NOVA Labs approached us to create a classroom experience, at the high school level, examining scientific exploration in the polar regions.

Thought Café brought me on to drive the UI design for a VR & web application for educational, in-classroom use.

The Challenge

Finding a balance between ideal design and what was technologically feasible and optimal was an exercise in team communication.

Designing graphics for all platforms, considering display formats and processing power meant careful thought on the design side. Our team understood that it was impractical to animate every clickable button, and use transparencies on every pop up box as these things will slow down the experience on a slower processor. Our main priority is always for a student to stay immersed and complete the experience, bells and whistles can come later. We were conscious of the client's timeline and budget in recommending a design concept that met their parameters.

The approach

Working from a process of sketches to wireframing to prototyping, each step was taken in collaboration with a programming team to discern what was practical.

Often times, keeping an open mind and being clear about the reason for each decision kept the entire team on the same page, and the process flowing smoothly.

The solution

A web and VR experience taking students through the physical labs where scientists are researching environmental and geological changes to perceive and predict future climate change.

Students can walk through outdoor and lab environments where scientists complete research. Concepts are taught through games and videos. Students receive in-game phone calls with scientists from the field, sharing information on their current research. Lastly, students collect stickers and notes to fill an in-game notebook which can be adapted into a real life notebook depending on a teacher’s preference.

Illustrated elements

The Games

Students play through games that range from puzzle solving games, to arcade-like research simulation games.

PIXEL ART GAME ASSETS

Notebook & Stickers

The in-game notebook is a students biggest connection to their own physical world. These notes can be printed outside of the game, giving students a physical copy of their digital notebook. The notes in the notebook are also a player’s cheat sheet to review topics they have already learned. The in-game stickers allow players to track what topics they have already covered or still need to cover.

with gratitude

It takes a team!

This project was only made possible through the combined effort of a small team of scientists, programmers, project manager, game designer, and myself the illustrator and designer. Without the continued cooperation, contribution, and communication of each individual, this final product would not exist.