How might we use augmented reality to immerse users in their real life surroundings?
Prologue
01
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Inspiration
When our professor pitched the future of augmented and virtual reality to us on the first day of class, he spoke thus:
“In the future, everybody's reality will be personalized!”
This did not sit comfortably with me. Most things are already personalized for me—my music, my advertisements, and my sources of information, to name a few.
Hyperpersonalization is real, it's subtle, and it's easy to feel this phenomenon growing throughout political campaigns and cultural shifts, especially in a city as notoriously frozen as Seattle. When it came time to research, I had a few questions on my mind.
02
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Research and Inspiration
How does media technology affect our relationship with the world around us?
How do augmented and virtual reality spaces differ from current digital media?
How might we use these differences to counter trends of technological isolation?
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Media technology feeds us information (1)(2). Digital experiences regarded as “immersive,” such as stories and video games, allow us to discover information over time (3). It can be inferred that less discovery in the real world might lead to a feeling of isolation and disconnection.
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AR and VR leverages our natural ability to think spatially. We think easily when we tie concepts to individual objects and locations (4).
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There exist already excellent examples of augmented-reality like services which bring people out in to the world, and spark community and a sense of discovery in the likes of Geocaching, Soapstone, and the first blissful weeks of Pokemon GO!
03
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Principals
Commune with Community
Foster a feeling of connection with others. Allow participants to listen, respond to, and build off of those who have come before them. Create open-ended content encouraging of in-person discussion.
Honesty Without Ego
Stress individual anonymity; encourage honesty. Eliminate viral fame metrics such as likes and upvotes. Prevent targeted hate. Allow for the widest range of emotional expression with the narrowest set of limits.
Celebrate the Mundane
Let the little things become delightful. Allow participants to point out, celebrate, and respond to their surroundings.
Discovery Motivated
A sense of discovery is key to engagement. Encourage participants to explore off the beaten path. Keep content intriguing and open to interpretation.
