An augmented reality tool that brings landmarks to life for study abroad students.

Spring 2024

Role: Project Manager

Capstone Case Study

Project Overview

For our project, we developed ‘ARound the World’ using Adobe Aero. This product is designed as an engaging and educational tour guide featuring interactive elements. It serves as a supplementary resource for study abroad students, enhancing their engagement and deepening their understanding of historical sites they visit.

The Problem

During our study abroad experiences, our team noticed a significant gap in accessible and engaging information about historical sites. Although we understood the importance of these landmarks, the only option was to use our iPhones, which disconnected us from the actual historical settings. This problem was widespread — our research showed that 87% of study abroad students turned to Google for information, a practice that often detracted from their immersion in the environment.

The Solution

We developed an immersive augmented reality experience using Adobe Aero, designed to let students explore and learn about historical sites through their phones without disrupting the sightseeing experience. Our mascot, Skylar, guides users enthusiastically through each location. The application includes interactive elements such as clickable icons, quizzes, and photo opportunities to enhance engagement. We’ve enriched the experience with well-researched fun facts that provide context to the sites. Initially, we have focused on Pisa, Italy for our first iteration of the product.

Additionally, we developed a website for our product using WordPress. The website features an ‘About Us’ page, a ‘Connect’ page where students can interact and share their experiences, and a ‘Tours’ page. On the ‘Tours’ page, enrolled students can access their personalized AR tour guide using a unique access code. The guide is activated by scanning a QR code, conveniently located on an attractively designed postcard. This QR code directly launches the AR experience on the user’s phone without the need for any additional apps.

Results

We obtained early access to the geospatial capabilities of Adobe Aero, which enabled us to precisely map our augmented reality experience in Pisa, Italy. This functionality, reminiscent of Pokémon Go, allows students to activate the experience at specific geotagged locations throughout Pisa. Consultations with the University of Georgia Study Abroad program confirmed that this feature would greatly enhance the visibility and accessibility of our product to a broader audience. We aim to scale our product and offer it to other study abroad programs.