Interactive AR Museum Experience
The Formosa: The Lost Secret project integrates Augmented Reality (AR) with interactive modules to bring museum exhibits to life. Through AR missions and virtual storytelling, the design encourages elementary students and families to embark on a fun and educational journey.
Conversational avatar as a learning guide
AR interactive, gamified learning
How to address lack of interactivity and navigation challenges?
This project began to address the challenge of keeping students engaged in traditional museum exhibits. Many displays lacked interactivity and navigation challenges, making it harder for students to learn effectively. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the National Museum of Natural Science, the goal was to make the museum experience more engaging for students and families.
Uncovering user’s learning needs and behaviors
I interviewed 20 elementary school students, parents, and teachers who visited the National Museum of Natural Science. My goal was to understand their experiences with digital learning and expectations regarding Augmented Reality (AR).
85% value gamified learning
80% want interactive characters
75% embrace digital learning
Current museum experiences are challenging for young students to engage with
From user interviews, we also found some key pain points in the current museum experiences.
Lack of interactivity and engagement in museum exhibits
How might we create an engaging and interactive museum experience that motivates students to learn independently and navigate exhibits with ease?
Bringing learning to life with interactive missions
To visualize the potential experience, I developed a thematic mission route, allowing users to effortlessly engage in self-directed immersive AR learning. Users have the freedom to select stages for interactive experiences. Upon completing all stages, they can attain certification for self-directed learning and unlock a hidden mystery interaction.
01 Mission route map with rewards
Students navigate their learning journey through a mission route map, clearing levels to unlock rewards. This feature boosts motivation and turns education into an engaging and fun adventure.
02 Conversational avatar as a learning guide
The experience introduces friendly characters as learning buddies to enhance student engagement. These avatars guide students through tasks, provide hints, and answer questions, making the learning process more interactive and supportive.
03 AR interactive, gamified learning
By integrating AR technology with real-world exhibits, students engage with lively virtual elements—click arrows, find treasures, or solve puzzles—to create an immersive, memorable, and fun learning experience.
Address key usability issues to iterate on designs
In our usability testing, over 50 elementary students, teachers, field experts, and museum guides participated to evaluate the AR design. Their feedback helped us identify critical issues and make improvements to ensure a engaging and educational experience.
Guiding users to stabilize AR elements
Improving AR visibility with directional arrows
Adding a clear exit option
Improved museum learning experiences for elementary students
Collaborated with the Ministry of Education and the Science Museum to test the AR application with 50+ elementary students and teachers.
Reflection
AR interaction can deepen visitor engagement, bridge physical artifacts with digital contexts, and transform passive viewing into active personal discovery.