Edward Addison.

UNIVERSITY SOLO PROJECT

GHOST GUIDE VICTORIA

A fully interactive prototype for a ghost tour app, taking place in the gold mining heydays of rural Victoria, Australia.

Ghost Guide Victoria is a fully interactive prototype for a geolocated app that makes use of AR and audio technology on the user’s phone.

The app takes users through a selected virtual ‘ghost tour,’ taking place in one of many possible historical locations situated throughout Victoria.

(Figma prototype viewable below! If it doesn't load, press this button to open it in a new tab.)

Dregs of a Dying Town

The functional prototype contains the ghost tour for Steiglitz, a forgotten former mining town where the gold ran out.

Users of the prototype can follow the story of a miner from Bendigo as he travels from location to location in the town, meeting a variety of shopkeepers… and specters from times long past. Users may interact with each location by listening to the respective chapter of the ghost story (or reading the accompanying text, if they do not wish to listen).

Each chapter has an AR video component with supplementary information for the chapter’s content. Finally, there are some artefacts that users can collect, providing further context and information on the setting and time wherein the ghost story takes place.

Iterative Design Process

The prototype was created in Figma. The design was reviewed and tested with a number of focus groups, and an on-location test taking place at Steiglitz itself.

Insights from these tests were used to generate a number of improvements that were then committed to the app in an iterative design process.

Visual Design

The app’s design and layout was inspired by old documents (passports, visas, vouchers). I wanted to pay tribute to the time and setting encapsulating most ghost stories in colonial Victoria (usually in the 17th century).

This was done via some old-fashioned spins on typical app icons, as well as colour choices, and the use of ITC Benguiat as the dominant title font.

The Ghost Tour Screen

The focus of the prototype is the Ghost Tour screen. This is where users view the content of the ghost tour, and navigate through it using a familiar map interface.

This screen features a navigation/progress bar, allowing users of the prototype to easily skip between chapters if desired; as well as controls for the AR view, audio, and expanded text view.

All of these elements are encapsulated in an immersive dark mode theme, readying users for any ensuing spooks.

CONTACT:

Edward Addison