Ahead is an augmented reality wayfinding app for San Francisco State University's resources. The goal of the app is to help students find accessible campus resources they need to succeed in their college careers.

1. Amena Elmashni | Senior Project | 2018
AUGMENTED REALITY WAYFINDING FOR SFSU RESOURCES
AHEAD:

2. ProjectGenesis ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
The genesis of my idea was when I realized many of the societal problems we
face can be assisted right here on our very own campus with the range of viable
resources available to students. I was focused on the topic of sexual assault and
how as a woman, I can create a resource that is useful to help keep women safe.
After research, I found there is a center on campus called “The SAFE Place” that
not only offers support counseling and support for sexual assault and harassment
victims, but also offers programs to educate men. That was my aha moment
because we, as students, pay for such centers and resources, yet have no idea they
exist because of poor marketing, lack of research, busy schedules, etc. That is when
I realized there needs to be a contemporary platform that leads students to the
places they need to know about.
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3. ProblemStatement ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding DES 505 ELMASHNI
How can college students find
accessible campus resources
they need to succeed?
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4. Strategy ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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My strategy to solve the problem of the success of college students through
accessible campus resources is to conduct surveys to the student body and heads
of resources, research other existing ar wayfinding platforms, and personally scope
the landscape of SFSU campus.
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5. Strategycont. ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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Steps to accomplish strategy:
1. Research augmented reality through different uses
2. Research what works and what doesn’t in wayfinding implementations
3. Research university navigation apps
4. Interview heads of top 10 resources on SFSU campus
5. Interview students to see what they know/ don’t know
6. Find design inspiration
7. Research great app interfaces (can be nonnavigation related)
8. Develop aesthetic
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6. LiteratureReview design methodsar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
Within two weeks, I read 25 articles and watched five short videos researching
augmented reality wayfinding and campus navigation. Within my research, I found
immersive projects done by other students in which they test augmented reality
wayfinding to solve issues of accessibility, strategy, and cognitive skill building. The
short videos acted as glimpses of augmented reality implemented into everyday
life but within different scenarios and social contexts. Generally, all of my research
consisted of the same themes of intertwining the physical and augmented realities
in ways that interact with one another without clashing one another. Tasks taking
place within 3D settings build on recognizable cues such as sound, shapes, signs,
and symbols. Such cues could design greater contexts for users in how they
understand concepts, navigate spaces, and build on their own experiences.
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7. LiteratureReviewFindings design methodsar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
Within my research, I was able to analyze the relationships between users, their
environments, and how as a designer, I can use augmented reality to improve way-
finding experiences for college students. In a few related studies, I found users who
travel via a horizontal wayfinding system are more likely to be successful in time,
speed, and travel range.
Also, the importance of cognitive skills in user wayfinding plays one of the most
critical roles in how efficient AR navigation can be. Users tend to remember land-
marks and other visual cues in their environments when traveling point A to point
B versus street names and other informational directions. Augmented reality helps
build abilities that develop into “self-determination skills,” both in wayfinding and in
personal assets. This analysis is a crucial problem/solution to be used in my proj-
ect as confidence in direction, especially for college students, could enhance their
college experience, reduce stress, and prevent harmful situations.
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8. CompetitiveAudit design methodsar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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ARKit American Airlines
Local Scope
HotStepper Lowe’s Vision
Wikitude
Navion Vectorform
Sygic
Compass 360 VanillaNav
AR City NAVallUMD
Best Foot Forward
UofC Roomfinder
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9. CompetitiveAuditFindings design methodsar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
After conducting a competitive audit on AR wayfinding applications, I found
a variety of interface aesthetics, usability features, and effective/ineffective
navigation methods. Many apps were more technical than intuitive, making it
difficult for the user to use the app to its full potential (ex: UofC Roomfinder). In
contrast, other apps were overly simplified, not offering enough information to the
user (ex: HotStepper). I also learned about the visual clash between physical and
virtual reality and how it could be distracting for the users to navigate the intended
environment. I enjoyed the apps that were cleaner, modern, and used simple
navigation keys to guide the user (such as soft arrows and colored paths).
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10. LandscapeAnalysis design methodsar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
form
function
Best Foot Forward
Compass 360
Vectorform
Navigation
Wikitude
UofC RoomfinderSygic
NAVallUMD
AR city
Local Scope
Navion
ARKit American Airlines
OPPORTUNITY
AREA
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11. OpportunitySpace
My opportunity space lies in designing an AR navigation app for campus resources.
As of now, throughout my research, there are very limited campus navigation apps
that use augmented reality to highlight university resources. I have the opportunity
to design a beautiful interface, intuitive wayfinding system, and a campus resource
directory. The research projects that have university navigation apps are overly
complicated, contain clunky designs, and don’t have the potential for functional
and recreational use.
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12. ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding DES 505 ELMASHNI
Audience
My audience contains incoming freshman college students, campus visitors,
and the overall student body. Incoming freshman who does or doesn’t attend
orientation can use this app to find primary resources on campus, helping them
become more insightful of what is available to them as students. Although this app
is intended for freshman, this could also be helpful to the entire student body as
a majority of students do not know about the resources and how it contributes to
their success and experiences.
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13. Moodboard ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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14. Personas ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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Allen
20-25
SFSU Student
- Commuter Student
- Works 2 jobs
- Doesn’t have time to take the extra steps
- Self sufficient
- Independent
Eric
32-50
SFSU Professor
- Cares about student success
- Works more hours than required
- Active with marketing campus information
in class
- Has close relationships to students
- Everyone’s friend
Manuela
30-60
SFSU ARC Advisor
- Wants more students to come in
- Cares about helping students
- Friendly and helpful
- Feels resources are being under utilized
- Advocates for students to higher ups
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15. PersonaFindings ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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Within my persona reasearch, I found that there are multitudes to the
personalities, experiences, and success of each student I want to reach out to.
Understanding how commuter versus residential students get around on campus
is crucial information as it may correlate with other aspects of their campus life.
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16. Interviews ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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TOP 10 CAMPUS RESOURCEs FOCUSED IN RESEARCH:
ARC - Advising Resource Center (College of Liberal Arts, Humanities 112)
UAC - Undergraduate Advising Center (Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning, Administration 211)
The SAFE Place (Prevention Education Programs, SSB 208)
Dream Resource Center (Division of Equity and Community Inclusion, SSB 206)
Career Services (College of Business, BUS 137)
Disability Programs and Resource Center (SSB, 110)
Student Health Services (Student Health Services Bldg)
University Archives and Research Center (J. Paul Leonard Library, 4th floor | 460)
Ethnic Studies Student Resource & Empowerment Center (College of Ethnic Studies & Psychology, 110B)
Control + P - Cesar Chavez Student Center
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17. Interviews ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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I conducted a survey designed to gather information on student knowledge and
experiences of accessible campus resources. This survey consisted of 7 questions
and was completely anonymous. A total of 20 SFSU students varying from different
colleges and grade levels participated in the survey. The point of this survey was to
understand which of the selected campus resources were students familiar with, if
orientation played a role in retaining that information, and if not, where else were
they retreving it. The follow questions were asked:
1. What undergraduate year are currently in?
2. What college is your area of study in?
3. Did you go to the SFSU orientation?
4. If you answered no, what were some of your reasons to not attending?
5. Which resources are you aware of on campus?
6. Which resources have you USED before on campus?
7.How did you hear about these resources?

18. InterviewsFindings ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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19. ResearchSummarized ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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The results were:
All participants were aware of either one or several of the resources.
However, 60% of the participants did not learn about it from attending
orientation, but from self discovery. It also was discovered that most
of the participants used either the health services and the printing
services and very rarely has anyone used the other 8 listed resources. It
was interesting to notice that 7 out of the 20 participants or (35%) were
identifying as “super seniors” meaning they have surpassed the ideal 4
year college career path.

20. Vehicle ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
My vehicle is an IOS application that can
stand alone or be integrated into the
existing SFSU application.
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21. Scope+Limitations ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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My project will function as a demo that includes 10 different resources on campus
that users can navigate to using augmented reality still images. This will not be a
working or programmed app, but rather as an example for my research. My project
will include a short clip that demonstrates the potential UX of the app.

22. Sketches|concept1 ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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LOGO
LOGIN LOADING PAGE NAV BEGINS NAV CONTINUES INSIDE

23. Sketches|concept2 ar sfsu campus resource wayfinding
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GRADIENT/ GRAPHIC
RESOURCE INFO MAKING AN APPT
PATH
LOGO PLACES LISTED (ICONS) building
LOGIN

24. Sketches|concept3
23 USER PROFILE LOGIN INFO
go HIGHLIGHTED PATH ARRIVAL NOTIFICATION
BUILDING PHOTO
GRAPHIC GRADIENT PATTERN LOGO LOCATION NAME
SHARE + RATE BUTTONS
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25. Sketches|branding1
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26. Sketches|branding2
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27. Sketches|branding3
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28. FinalDesigns DES 505 ELMASHNIAHEAD
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29. FinalBranding
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the logo represents an
arrow pointing forward
on a straight path
literally and figuritavely
as I wanted a logo that
embodied “the path to
success”

30. FinalBranding
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31. login and sign up allows
for frequent users and new
users to access the app
the logo is an A on its side
to represent “ahead” and
an internal arrow to signify
wayfinding & success
checkbox allows first time
users to automatically
import their class schedule
to their profile account

32. an automatic
schedule import
allows the user to
be reminded of
time and purpose
during navigation
as the user is choosing
their destination, a
hover function explains
to users what the
resource is
user profile to
customize schedule,
recent locations, and
recent ratings of sfsu
resources
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33. icons suggest what
points of interest to
the user is available in
nearby buildings
when the user taps on
the waypoint, more
information appears
showing the hours of
the location, ratings,
and busy level
messages are
frequently posted to
present support for
the user and motivate
them to reach their
destination
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34. 33
AheadDemo
https://www.behance.net/gallery/65377683/Ahead?
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35. Conclusion DES 505 ELMASHNIAHEAD
In conclusion, Ahead is the app that will help students succeed and get
them on the right track to graduating in a timely and healthy manner.
It is important students are aware of the resources that are available
at their fingertips. Ahead makes it intuitive and helpful in assisting the
everyday SFSU student to stay “in the know”.
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