The Nature Experience

How can an AR mobile-based information delivery system combined with social engagement strategies support park-situated nature-therapy experiences that foster healthier lifestyles for urban residing adolescents?

Eryn Pierce MGXD 2021

Experiences in nature coupled with positive encounters with nature have significant psychological health benefits. However, for many urban citizens, especially adolescents, there is a disconnect between the natural world and one’s place within it. This project examines how the design of immersive learning technologies like augmented reality (AR), combined with social engagement-based motivation tactics, can inform the achievement of healthier lifestyles outdoors. Findings from this study suggest that designing AR supported and adaptive learning experiences, which include moments for technology disconnection and opportunities for personal and shared encounters within and outside of the nature experience, contribute to the formation of healthy habits and can improve the effectiveness of restorative nature-based prescriptions.

This illustration visualizes the accumulation of experiences over time. The system prompts users with new insights to help remind them of what they need to work on.

The nonlinear approach to data access within a natural environment fosters serendipitous encounters or unexpected discoveries that users can then capture and share.