Override Guide + OvAR, an augmented reality book.
Taking the immersive art experience beyond the Meow Wolf exhibits
Project Type: Academic-Industry Project at SMC IxD
Team: Tess Dziallo, Samantha Heinrich, Christina Strok, Noelle Tobias, Jiashi Balisacan
Period: 8 weeks (April 2022 — June 2022)
Meet The Team
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Samantha Heinrich
UX Researcher, Product Design
& Prototyping
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Noelle Tobias
UX & UI Designer
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JIashi Balisacan
3D Artist, Product Strategy
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Tess Dziallo
Visual Designer & UX Designer
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Christina Strok
UX Researcher, Product Design
& Digital Prototyping
Objective
Project Brief
In the Spring of 2022, Meow Wolf (an arts and entertainment company that creates immersive experiences) and MaCher (a manufacturing company focusing on sustainability) partnered with SMC IxD to give us a design challenge. We were tasked to develop an interactive user experience focused on the Convergence Station (located in Denver).
A product that bridges the physical and digital world. Aimed to drive up audience engagement with the brand, further extend the exhibit's storyline and content, and drive foot traffic to the exhibitions and sales from the stores.
Problem
Meow Wolf would like MaCher, in collaboration with SMC IxD, to create a product that allows patrons to bring a little piece of Meow Wolf home. Meow Wolf has yet to venture into Augmented reality and is interested to see where they could go with it. Macher needs the product to align with its sustainability focus.
Proposed Solutions
Based on our team's qualitative research, we conceptualized a thoughtful solution that matches the client's brand identity and meets the audience's overarching needs and pain points. We decided to create an immersive literature experience that serves as memorabilia and an opportunity to learn more about Meow Wolf post-visit.
Timeline
Week 1: Project kick-off
Week 2: Research, ideation
Week 3: Concept sketches, initial concept (physical product) proposal
Week 4: Low-fidelity UI, 3d physical prototyping
Week 5: Usability tests, initial UI (digital product) proposal
Week 6: High-fidelity UI, 3d physical product digital rendering
Week 7: Budget, KPIs
Week 8: Final deliverables, presentation
Skeleton Featured at Meow Wolf Omega Mart
Photography: Sam Heinrich
Image of boy interacting with Meow Wolf Exhibit Omega Mart
Photography: Sam Heinrich
Field Research
Meow Wolf Omega Mart Las Vegas
I visited the exhibition with my family and watched three different people's reactions to the facility. It was fascinating to watch both my boys interact with the features. I am a people watcher, so I become quiet in exhibitions and love to watch reactions. I have one son who was determined to investigate every hidden route or doorway, avoiding reading anything! I watched his face light up every time he found one. He was pinging off the walls touching everything!
My other son was more interested in figuring out the story or any hidden secrets or messages. Dylan was entranced with the writings around the place and watched all the videos. He loves to read graphic and sci-fi novels, so his inner George martin was pinging. Unfortunately, we could only uncover part of the thing after paying for the 2.5-hour story card.
So a few days later, we spent some time on your website. I was looking through your Fun and games options hoping to find him some extra resources so he could finish his journey online. We looked through the project and prompts, hoping to inspire activities further to enjoy our Meow wolf experience. I loved the creative prompts and sparks of inspiration for our creative crazy!
Research
Visitors tend to only scratch the surface of the exhibit’s narrative by physically being there. One day, let alone a few hours, is not enough to fully explore and experience the Meow Wolf exhibits. And considering the limited locations, these exhibits are not easy for people to visit or revisit, especially those who do not live in the locality.
Additionally, we have found from interviews that the unusual physical layout and the non-linear storyline of the exhibits need to be clarified and satisfied for some visitors.
Image of product example displayed in the Omega Mart shop
Photography: Sam Heinrich
Meow Wolf Adventurers Quotes
"I'd look at things and then look twice. I felt inquisitive and in awe.”
— AnnaMae
"The art was amazing, but I felt like I didn't see the entire exhibit!
— Crystal
Background image of Fruit display in the Omega Mart
Photography: Sam Heinrich
"It is really cool. We hit sensory overload after 3 hours, but there is still so much to look at closer."
— Joe
I could spend hours there exploring, it is an amazing interactive display.
— Amanda
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Observations
Meow Wolf's unique interactive art experiences and rich storytelling components continue to captivate visitor's interest in the company and invoke curiosity towards the geniuses behind them, leading to fans gathering in different online communities to connect with fellow enthusiasts. Many people have also expressed their curiosity wanting to know more behind-the-scenes details, such as the artists and music that plays in the exhibit. However, the music is all original soundtracks and cannot be easily found online.
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Opportunities
Meow Wolf's unique interactive art experiences and rich storytelling components continue to captivate visitor's interest in the company and invoke curiosity towards the geniuses behind them, leading to fans gathering in different online communities to connect with fellow enthusiasts. Many people have also expressed their curiosity wanting to know more behind-the-scenes details, such as the artists and music that plays in the exhibit. However, the music is all original soundtracks and cannot be easily found online.
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Target Audience
Our primary audience is the established Meow Wolf fans who continue to show support even after the visit and like to collect memorabilia. We also want to target users who have not been to the exhibits but are interested in experiencing Meow Wolf from their location and at their own pace and time.
Ideation
Mini icon from OvAR by Noelle
Everyone in the team came up with as many sketches (thumbnails, orthographic, informational, and emotional) as we could. This was part of our brainstorming process. Following the client’s brand identity and keeping the project brief in mind, most of our ideas revolved around retrofuturistic objects, a whimsical theme, and augmented reality.
Jiashi explored retro themes and devised ways to further explore AR
Christina dove deep into how you could have a physical interaction that explored a AR avenue
My idea is to bring home a little sample of meow wolf with a Lightbox held within a metal replica of a 1950s fridge
Noelle used her magic to reimagine how cute a parakite could be if turned into a soft toy
As a Wildcard, I wanted to explore a handbag made of Mushroom leather for its sustainability
Tess came up with an excellent Face mask that lights up with LED and an AR book that looks like a VHS tape.
Meat Sculpture featured at the meat counter at Omega Mart
Photography: Sam Heinrich
What If
Let’s take the immersive Art experience beyond the mew wolf exhibits
User Journey Map
This map follows the Patron’s journey from entering the Exhibit to arriving home with our Product.
Opportunities we discovered include marketing the Override Guide to those who enjoy interacting with art & following stories, the unique design standing out and grabbing attention, and the potential for exclusive variants at different Meow Wolf locations.
User Journey Map Designer: Jiashi Balisacan
Storyboard
This storyboard follows the experience of Lamar, who did not know how to use his Meow Wolf store purchase, allowing him to request support from his daughter, enabling them to enjoy their discovery together.
Storyboard Designer: Noelle Tobias
Story: Team Collaboration
Concept: Physical Product
The Override Guide is a take-home experience where you can share and relive the Convergence Station from your living room table. Explore hidden features and learn secret languages with the help of augmented reality. Users can immerse themselves from home at their own pace and time while also given the opportunity to learn more about the art and the artist themselves.
Sketch of how the Override Guide will come together
Digital: Tess Dziallo
Some features we wanted to include: A QPASS holder, printed shelves, and hidden messages on the pages that would be revealed with our app.
Sketches: Christina Strok
PHYSICAL PRODUCT
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Robust Override Guide
The bulky fridge with bold features helped us decide the overall dimensions and how we could make it stand.
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Wildcard (plushie) Override Guide
With our final physical Prototype we explored what the book would feel like as a plushy
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Slender Override Guide
The second version of the book explored a slimmer book cover and less prominent features. With this, we found our happy medium, where it could stand alone and lay flat while fully opened.
3D Render Orthographic
The full scale of the product with comparison objects and various angles Rendering: Jiashi Balisacan
The exploded view above breaks down the construction of the product.
Expanded View: Christina Strok
Sheet metal: $9.24
Book pages: $2.03
Cardboard cover: $0.36
Printing and binding: $4.34
Manufacturing: $?
General tools: $3.92
Estimated Total: $19.89 per book
BOM & Budget: Sam Heinrich & Tess Dziallo
Final Product Details
- The fridge's exterior would be made of thin steel plating. (We chose this material for durability and further customization with magnets.)
- This fridge also comes with a Meow Wolf magnet to start.
- There would be embellished features that mimic the aesthetic of a retro fridge.
- And each page would be made of cardstock that is 4mms thick
OvAR logo Introduction
Image: Noelle Tobias
The Override Guide is an interactive book that allows you to experience the Convergence Station at your own pace, anywhere and anytime.
You can explore hidden features and translate secret languages using the augmented reality app, OvAR. It also contains exclusive Meow Wolf soundtracks and information about the artists behind the exhibit.
Retro fridge. Based on the retrofuturistic theme embodied by Meow Wolf. A refrigerator is also a vital element prevalent with the brand.
Magnetic thin steel plating. We chose this material for durability and to allow further customization with magnets - just like an actual fridge!
Robust design. This would help the book stand on its own, encouraging users to display it on their desks or bookshelves.
Measurements. Approximately 12” x 6” x 2.8”. Each page would be 4mm thick cardstock.
Zenion language. We created a usable typeface out of the Zenion language used by Meow Wolf. It will be printed on each page of the book and serves as the image marker to reveal augmented reality.
Design: Noelle Tobias
Concept: Digital Product
The OvAR app unlocks the secrets of Meow Wolf concealed in the pages of the Override Guide. Using augmented reality technology, OvAR reveals the 3D art installations, translates the Zenion language, and plays the original music from the exhibits.
Lets Enter The Digital
Enjoy this Prototype of the OvAR and Override guide in action
UI: Noelle Tobias
OvAR Low-Fi Design
Our first iteration of UI design for the OvAR app, these were created to determine exactly how the flow and mechanics would work.
Low Fi UI: Noelle Tobias
Design Team
OvAR Hi-Fi Final Design
These are some screenshots of our final Prototype, click the button and take a tour
When the app starts, you are greeted with a loading screen that looks around. Once it's loaded, you must log in to use the app. The account is used for collecting lore and controlling your favorite playlist.
Once you're finally logged in, you will be given a tutorial on using the app and what to click on to find out more.
You can finally explore and use the app as you complete the tutorial. You can tap on the closed eyes button to awaken the AR. You can also turn it off, giving you an asleep mode menu to replay the tutorial, view your collection, listen to all the music, and change settings.
Have you got a tune you want to hear or even a favorite? Go to the boombox that plays Icon and find all the music you want to hear.
Explore every art piece this book has to offer. Make sure to zoom in, turn and flip to find hidden lore that you can add to your collection.
Interested in who created each art piece? You can find out by tapping the Get to know the Artist and Crew icon.
You will find the main artist and the crew for each art piece.
Hi-Fi UI: Noelle Tobias
Design Team
Design System
With new insight into the UI design, it was finally time to create the high-fidelity version. Therefore a design system was created. This one uses organic shapes close to globs and the Zenion font within the background and other places. We kept the main scheme colorful and invite full while using white and black to hold everything together.
Organic shapes close to globs and the Zenion font within the background and other places. We kept the main scheme colorful and invite full while using white and black to hold everything together.
Design System: Noelle Tobias
Future Possibilities
Accessorizing and customizations. Allowing users to stick other magnets onto it might encourage sharing their setups with friends and the Meow Wolf community.
Extending the narrative. Creating an after-story that only those who purchased the product can experience.
Exclusive item. Making this an exclusive product in which each Meow Wolf location would have its Override Guide.
Interchangeable content. Making the book pages removable and interchangeable will allow users to choose their adventure, and also it nods to the idea of reusability.
Gamifying the app. To encourage users to keep coming back to use the app.
Photo of the produce section in Omega Mart
Photography: Sam Heinrich
“This SMC x Meow Wolf x MaCher collaboration was a truly fantastic experience that allowed us to work in a new and innovative way. We believe very much in the SMC IxD program’s mission and look forward to future support and collaboration.”
Reflection
I love working in this team, I prefer UX research over design, it was easy to stay in good spirits in a group that allowed me to focus on my strengths. I started with field research by visiting Meow Wolf in Las Vegas, which was essential for me to understand the raw depth in which the exhibition tries to invoke the investigative spirit. I was then able to interview six fellow meow wolf patrons to gain further insight into the Convergence Station in Denver. This research was enriched by Tess, who was able to talk her sister into visiting the Convergence Station and then interviewed her. Christina focused on netnography and internet research pulling up some real treasures from Reddit. Tess, Noelle, and Jiashi focused their research on the augmented reality world, finding inspiring avenues. Together we collaborated on a solid case study to support our product design and UI for our Augmented reality.
Team 22 laughed and collaborated hard inspiring creativity and freedom to learn new things. Everybody in this team brought their own set of particular skills, and we all readily and willingly dispensed work with trust and encouragement. Finding so much faith and support in a group is rare, and I will forever remember this collaboration as one of my most loved teams and support systems.
