Virtual Fashion Exhibit
In my capstone project for the New Media Certificate at the University of Georgia (UGA), I was the lead researcher on a project to create a virtual fashion exhibit for the Historical Clothing and Textiles collection (HCTC) at UGA. We used augmented reality technology to design an exhibit for students, museum goers, and fashion lovers alike. Our research and design efforts are outlined below.
Why a virtual exhibit? Covid caused many industries to pivot and create new ways of sharing their resources. This exhibit allowed the HCTC to keep their archive alive.
Exploratory Research
FIT Virtual Fashion Archive
Brooklyn Museum x Netflix
Digital Costume Exhibition
Our Research
Objective: Our goal for the study was to identify what consumers of a virtual exhibit may need to enhance their experience or the educational value of the exhibit.
Methods:
Qualitative Interviews:
Interviewed current and previous fashion students, HCTC researchers, as well as grad students employed at the Special Collections Library.
Demographic Survey:
Each interviewee was instructed to complete a Google Form with their demographic information
Why these methods?
Interviews allow use to learn user attitudes and needs in an in depth way to make actionable design choices. Surveys allow us to see demograpically who our users are, which influences our style guide.
Demographics
-
5 people interviewed
-
All identify as female
Demographics
Results
"I don't want to see just pictures of it. I want a virtual reality as you're walking in the front door. What made the Louvre so special was the architecture of interiors."
"I'd like to see areas to ask questions and have responses. Fun and educational parts. Interactive content."
Overall takeaway: Users wanted to see an interactive exhibit. Users wanted this tool to be educational, but entertaining as well. The interactivity allows users to stay engaged.
Our Design
