Where's Waldo?

Inspiration

Remember the childhood thrill of sitting on the floor with friends and scanning a crowded book until you finally spotted Waldo? We wanted to bring that exact feeling of unscripted joy to modern college campuses, where students are surrounded by thousands of peers but often feel completely isolated behind their screens. We created a daily augmented reality scavenger hunt that uses phones as a compass to guide people back into the physical world. Every day, Waldo hides at a new real-world location on campus. Students get a whimsical clue, walk to the spot, and use their AR camera to reveal Waldo hiding in the environment. Finding him sends a playful notification to friends and updates a daily leaderboard, turning a lonely walk to class into a shared race.

Design

We designed our prototype in Figma, focusing heavily on a visual system that feels like a vintage children's book. We aimed for a playful theme, with primarily red, and hand-drawn outlines to mimic Martin Handford's original art style. Our biggest challenge was balancing this heavy nostalgia with actual usability. We had to constantly adjust our typography so it remained legible on the go, and we spent a lot of time refining our AR mockup so Waldo felt physically grounded in the real world rather than just pasted onto a photograph.

Conclusion

Ultimately, this project isn't just a game. It is a daily reason for students to go outside, explore their environment, and feel like a kid again with their friends.

Built With

• figma