactive VR experience designed to raise awareness and influence behaviour regarding marine pollution, by engaging tourists in immersive scenarios that highlight the consequences of pollution and promote proactive environmental actions.

An interactive VR experience designed to raise awareness and influence behaviour regarding marine pollution, by engaging tourists in immersive scenarios that highlight the consequences of pollution and promote proactive environmental actions.

ROLE

ROLE

ROLE

XR Designer​, Content Creator, Video Editor (Team of 4)

TIME

TIME

TIME

Jan 2024- Mar 2024

Jan 2024- Mar 2024

Jan 2024- Mar 2024

CATEGORY

CATEGORY

CATEGORY

Experience Design

Experience Design

Experience Design

TOOLS

TOOLS

TOOLS

Figma

Figma

Figma

Miro

Miro

Miro

Canvas

Canvas

Canvas

Mozilla Hub

Mozilla Hub

Mozilla Hub

Mozilla Hub

SKILLS

SKILLS

SKILLS

Problem Solving

Problem Solving

Problem Solving

User Testing

User Testing

User Testing

Problem Solving

Problem Solving

Problem Solving

XR Design

XR Design

XR Design

Storytelling

Storytelling

Storytelling

Brief

Brief

Brief

Goal: Raise awareness about marine pollution, particularly plastic waste, and promote sustainable tourism behavior.

Goal: Raise awareness about marine pollution, particularly plastic waste, and promote sustainable tourism behavior.

Focus: Support UN Sustainable Development Goal 14Life Below Water by reducing marine debris and encouraging eco-friendly tourism practices.

Focus: Support UN Sustainable Development Goal 14Life Below Water by reducing marine debris and encouraging eco-friendly tourism practices.

Objectives

Objectives

Objectives

  • Support UN Goal 14: Contribute to reducing plastic pollution in oceans by 2025.

  • Raise Awareness: Educate tourists on the impact of plastic waste on marine ecosystems.

  • Promote Responsible Tourism: Encourage tourists to adopt eco-friendly behaviors through engaging VR experiences.

  • Foster Empathy: Use immersive VR to build emotional connections between users and marine life.

  • Drive Behaviour Change: Inspire sustainable actions by making learning interactive and enjoyable.

  • Support UN Goal 14: Help reduce ocean plastic by 2025.

  • Raise Awareness: Show tourists the impact of plastic on marine life.

  • Promote Eco-Tourism: Encourage eco-friendly behaviours.

  • Foster Empathy: Build emotional connections with marine life through VR.

  • Drive Change: Inspire sustainable actions with interactive learning.

UN Goals- Under the Water

UN Goals- Under the Water

UN Goals- Under the Water

14.1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution indicators.

14.1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution indicators.

14.1 By 2025, significantly reduce all marine pollution, especially from land-based sources like debris and nutrients.

Challenges

Challenges

Challenges

  • Tourists often overlook their environmental impact due to a lack of awareness.

  • Tourism contributes heavily to marine pollution, especially plastic waste.

  • Sustainability initiatives struggle to engage tourists effectively, with weak environmental regulations.

  • Tourists often overlook their environmental impact due to a lack of awareness.

  • Tourism contributes heavily to marine pollution, especially plastic waste.

  • Sustainability initiatives struggle to engage tourists effectively, with weak environmental regulations.

  • Tourists often overlook their environmental impact due to a lack of awareness.

  • Tourism contributes heavily to marine pollution, especially plastic waste.

  • Sustainability initiatives struggle to engage tourists effectively, with weak environmental regulations.

Research

Research

Research

Why UN Goal 14- Life Below Water?

Why UN Goal 14- Life Below Water?

  • Tourists often overlook their environmental impact due to a lack of awareness.

  • Tourism contributes heavily to marine pollution, especially plastic waste.

  • Sustainability initiatives struggle to engage tourists effectively, with weak environmental regulations.

  • Tourists often overlook their environmental impact due to a lack of awareness.

  • Tourism contributes heavily to marine pollution, especially plastic waste.

  • Sustainability initiatives struggle to engage tourists effectively, with weak environmental regulations.

  • Tourists often overlook their environmental impact due to a lack of awareness.

  • Tourism contributes heavily to marine pollution, especially plastic waste.

  • Sustainability initiatives struggle to engage tourists effectively, with weak environmental regulations.

80%

80%

Marine pollution

comes from Plastics

80%

Marine pollution

comes from Plastics

8 million tons

8 million tons

Plastic

enter Oceans Yearly

8 million tons

Plastic

enter Oceans Yearly

39kg

39kg

Microplastics

are consumed per person each year.

39kg

Microplastics

are consumed per person each year.

Over 100,000

Marine Animals

die annually due to plastic pollution,

Over 100,000

Marine Animals

die annually due to plastic pollution,

Solutions

Solutions

Solutions

  • Interactive VR Scenarios: Engage users with real-world problems and promote sustainable actions.

  • Autonomous Exploration: Users navigate the virtual world freely, fostering discovery-based learning.

  • Emotional Impact: Create empathy by simulating pollution’s effect on marine life, such as hermit crabs interacting with trash.

  • Educational Engagement: Incorporate interactive objects to connect actions in VR with real-world sustainable practices.

  • Interactive VR Scenarios: Engage users with real-world problems and promote sustainable actions.

  • Autonomous Exploration: Users navigate the virtual world freely, fostering discovery-based learning.

  • Emotional Impact: Create empathy by simulating pollution’s effect on marine life, such as hermit crabs interacting with trash.

  • Educational Engagement: Incorporate interactive objects to connect actions in VR with real-world sustainable practices.

  • Interactive Scenarios: Engage users with real-world challenges.

  • Free Exploration: Foster learning through discovery.

  • Emotional Impact: Show pollution’s effect on marine life.

  • Educational Engagement: Link VR actions to real-world sustainability.

Interactive VR

Interactive VR

Interactive VR

Engage users with real-world problems

Engage users with real-world problems

Promote sustainable actions

Promote sustainable actions

Emotional Effects

Emotional Effects

Emotional Effects

Simulate pollution impact on marine life

Simulate pollution impact on marine life

Trigger empathy and other emotional responses

Trigger empathy and other emotional responses

Educational Engagement

Educational Engagement

Educational Engagement

Incorporate interactive objects

Incorporate interactive objects

Connect actionable with sustainable practices

Connect actionable with sustainable practices

Results

Results

Results

Emotional Impact:

Emotional Impact:

  • Users showed strong emotional responses to scenarios like marine animals suffering from pollution.

  • Unexpectedly, some users felt negative emotions during a litter-picking scene, indicating room for improvement in engagement design.

  • Users showed strong emotional responses to scenarios like marine animals suffering from pollution.

  • Unexpectedly, some users felt negative emotions during a litter-picking scene, indicating room for improvement in engagement design.

  • Users showed strong emotional responses to scenarios like marine animals suffering from pollution.

  • Unexpectedly, some users felt negative emotions during a litter-picking scene, indicating room for improvement in engagement design.

Empathy and Awareness:

Empathy and Awareness:

  • The VR experience increased empathy and raised awareness about marine pollution.

  • Further work is needed to optimize AI interactions and improve emotional engagement.

  • The VR experience increased empathy and raised awareness about marine pollution.

  • Further work is needed to optimize AI interactions and improve emotional engagement.

  • The VR experience increased empathy and raised awareness about marine pollution.

  • Further work is needed to optimize AI interactions and improve emotional engagement.

Design Process

Design Process

Design Process

Step 1

Step 1

Step 1

Synthesize Research

Brief Generation

Synthesize Research

Brief Generation

Synthesize Research

Brief Generation

Step 2

Step 2

Step 2

Ideation

Prototyping

Ideation Prototyping

Ideation

Prototyping

Step 3

Step 3

Step 3

Testing, Tuning, 

Design Iteration

Testing, Tuning, 

Design Iteration

Testing, Tuning, 

Design Iteration

Step 4

Step 4

Step 4

Validation & Final Design Reflections

Validation & Final Design Reflections

Validation & Final Design Reflections

Persona

Persona

Persona

MEET HARRY: A BRITISH YOUNG TOURIST

MEET HARRY: A BRITISH YOUNG TOURIST

MEET HARRY: A BRITISH YOUNG TOURIST

UNDERGRADUATE | 22 | LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

UNDERGRADUATE | 22 | LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

UNDERGRADUATE | 22 | LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

Harry is a typical young UK student: environmentally aware yet uninformed about his substantial impact, exemplifying tourists who frequently neglect their environmental responsibilities.

Harry is a typical young UK student: environmentally aware yet uninformed about his substantial impact, exemplifying tourists who frequently neglect their environmental responsibilities.

Harry is a typical young UK student: environmentally aware yet uninformed about his substantial impact, exemplifying tourists who frequently neglect their environmental responsibilities.

RESEARCH: Why chose UK young tourists?

RESEARCH: Why chose UK young tourists?

RESEARCH: Why chose UK young tourists?

  1. Less litter-reducing intentions

  2. Future-oriented and opened to new ideas

  3. Travel motives: personal attachment, escape, relaxation, culture and adventure

  1. Less litter-reducing intentions

  2. Future-oriented and opened to new ideas

  3. Travel motives: personal attachment, escape, relaxation, culture and adventure

  1. Less litter-reducing intentions

  2. Future-oriented and opened to new ideas

  3. Travel motives: personal attachment, escape, relaxation, culture and adventure

UX Vision Statement

UX Vision Statement

UX Vision Statement

Design Consideration

Design Consideration

Design Consideration

🌊 Design Principles

🌊 Design Principles

  • Inspiration: Encourage users to envision a sustainable future by presenting challenges that require long-term thinking.

  • Engagement: Utilise interactive VR objects to deepen learning and make each interaction educational and enjoyable.

  • Exploration: Allow users to explore environments autonomously, fostering discovery-based learning.

  • Inspiration: Encourage users to envision a sustainable future by presenting challenges that require long-term thinking.

  • Engagement: Utilise interactive VR objects to deepen learning and make each interaction educational and enjoyable.

  • Exploration: Allow users to explore environments autonomously, fostering discovery-based learning.

  • Inspiration: Challenge users to think long-term for a sustainable future.

  • Engagement: Use interactive VR to make learning fun and impactful.

  • Exploration: Enable free exploration to promote discovery-based learning.

🪸 VR Opportunities

🪸 VR Opportunities

  • Awe & Nature Connection: Replicate stunning underwater environments to evoke awe and raise consciousness.

  • Ecological Experience Learning (EEL): Directly simulate ecosystem interactions to show the impact of human actions on marine life.

  • Pro-environmental Behaviour: Provide actionable experiences that translate VR lessons into real-world eco-friendly actions.

  • Awe & Nature Connection: Replicate stunning underwater environments to evoke awe and raise consciousness.

  • Ecological Experience Learning (EEL): Directly simulate ecosystem interactions to show the impact of human actions on marine life.

  • Pro-environmental Behaviour: Provide actionable experiences that translate VR lessons into real-world eco-friendly actions.

  • Awe & Connection: Evoke awe with stunning underwater scenes.

  • Ecological Learning: Simulate ecosystems to show human impact.

  • Pro-environmental Action: Turn VR lessons into real-world eco-friendly behaviour.

    4o

Flow Chart

Flow Chart

Flow Chart

Storyboard

Storyboard

Storyboard

VR Prototype

VR Prototype

VR Prototype

🏖️ IMMERSE IN OUR VIRTUAL WORLD 🐚

🏖️ IMMERSE IN OUR VIRTUAL WORLD 🐚

🏖️ IMMERSE IN OUR VIRTUAL WORLD 🐚

Design Patterns

Design Patterns

Design Patterns

User Testing Methodology

User Testing Methodology

User Testing Methodology

Quantitative- Presence and Emotions

Quantitative- Presence and Emotions

Quantitative- Presence and Emotions

We utilised the USE Score and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to evaluate participants' perceived presence and emotional reactions.

We utilised the USE Score and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to evaluate participants' perceived presence and emotional reactions.

We utilised the USE Score and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to evaluate participants' perceived presence and emotional reactions.

Qualitative- Post Interview

Qualitative- Post Interview

Qualitative- Post Interview

After experiencing an immersive virtual journey, we conducted a post-test interview to gather feedback and insights to determine whether users would change their behavior based on different scenarios.

After experiencing an immersive virtual journey, we conducted a post-test interview to gather feedback and insights to determine whether users would change their behavior based on different scenarios.

After experiencing an immersive virtual journey, we conducted a post-test interview to gather feedback and insights to determine whether users would change their behavior based on different scenarios.

Quotes from Participants After Testing

Quotes from Participants After Testing

Desired Emotional Responses

Desired Emotional Responses

Desired Emotional Responses

“That's very sad. [seeing seagulls]...eating rubbish.” - P2

“That's very sad. [seeing seagulls]...eating rubbish.” - P2

“After seeing the tourists picking up the trash, It wasn't like a guilt trip sort of experience.” - P2

“After seeing the tourists picking up the trash, It wasn't like a guilt trip sort of experience.” - P2

Matching Mental Models

Matching Mental Models

Matching Mental Models

“I'm tempted to almost walk forward. I forget that I'm in an actual room."- P2

“I'm tempted to almost walk forward. I forget that I'm in an actual room."- P2

“The interactions are simple but it makes you feel like you're actually doing something"

- P4

“The interactions are simple but it makes you feel like you're actually doing something"

- P4

Key Metric

Key Metric

The experience succeeded in increasing user empathy and awareness, though further work is needed to optimise emotional engagement and strengthen user interaction with AI elements.

The experience succeeded in increasing user empathy and awareness, though further work is needed to optimise emotional engagement and strengthen user interaction with AI elements.

The experience boosted empathy and awareness, but emotional engagement and AI interaction need further improvement.

Reflection

Reflection

Reflection

I greatly enjoyed the Advanced Interaction Design module, where I explored new AR and VR concepts. Transitioning from 2D to virtual environments required adapting to new methodologies, such as field of view, optimal zones, and addressing ethical concerns like motion sickness and eye stain.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Advanced Interaction Design module, exploring new AR and VR concepts. Transitioning from 2D to VR required adapting to new methodologies, including field of view, optimal zones, and addressing ethical issues like motion sickness and eye strain.

Key Takeaway

Key Takeaway

Key Takeaway

  • VR Design Techniques: Mastered creating immersive VR environments, adapting from traditional 2D to address unique spatial and ethical considerations.

  • User Safety in VR: Learned to integrate safety measures against potential side effects like motion sickness and eye strain.

  • Emotional Engagement: Developed skills to enhance emotional connections and immersion in VR, prioritising user engagement.

  • VR Design Techniques: Mastered creating immersive VR environments, adapting from traditional 2D to address unique spatial and ethical considerations.

  • User Safety in VR: Learned to integrate safety measures against potential side effects like motion sickness and eye strain.

  • Emotional Engagement: Developed skills to enhance emotional connections and immersion in VR, prioritising user engagement.

  • VR Design: Mastered immersive environments and spatial design.

  • User Safety: Integrated measures for motion sickness and eye strain.

  • Emotional Engagement: Enhanced emotional connections to boost immersion.

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Built in Framer

Created by Wei Hsin 2024

Built in Framer

Created by Wei Hsin 2024

Built in Framer

Created by Wei Hsin 2024

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