360° virtual tour of GTID building, offering prospective students an immersive campus visit during COVID-19 lockdown.
The COVID-19 pandemic posed a unique challenge for student recruitment at GTID. To overcome physical restrictions, we developed an innovative 360° virtual tour of the building. This immersive experience allowed prospective students to explore labs, studios, and equipment remotely. The project leveraged AR technology to showcase the hands-on nature of the program. Key outcomes include increased engagement with prospective students, maintained recruitment efforts during lockdown, and a cost-effective, easily shareable marketing tool.
Problem
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional recruitment methods for higher education institutions. For programs like Industrial Design at GTID, where hands-on experience and state-of-the-art facilities are key selling points, the inability to conduct in-person tours posed a significant challenge. Prospective students were unable to physically explore the labs, studios, and equipment that make GTID unique. This project aimed to bridge that gap by leveraging digital technology to create an immersive, virtual experience that could effectively convey the essence of GTID's learning environment.
The project faced significant time pressure due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation. Quick implementation was crucial to maintain recruitment efforts and compete with other institutions adapting to the new normal. The stakes were high, as the virtual tour would become a primary tool for attracting prospective students during an unprecedented period of physical restrictions.
Solution
The virtual tour maintained student engagement during lockdown, provided a cost-effective marketing tool, and offered a novel way to showcase GTID's facilities in multiple devices. It filled the gap left by suspended in-person tours and supported ongoing recruitment efforts.
Key Features:
- Multi-platform accessibility
- Interactive navigation
- Detailed facility showcases
Development Highlights:
- Utilized Adobe suite for post-production, including stitching, editing, and metadata injection for VR compatibility
Discovery
We employed a user-centered design approach, conducting stakeholder interviews and platform analysis to inform our methodology. Key insights from prospective students and department needs guided the development of features such as detailed lab and classroom views, equipment showcases, and an easily shareable format.
Stakeholder Needs
I collaborated with the Marketing & Events coordinator to understand the needs of both the prospective students and the department.
- Immersive tour of the building
- Focus on labs and classrooms details
- Show equipments available for use
- 360° tour to be hosted on a cost-effective platform
- Accessible / Easy to share
- Needed to fill gaps of in-person tours
- Quick turn around time
Platform Analysis
Deciding on a hosting platform that would be used to host the virtual tour was a challenge because of the amount of options. A few key questions were brainstormed in order to narrow down the options. Conducting an analysis helped this process even further.
Feature Prioritization
When planning and assisting with the marketing efforts, the following components were identified as most important. These were kept in mind during every step of the collaboration and creation of the virtual tour.
Recording 360° Footage
I joined the Marketing & Event Coordinator to learn about the space and give feedback about post-production considerations. Due to the empty building, the constant movement of people did not have to be addressed (which limited the experience), but made the environment and camera set-up easier to control.
Limitations - While the lack of students may have hindered the virtual experience, the projects left behind by all of the students made up for it. This was beneficial when recording the 360° footage since the collaborative atmosphere was left intact. In the 360° footage collected, the user can sense the environment of the studios and labs - allowing for full immersion into the future projects prospective students will work on in the future.
Post Production
User Testing
With specific images and videos in the correct 360° format, we conducted limited evaluations for the VR view of the tour. Because of COVID-19, user testing was conducted with any family members that were around (not entirely representative of the student population, but our best bet during lockdown). Our evaluation was focused on the motions and the perception of height while using the VR cardboard.
Final Product
The final 360° virtual tour was designed and processed to solve the challenge brought on by a pandemic. For a program as immersive as is Industrial Design, where the building, labs, studios, and equipment are the main point of attraction, it was imperative to bring students into the GTID world.
You can experience the final product here.
Mobile Experience
When watching the 360° virtual tour on a phone, users can turn your head/body or turn the view with touch gestures. While watching the virtual tour, users can pause the video and continue looking around at their own pace.
Desktop Experience
When watching the 360° virtual tour on a desktop, users can change the view with their mouse, by clicking the directional arrows on screen, or by pressing the 'wasd' keys on the keyboard.
VR Headset
When watching the 360° virtual tour on a desktop, users can change the view with their mouse, by clicking the directional arrows on screen, or by pressing the 'wasd' keys on the keyboard.
As students and parents continue to explore college options, this 360° virtual tour will provide students a key to the industrial design facilities, to immerse themselves and aid their decision making process.
Takeaways
- Importance of user testing, especially for height perception in VR
- 360° video production and VR content creation
- Remote collaboration
- Integration of spatial audio
- More comprehensive user testing with VR headsets
- Inclusion of an interactive location map