An immersive augmented reality gardening experience, breathing new life in public green spaces.
Tools
Figma
Miro
Adobe Aero
Unity
Team
Angela Truong
Sophia Cruz
Adrian Ramos
My Role
UX/UI designer
User researcher
Usability Tester
Facilitator
Timeline
13 weeks
The Brief
The research addresses SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) 11 by exploring how local green spaces in Sydney can enhance inclusivity, social equity, and community engagement, highlighting their importance for well-being, especially post-COVID-19, in a multicultural urban setting.
The Problem Statement
How might we leverage green spaces to create interactions that foster personal fulfilment and nurture a sense of belonging within the space?
The Research
Our secondary and primary research findings — surveys, on-site ethnographies, and interviews — were analysed using revealed:
Green spaces serve as an escape, fostering play and recuperation.
People value tangible experiences within green spaces.
Green spaces promote personal fulfilment and positive self-connection.
Accessibility increases motivation to engage with green spaces.
Facilities enhance comfort and encourage greater interaction with green spaces.
The Design Journey
Concept Development:
Crazy 8s | Forced Association | Decision Matrix
Refined 3 initial ideas through rapid and lateral idea generation methods into gARdens, an AR gardening app grounded in SDG 11.7.Lo-Fidelity:
Paper prototyping (AR planting experience) | Figma Wireframes (Digital experience) | Think-alouds | Affinity Diagram
Revealed UI clarity and navigation issues → added clearer cues and interaction flows.Mid-Fidelity:
Adobe Aero (AR Prototype) | Figma Mockups | A/B Testing | SUS | Think-alouds | Heuristic Eval | Interviews
Found community planting more engaging over gamified experiences, but social/leaderboard features disconnected → simplified scope.Hi-Fidelity:
Figma Interactive Experience | Unity (8th Wall) | Geurilla Testing | SUS | Think-alouds | SUS | Interviews
Integrated community watering, fortnightly prompts, profile score → users reported stronger fulfilment and belonging, though accessibility/onboarding improvements were needed.
Our Solution and its Outcome
The team developed ‘gARdens’, an augmented reality (AR) mobile application that aligns with SDG 11.7 by fostering safe, inclusive, and accessible green spaces using mixed reality experiences. Users nurture virtual plants by completing activities, while playful AR decals in parks encourage discovery and interaction. This shared virtual garden aims to promote community connection, belonging, and engagement through collective participation and thoughtful prompts.
User testing showed the concept was immersive, enjoyable, and socially engaging, while also highlighting opportunities to improve accessibility and onboarding for broader adoption.
