Developed by Jackson State University students to engage the public in the history of the campus. This self-paced audio tour guides participants through iconic landmarks, hidden treasures, and meaningful stories that have shaped JSU's legacy as an esteemed Historically Black University.
The discovery phase involved archival research into the history of locations, with thanks to the JSU university libraries for supporting this research. As we explored the problem space, we were guided by the following questions:
The team employed UX research and design methodologies including empathy mapping to explore use cases, mapping out their ideas on FigJam. During this process, students identified things like research goals, project outcomes, and target audiences that helped guide the ultimate direction of the project.
Careful consideration was placed upon which sites should be chosen and how design can be employed to best engage a wide audience across age groups. Existing models like Kinfolk AR and the National Parks of Boston's Virtual Black Heritage Trail Tour served as references for the development of our project.
Students explored multiple digital tools while developing this project including Polycam for 3D scanning and AR (see Figure 1) and programs like Figma & InDesign were used to prototype potential designs (see Figure 2).
Figure 1. Research Assistant Brian Hunter stands beside a 3D scanned monument that becomes re-contextualized in a different geographic context.
Figure 2. Students used both InDesign and Figma to create potential prototypes before deployment.
A digital platform was created using WordPress and Oxygen Builder that can be accessed here.
Moreover, QR Codes were placed in the physical locations associated with each location on the tour. Upon being scanned, users are directed to the associated audio recording on our online platform. Students (as shown in the photos above) went on a tour themselves as part of the user testing process.
