Inspiration
Inspired by my background in interior design and a fond reflection on the meaningful connections fostered through traditional exchange diaries, I am embarking on a journey to create a transformative 'phygital' experience—integrating physical and digital elements. Today, I am dissatisfied with contemporary social media because the gap between technology and tangible experiences continues to widen. This disconnect highlights the need for spaces that allow for deep reflection, introspection, and self-expression within the context of a supportive and interactive relationship. By striking a balance between digital convenience and the tangible essence of personal connections, we can ensure that our experiences remain authentic, meaningful, and truly memorable. This project aims to reshape how we perceive and engage with our surroundings, memories, and emotions, offering a glimpse into the limitless possibilities of the modern digital era.
What is exchange diary? Exchange diary were a popular trend in the 1990s. I used to do this with my friends back in 2006, where we could share a notebook and each took turns writing our thoughts, comments, or experiences — getting scolded by the teacher, or the way a crush looked at them during class — but it always created a sense of connection beyond what seems possible today.
What it does?
By striking a balance between digital convenience and the tangible essence of personal connections, we can ensure that our experiences remain authentic, meaningful, and truly memorable. Recognizing the contemporary landscape of advanced technology, my exploration focusing on Mixed Reality, the iOS app serves as a framework that helps creators build and preserve their memories within a virtual environment. By sending a unique physical postcard, the recipient receives a tangible 'Key' to unlock the sender's thoughtfully curated Augmented Reality space.
What’s special about the “Key”? I want to recreate the feeling of losing my notebook key back in 2006 and show how important it is as a symbol of nostalgia.
- Both physical postcard and iOS app need be coexisted to unlock the full potential of the immersive experience.
- To unlock the immersive experience, postcards become ‘unique key’ to access a virtual world.
- Only the sender and the receiver will have the access to those particular immersive digital space base on their tangle postcard.
How I built it?
Using Figma to design user journeys, user interfaces, and user flows, as well as Swift and SwiftUI for AR interaction experiences. Additionally, utilizing Creative Suite to design physical postcards and Blender to create 3D elements.
Challenges I ran into:
There was a moment when I felt devastated trying to create an engaging AR experience that was both meaningful and intuitive. The challenge was aligning the interactive elements with the overall user goals while ensuring the experience felt natural and immersive. It took me several revisions, rethinking the user flow, and experimenting with different design approaches to reach a point where the experience truly made sense. This iterative process not only helped me refine the solution but also taught me the value of persistence and user-centric thinking in design.
Accomplishments that I am proud of:
Successfully bridging tangible objects with technology in a way that feels natural and harmonious. By focusing on creating a balance between physical and digital elements, I was able to design experiences that seamlessly integrate the two, enhancing usability and user engagement.
What I learned?
By focusing on creating a balance between physical and digital elements, I realized the importance of designing interactions that enhance, rather than overwhelm, the user experience. This required a deep understanding of both the capabilities of the technology and the emotional connection users have with physical objects. Through iterative design and testing, I discovered how to integrate these two realms to create a cohesive and engaging experience.
What's next for TravARlog?
The next step is to fully develop the application, enabling people to share and preserve their memories with their loved ones.
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