PICOMA
AR App
PICoMA is an augmented reality application that aims to enrich the experience of families at the Rouyn-Noranda Art Museum in Canada. Pic, the museum’s new mascot, is there to guide them and encourage them to discover the works.
This experience seeks to arouse the visitor’s curiosity by making their museum visit more stimulating and playful. With the help of a tablet, they can interact with the place. Thus, by approaching the works, the visitor can collect them, enter their universe and obtain a range of additional information. The concept of collecting seeks to encourage the visitor to take an interest in each work in order to fill its inventory like a video game. This « quest » allows children and adults to learn while having fun and to feel more involved in the art world.
The prototype presented on this page was realized in a single weekend during a workshop. To do so, our team of 5 people used Unity, Blender, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe After Effects.
This experience seeks to arouse the visitor’s curiosity by making their museum visit more stimulating and playful. With the help of a tablet, they can interact with the place. Thus, by approaching the works, the visitor can collect them, enter their universe and obtain a range of additional information. The concept of collecting seeks to encourage the visitor to take an interest in each work in order to fill its inventory like a video game. This « quest » allows children and adults to learn while having fun and to feel more involved in the art world.
The prototype presented on this page was realized in a single weekend during a workshop. To do so, our team of 5 people used Unity, Blender, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe After Effects.
SCENARIO
The visitor scans an image at the museum entrance which launches the application. Pic, the virtual guide, greets the visitor and invites him to start the exhibition. A short tutorial allows the user to understand the interface for the good progress of the experience. Pic then invites the visitor to approach a work.
As soon as the visitor points to a work with the tablet, an animation appears. It immerses the user in the universe of the work of art. Some explanations about the artwork are displayed and if the visitor clicks on the buttons on the right, he gets additional information.
As they visit, visitors collect some paintings they observe and these are stored in their inventory to be consulted at any time. Each artwork collected increases the player’s score. If he collects all the artworks proposed in the experience, the visitor is congratulated by Pic who then invites him to go to the museum reception to get his art collector certificate.
The augmented visit is non-linear, the visitor can go back to any artwork whenever he wants and relive the immersion experience or re-read the information.
The visitor scans an image at the museum entrance which launches the application. Pic, the virtual guide, greets the visitor and invites him to start the exhibition. A short tutorial allows the user to understand the interface for the good progress of the experience. Pic then invites the visitor to approach a work.
As soon as the visitor points to a work with the tablet, an animation appears. It immerses the user in the universe of the work of art. Some explanations about the artwork are displayed and if the visitor clicks on the buttons on the right, he gets additional information.
As they visit, visitors collect some paintings they observe and these are stored in their inventory to be consulted at any time. Each artwork collected increases the player’s score. If he collects all the artworks proposed in the experience, the visitor is congratulated by Pic who then invites him to go to the museum reception to get his art collector certificate.
The augmented visit is non-linear, the visitor can go back to any artwork whenever he wants and relive the immersion experience or re-read the information.
AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR ALL
We wanted to work on an interface with a simple, uncluttered and attractive design. We wanted to arouse the curiosity of visitors, mainly children, about the exhibition through the design and the virtual guide Pic.
The user interface was designed to motivate them to click on the buttons and learn more about the art world. But we have not forgotten adults who may be just as interested in the animation and additional information provided. Everything has been written to be understandable by children but remains rich in content to deepen the culture at all ages. Children and adults alike are invited to approach the works, enter their universe and discover their secrets in order to live a new and enriching experience. It is also a moment of family sharing where parents can accompany their children and help them better understand the experience. Also, we did not want to alter the museum space by proposing an experience that would focus the visitor too much on the tablet and not on what surrounds it. That’s why when the visitor doesn’t point his tablet on a work, Pic withdraws and leaves the possibility for the visitor to live the exhibition in reality. We wanted to work as much as possible on an application that adds value to the visit through its playfulness and its immersive side, but without modifying its essence.
We wanted to work on an interface with a simple, uncluttered and attractive design. We wanted to arouse the curiosity of visitors, mainly children, about the exhibition through the design and the virtual guide Pic.
The user interface was designed to motivate them to click on the buttons and learn more about the art world. But we have not forgotten adults who may be just as interested in the animation and additional information provided. Everything has been written to be understandable by children but remains rich in content to deepen the culture at all ages. Children and adults alike are invited to approach the works, enter their universe and discover their secrets in order to live a new and enriching experience. It is also a moment of family sharing where parents can accompany their children and help them better understand the experience. Also, we did not want to alter the museum space by proposing an experience that would focus the visitor too much on the tablet and not on what surrounds it. That’s why when the visitor doesn’t point his tablet on a work, Pic withdraws and leaves the possibility for the visitor to live the exhibition in reality. We wanted to work as much as possible on an application that adds value to the visit through its playfulness and its immersive side, but without modifying its essence.
Title
PICOMA
Project details
- Type: Augmented Reality App
- Team: Théo Dauphin, Maxime Giraudeau, Fanny Joseph, Jeanne Lebigre, Mattéo Popoff
- Softwares: Unity, Blender, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects
- Date: September 2021
- Place: Rouyn-Noranda Art Museum, University of Québec in Abitibi Témiscamingue - UQAT
