Understanding the project
As a task to create a service for an audience (Lucy Booth reference), this was a collaborative journey to create an abnormal photobooth that aims to capture a moment today, to share with your future self. A guided experience, much like introspective therapy to convey a feeling, a goal with yourself, a memory to look back – in the future/graduation 2024.
Inception – Why is it a valuable possibility?
We’ve seen many versions of a yearbook with a personality-defining quote under each photograph. Building on the same idea, Blair (my partner in this project) and I wanted to make this impactful – not just as a memory but as a therapy for students and faculties joining the program.
Journey as a student can be tough, but should not be lonely
Sid & Blair
While newcomers embark on their adventures, we present an opportunity to take a moment and seal that story (quite literally an Instagram Story) with you and your classmates.
It creates a chance for future selves to look back at our aspiring selves, on the brink of our graduation (2024).
The ecosystem
We needed this platform to be secure, trustworthy, and most importantly – Accessible to the audience. Instagram is one of the most widely used modern social tools and we aimed to leverage that space as a journaling medium.
Technical requirements
- Large screen camera device with tracking capabilities – iPad
- Wall mount for iPad setup – Comfortable seating height
- Spark AR frames – Created and imported from Illustrator & After Effects
- Instagram account – Public/Private to act as a vault
- Automatic social account scheduler for sharing the moments before graduation – Later (Premium plan)
- Physical booth set up to reflect a personal space – old-school cool
- Feature posters to grab attention and curiosity – Tabloid scale color prints
- Web platform to introduce, explain, and reserve slots – mocked up in Figma
Experience it yourself – Taskflow
Into the future – scope
- Increase the availability of the facility to everyone in the university
- Physical souvenier takeaways (stickers, instant polaroids, posters)
- Provision of the booth via student union & wellness programs
- Autonomy execution using social media accelerators like ‘Later’, etc.
Takeaways
Spark AR limitations
Frame import had several constraints involving size and dimensions. Anything beyond 4MB size could be previewed in the tool but not exported to Instagram/Facebook.
Try creating a smaller resolution file (full HD should work just fine).
Working with physical rig – iPad mount
The physical mount was a heavy frame of wood that could only be fitted using screws drilled into the wall after careful measurement and leveling.
Make sure to take all the right screws and bolts for the drilling and fixing. The wood workshop should be able to guide you through the process.
Scaling on different devices
iPad has never been the go-to for Instagram users because of the app’s unoptimized responsiveness on the device, it was always a weird fit and the effects escalate to the AR frames.
Double-check for frame stretching or cropping errors on the iPad camera.