WANDAR

Real-time geolocated 3D drawings

Concept

WANDAR is conceptualized as a real-time social platform that lets users create 3D drawings in designated hotspots around the world.

Users are given basic tools to create drawings in a hotspot. These creations will then be tied to that real-world location for other users to then view, share, and possibly even add to.

How it works

Users will first be shown a map that displays the locations of creation spaces (hotspots) around the city. Creation spaces are where AR drawings made by users are showcased. Why creation spaces? Because this would allow a larger density of AR creations within the same space, thus providing a better overall experience for the user.

The drawing tool lets users make their creations. They're provided options to change brush color, stroke widths, edit and delete. All you have to do is pick a color and width, toggle the tool, and move your mobile device to draw. Users are free to experiment with space, and can make a drawing as big and as complex as they'd like.

The locations and positions of these drawings are saved on a remote server and will then be available to view by anyone else using the app

Role

Developer + Product Owner

Responsibilities

Development of geo-location functionality and database interfacing

Delegate feature ownerships for weekly sprints

Laying out a product development rodmap and making sure milestones are achieved on time

Facilitating team ideation, sprint planning, and product development throughout

Challenges

• Location accuracy

This is an issue, especially when you're indoors. The system uses a comoination of GPS and accelerometer data to position previously creatied drawings around the space. This isn't 100% accurate, and we see that creations usually shift about 3-5 feet from their original locations

• Stickiness

AR is an exciting technology to work and play with. Initial user tests showed that people were more than willing to try it out and use the app to draw things around them. However, there were mixed results on being asked if they would continue to use the app.

An interesting observation we had during a group user test was that people were more involved and excited to work with people in the same space. Many users decided to collaborate and create drawings together.

• UX

Working with a medium that's new and doesn't have tried-and-tested rules for UX was an exciting challenge to deal with

The team went through several iterations on user flow, button placements, and interaction. Our final iteration was a result of 3 interface styles and testing each with about 20 people.

We still consider this to be a work in progress since there's always room for improvement with UX