Context
Our project group aims to explore effective ways to enhance creativity among Cornell students, recognizing that many students often prioritize academic work over creative pursuits. Our task focuses on identifying a medium that is accessible, engaging, and easy to interact with, providing students with opportunities to incorporate creative activities into their .
Team:
Roles: 5 Designers
Role:
Product Designer
Timeline:
(3Months)
April - August 2026
Technical and UX Skills:
Wireframing, Figma, Prototyping, User research
Those who create for an external audience
What will a typical user journey of using creative applications?
Foster creativity and community engagement by combining multiple users’artwork, making them feel motivated to express themselves collaborativel
This interactive media platform will make users feel motivated to express themselves to other people by providing a daily drawing prompt required to be completed within atime and passing artwork between users sothey can collaboratively complete the piec
Increase the user’s connection with their distant loved ones through a point-based artgame, making users feel a sense of competition.
These software games will evoke a sense of competition among the users and their distant loved ones by encouraging playersto create and guess a common memory/experience they had anda ccumulate points to unlock new tools for further creation
Connect the users with their loved ones emotionally through the creation of mood characters, making them feel a sense of group belonging even when they’re not physically together.
This augmented reality app will make theuser feel a sense of group belonging evenwhen they’re not physically together byallowing the user and their loved ones tocustomize mood characters and build ashared space augmented to theirenvironment
The Proposition we chose
Connect the users with their loved ones emotionally through the creation of moodcharacters, making them feel a sense of group belonging even when they’re not physically together.
The Reasoning behind choices
Our approach aims to encourage Cornell students to reconnect with their creative sides in a way that resonates emotionally and fosters social connections.
A mobile AR game offers the best of both worlds: the accessibility of a mobile platform combined with the immersive capabilities of augmented reality. Using mobile AR means students can easily engage with creative activities on devices they already carry, making participation more seamless and convenient.
in this user prototyping study, two users who already know each other engage in rounds of non-verbal interaction in a shared physical space, using avatars, rooms, and accessories to represent their mood and experiences.
In each round, they set up scenes that illustrate their current mood, their state at the semester's beginning, and their anticipated feelings after the semester ends.
After creating each setup, participants interpret each other's scenes and share whether they feel accurately represented.
Feedback
Each participant expressed that they wished other items or emotions existed. Given that wealready added some last time, and there are near infinite possible items to add, we believethat this criticism could be made again even if we added other items. There could always bemore items in this prototype. Therefore, we believe that due to the still largely positivefeedback on this prototype, this iteration is good enough
The next step
Bring this concept into an augmented reality (AR) format, incorporating participant feedback to make it more immersive and interactive. Translating the prototype into AR allowed for a richer, more dynamic experience, where users could visualize and interact with their mood avatars, rooms, and accessories directly within their physical surroundings. This shift provided new possibilities for expression, enabling participants to place, resize, and animate their chosen elements, creating a more personalized and engaging experience.
Prototyping with Initial Fidelity Sketches and Designs
Based on Interactions with users in our initial testing above, we found
Final High Fidelity Sketches
User Flows
User Feedback Integration:
We responded to user requests for more customization and clearer labels by adding accessories and thought bubbles, enhancing the app's ability to capture and express emotions accurately.
Shared Virtual Spaces:
Virtual spaces allow users to connect and share emotional experiences with loved ones, fostering a sense of closeness through collaborative environments.
Engagement Incentives:
Daily customization options and weekly snapshots encourage ongoing interaction, providing users with a sense of continuity and purpose in using the app.
Accessible, Intuitive Design:
A clean layout with visual cues and clear navigation ensures ease of use, allowing users to engage naturally without needing technical expertise.
Support for Non-Verbal Communication:
The app’s focus on visual expression caters to users who prefer or need non-verbal methods, enabling emotional connection without direct spoken or written communication.
Flexible Customization Options:Customizable accessories and moods allow for individual expression, empowering users to create characters that reflect their emotional states uniquely and creatively.
Personalized AR Art Overlays:Users can take pictures of their surroundings and customize the art overlays, adjusting colors, shapes, and designs to create unique, environment-specific artwork.
The AR app merges creativity with social interaction, enabling users to create "mood characters" to share emotions visually with loved ones. Feedback confirmed its effectiveness, as users valued the non-verbal, immersive emotional connection, aligning with our goal of artistic expression at a distance..
Slug avatars are simple yet customizable, allowing easy mood representation. They serve as approachable, blank canvases for users to personalize with accessories, encouraging honest emotional expression without requiring advanced design skills.
The app fosters connection by letting users share virtual spaces with loved ones, creating interactive AR environments that bridge the emotional gap. Feedback showed users feel closer when they can visually share a space, strengthening emotional bonds.
Final Findings
Users frequently reported feeling understood and enjoyed the creative medium, appreciating the detailed personalization of mood characters to express their emotions. They noted, however, that the accessory options felt limited and could benefit from clearer labels. In response, we expanded the accessory selection and clarified that the full app would offer a broader range. In the final iteration, we also enhanced customization options, allowing users to personalize not only their characters but also their virtual spaces, which they can decorate collaboratively with loved ones to foster greater intimacy.
Reflection
If I had more time, I would further expand the range of customizable elements, including more diverse avatars and accessories to capture a wider spectrum of emotions and personalities. I would also enhance the user interface to improve clarity and ease of use, ensuring that each item is intuitively labeled and accessible. Additionally, I would integrate advanced interactive features, such as real-time feedback prompts or animations, to make the experience feel even more immersive and responsive. Finally, I would conduct additional user testing with a larger, more diverse group to refine the app based on a broader range of perspectives and use cases.
