CEDaR : Locative Audio
Uncover Hidden Poems, Ignite City Adventures
Brief
"Locative Audio" is an innovative app that takes users on an enchanting journey of discovery and emotion within their city. Combining augmented reality (AR) and hidden poems, the app encourages adventure enthusiasts and poetry lovers to explore their surroundings in a whole new way.
Users can activate AR content by discovering hidden poems, which come to life with captivating animations, fostering a deeper connection with the city's culture. With a user-friendly interface, the app builds a community of like-minded explorers, setting the stage for unique, immersive, and emotionally engaging experiences that redefine the art of city exploration.
Links
View the Prototype
Role
Product manager, Product designer
Tools
Photoshop, Figma, Blender, and Unity
Teams
Project cooperated with Alice Kong, Jonathan Hennessey, Helen He, Justin Jao, and Liam Thorne
Project brief
In late winter 2023, CEDaR collaborated with Vancouver Poet Laureate Fiona Tinwei Lam to create “Locative Audio,” an augmented reality (AR) app. This app allows users to find and engage with site-specific poems written by local authors about various locations in Vancouver. The poems were distributed city-wide and curated by Lam as part of her City Poems Contest.
However, the project faced a major challenge with the use of maps. Conventional maps conflicted with CEDaR's institutional values, making it difficult to find a practical solution that satisfied all stakeholders. Despite this, CEDaR planned to continue developing site-specific digital content, necessitating a permanent solution for navigating without traditional maps.
Maps are essential for digital products involving physical navigation, like Pokemon Go, and various utilities and apps. The challenge remains how users will navigate to the locations of digital content without conventional maps.
Executive summary
"Locative Audio" is an innovative app that takes users on an enchanting journey of discovery and emotion within their city. Combining augmented reality and hidden poems, the app encourages adventure enthusiasts and poetry lovers to explore their surroundings in a whole new way. Users can activate AR content by discovering hidden poems, which come to life with captivating animations, fostering a deeper connection with the city's culture. With a user-friendly interface, the app builds a community of like-minded explorers, setting the stage for unique, immersive, and emotionally engaging experiences that redefine the art of city exploration.
