Thoughts for the course
______________________

Hi there, I’m Selena, and I’m currently in my first year of design and computer science. I’ve always loved creating and experimenting with different artistic mediums; dipping into drawing, painting and crafting. With the rising digital world, the creative potential is expanding into various dimensions, through mixed realities and more. We see the adoption of MR making its rise through video game virtual reality, as well as through social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram which allow users to play with augmented reality. The concept of mixed realities is very intriguing to me; as it can add a lens to our senses, bring our imagination to life, and potentially simulate life that is indistinguishable from reality in the future. For my design path, I am currently looking towards the direction of the digital interface and its interaction with people and communities.
‍
I am usually accustomed to working by myself, however, I am excited to work as a team for the upcoming project, learn from my peers, and together accomplish a piece that we are proud of. I also aim to gain the basic foundations on development platforms (Unity 3D), so I can further explore the virtual playground independently and synthesize my own ideas into visible experiences.

Our first taste of AR
______________________

In our studio class today, we played with the Snapchat Lens Studio, a software that allows users to create their own Snapchat lens! The lens studio was surprisingly easy to work with, and in a short period, we created a unique Spongebob filter from scratch. With a myriad of templates, functions and visual scripts to modify and customise, users are given a much more interactive experience. We took our lens studio experience up another level with our next assignment: a Snapchat lens prototype!

At the start of the process, I explored templates, watched tutorials and browsed user creation to get an overview of the features and gain inspiration. My vision was to create an immersive experience using the theme “Among us” and invoke a certain mood through sight and sound. I chose the 2d “cut out” filter, and added characters, objects, textures and imported post effects to create a chilly atmosphere. On top of this, I added the ominous among us spaceship sound as well as interactive scripts. Overall, this process has shown me the complexity of working with AR, but also how deeply customisable it is. From my simple imposter lens, there were many opportunities to extend its functions. Given more skills, understanding and time there are many ways to make it even more exciting.

‍