2019-2020 Team
Graduate Students
Undergraduate Students
Our Project
Opportunity Space
Augmented reality has emerged as an innovative way to deliver content that merges the digital and physical worlds. A few BSU apps exist that are intended to engage audiences in Ball State history and culture, but none make use of immersive approaches to storytelling.
Project Focus
How might we engage students in an immersive storytelling experience that explores fun, quirky stories about Ball State History?
Solutions
To address this question, DLLE students focused research efforts on COVID-19’s effect on museum engagement by exploring how interactive web design can enhance presentation of the Letterman Collection. Research led to the design and development of Thanks for Laughing, an immersive virtual museum experience that is accessible from any location.
The second DLLE team built That’s BS, a place-based, augmented reality experience inspired by Pokémon Go! that shares some of the more interesting and little-known stories of Ball State’s history. Told in the wacky and fun style of David Letterman’s humor, the team developed videos, audio files, animations, and more to engage the Ball State community and strengthen connections across generations. Through funny stories, creative gameplay, and engaging animation, That’s BS is designed to bring generations together by immersing them in Ball State history.
The App
The goal of the app was to design a cohesive and engaging experience that appeals to a wide array of users. The mobile app was designed for both the iOS and Android platforms. The result of these accounts dictated our choices and interpretations--all with the goal of reaching a wider audience. These tales took on many forms in the app, from video to animation, slideshows, and trivia. The decision to build them as a location-based, interactive application enabled an organization of content spanning nearly a century.
The Tabletop Experience
Along with the That’s BS app, the team also developed an experience for an interactive tabletop. The tabletop experience combines the use of tangible figurines and digital experiences. Users are able to walk up to the table with a tangible figurine that corresponds with the gameplay path they wish to unlock. Once at the table, users place the figurine on the table to unlock the experience. Overall, users have three chances throughout the gameplay. A chance is used when the user chooses the wrong answer.