Interaction - Bachelors

FarmAR

FarmAR is an educational experience which utilizes Augmented Reality to create an engaging way for young children to learn about the process of farming and food production. FarmAR aims to spark interest and conversation around this topic in the hopes of inspiring users to take action against food waste by growing their appreciation for the food they eat.

William Fung

The concept

Where does our food come from? This a question I feel that isn’t asked often enough or really thought about. While we know food comes from farms which then appears on supermarket shelves and then onto our plates, there are many details which are overlooked within the process of food production. FAO recorded that 1.3 billion tons of food or a third of food produced is wasted, which amounts to a staggering loss of $940 billion yearly for the global economy (Gustavsson, 2011). To combat the global issue of food waste, the capabilities of Augmented Reality have been harnessed to create an opportunity to educate users about what goes into farming and producing the food they eat. In the hopes of inspiring users to take action against food waste by growing their sense of appreciation for the food that reaches their plates.

Food that is lost and wasted could feed 1.26 billion hungry people every year.

FAO
Closeup image of the FarmAR prototype depicting the visual elements within it, image shows stage 6: Flowering, stage 7: Harvesting, stage 8: Storing.

The Final Prototype

FarmAR has been created for young children aged between 5-10 and can be used at school, in a supermarket or even at home with the convenient QR code. Once the code has been scanned the AR journey will appear, which users can travel through and engage with the interactive audio-visual elements. Through simple user input such as tapping on the screen interface, users can begin to learn about how food is produced in an innovative educational format that makes learning a more exciting experience. Augmented Reality is an effective tool in education as it supports productive learning by assisting users in visualising concepts with vivid imagery, it also activates curiosity in learners as it requires more involvement from users.

William Fung

William Fung is an aspiring Interaction designer who hopes to create work which improves the quality of life for people around the world. He is passionate about UI/UX design as he is constantly reminded of the endless possibilities within this field from witnessing the creativity of his peers and the designs he interacts with every day.