WeeVR App

Immersive Education 👓

Summary

WeeVR is a VR educational app designed specifically for international students who have newly arrived in Australia and are about to study at the University of Sydney. This application provides a realistic virtual environment, allowing students to familiarise themselves with the campus and nearby transportation before they begin their studies. It aids them in gaining a deeper understanding and immersion into their new surroundings, reducing the anxiety and discomfort they might feel when adjusting to a new setting.
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Client & Design Brief

University of Sydney
In this brief, we task students with the conceptualisation and creation of a functional VR prototype aimed atteaching University students relevant topics within an immersive virtual environment.For instance, the app could target teaching students how to be COVID-safe while they are back on campus.This could include the topics below:
• Induction into the University campus
• Supporting hybrid class between online and offline (collaborative classroom)
• Public transit
• Health and safety induction (Virtual DMAF Lab induction? Chemistry? etc)
The concept and eventually the VR prototype needs to be designed for one of the above areas and needs tobe interactive and utilise 3D assets.

Design Process

Reflection

Situation:
In my second semester of the Master's course (IDEA9201), our team was commissioned by the University of Sydney to develop a VR educational app for newly arrived international students. The challenge was to create an immersive virtual environment that helps students familiarize themselves with the sydney transportation, reducing their anxiety and discomfort.
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Task:
My specific responsibilities included conducting market research, developing and refining the concept, and managing the prototyping and development phases. I was tasked with designing the campus bus scenario, building and testing the scene, and developing all interactive elements in Unity.
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Action:
· Conducted market research to understand user needs.
· Developed and refined the app concept to address key user pain points.
· Making prototype, conducted user testing, and iterated based on feedback.
· Developed the app in Unity, implementing interactive elements and coding the scenario.

Result:
The final WeeVR app received high praise for its immersive design as it effectively helped students acclimate to their new environment while achieving project goals. This experience enhanced my skills in market research, concept development, prototyping, and VR app development while reinforcing the importance of user-centered design and iterative testing when creating impactful educational tools.

Research

To conduct this research, we will first analyze current materials for relevant background investigation and market research. This includes reviewing existing transportation guides, mobile applications, and other related materials to understand the strengths and weaknesses of existing solutions. To better comprehend and understand the transportation needs and actual demands of international students, we will also conduct surveys and interviews with these target groups. Additionally, we will run project tests with the relevant target audience to help us design the virtual reality teaching tool more effectively.

Target Audience

International students who are new to the University of Sydney.

Market Research

Every year, nearly 600,000 international students choose to study in Australia, and this number is gradually increasing. Among them, New South Wales attracts the highest proportion of international students among all states. The University of Sydney, as one of the Group of Eight universities in Australia, has an international student population that accounts for 22.6% of its total student body [Admin, 2023].

According to the survey we conducted among international students at the University of Sydney, there are specific transportation challenges for international students who are new to Sydney. The survey results indicate that 56.1% of the respondents have experienced taking the wrong bus or train or missing their intended stops while using public transportation. Additionally, nearly 39.02% of the respondents mentioned that they had gotten lost in Sydney.

According to the Australia Higher Education Statistics (2022),over the past five years, international student enrolment in Australian higher education institutions has grown significantly by 53.9%. Projections indicate that this growth trend will continue, with an estimated 24% increase by 2025, reaching a total of 940,000 international students.

User Segmentation

The user base can be segmented into different countries, which highlights the need to tailor our services to meet the unique needs of these students from different cultural backgrounds.

User Needs

1. Intuitive guidance

An immersive VR experience can offer a more intuitive and easily understandable guide, including natural environments, sound, and interactivity. This feature enables students to visualise the pathways to train stations or bus stops in their surroundings.

2. Simulations of practical operations

Ensuring that the user interface of the virtual reality application is intuitive and user-friendly and providing comprehensive operation simulations, such as selecting a destination on a ticket machine, inserting cash or a credit card, and using various types of transportation cards. Simulating more realistic operation can help students avoid awkward or mistaken behaviours in real-life situations.

3. multilingual support

VR project should be available in multiple languages and include pertinent tips and explanations in the guidance to accommodate international students from diverse countries and cultures.

4. Cultural adaptation

Besides transportation, users must also understand some critical aspects of the local culture to better adapt and communicate. Incorporating cultural tips related to transportation, such as local customs when taking buses or trains, into the application will help users acclimate to the local cultural environment more quickly.

Prototyping & Testing

Key Findings

Realistic Virtual Environment: Utilising the realistic simulation feature of VR technology can better help users simulate the experience of a real environment, including environmental cue sounds and multimedia interactions. Furthermore, realistic simulations, such as mimicking card swiping and topping up, offer users multiple choices, enhancing their sense of immersion and practical application skills.
Intuitive User Interface: The user interface will be presented in a more intuitive and comprehensible manner. Using a clean design and easy-to-navigate interface will help users grasp the necessary information faster, reducing the learning curve.
Multilingual Support: To cater to international students from various countries, support for multiple languages should be provided. This ensures a broad user base can interact with the tutorial in their native language, leading to better comprehension and aiding in their transition to a new environment.
Local Transportation Etiquette: Users expect the tutorial to provide not only information about the transportation system but also insights into the local transportation culture and related cultural knowledge in Sydney. This will help international students adapt better to local customs and etiquette.