Immersive Learning Designer
Tools: Figma, Procreate, Blender, Unity
Client: MIT, Education Arcade
Timeframe: 3 years, ongoing
Gnome Gnolf is a mobile augmented reality (AR) game developed to introduce students to spatial geometric transformations and develop spatial skills. This project explores the boundaries of leveraging the affordances of AR to design educational tools.
The core mechanics of Gnome Gnolf involve putting a ball through 3D courses, similar to mini-golf, and directing gnomes to manipulate obstacles using geometric transformations. This offers a playful way for students to engage in and visualize 3D transformations, enhancing their spatial reasoning skills.
To encourage forward planning, players must putt their ball near an obstacle before transforming it. We designed levels such that “winging it” might result in students realizing they need to putt the ball backwards or restart the course entirely to conduct a transformation. This ensures a balanced gameplay experience that combines strategizing, putting, and conducting transforming.
Research shows that linking physical gestures with educational content enhances learning. To explore how gestures in mobile AR influence understanding and affinity for geometry, we implemented gestural controls for geometric transformations.
For example, when conducting rotations, players rotate their phones to the desired angle of transformation, rather than using their finger to swipe the screen.
Our initial levels featured typical mini-golf challenges with flat courses and a few slopes, ideal for beginners. However, exploring 3D gameplay revealed more possibilities for enhancing spatial exploration and play. This realization led to brainstorming unique 3D designs, such as a conical course where gnomes need to be placed under the bottom of the course, expanding the game's complexity and engagement.
One of our goals was to explore how to maximize immersion in virtual worlds in mobile AR. We embedded UI elements in the 3D world through toadstool buttons, billboards, and floating islands. However, this was not practical for features like positioning the virtual world, thus requiring integration of 2D UI.
Gnome Gnolf's design for non-stereoscopic mobile devices makes depth perception challenging, complicating putting accuracy. To address this, we implemented a feature where the putter's length scales based on the player's distance from the course, ensuring it always touches the ground. Additionally, we use the putter's shadow to help players judge the distance from the virtual ground.
Sharleen Loh
lohsharleen@gmail.com