Hi, I’m Alanna, an Interaction Design student with a passion for exploring the future of ‘what could be possible’ and a dream of positively impacting peoples lives with my UX design work. I found that my love for psychology and creativity were combined in UX/UI and as a massive people person, im always immersed in my user research. During my time at university this has grown and developed into a love for user-centred design.
When not working at my laptop, I am having fun enjoying some local live music or at a concert watching my favourite artists preform.
ARC is an AR Diving Companion created with the users safety at the heart of the product. It offers a real time overlay of important dive metrics as well as highlighting key information on the environment around them. This is done through the implementation of AR technology into diving masks.
ARC arose from situations that no one wants to ever experience and one that shook the diving community in Lanzarote. Within one week of eachother, two divers went out into the water and they never made it back. This highlighted that we were missing a crucial safety aspect. This inspired me to design something that aids divers and potentially save lives in a worst case scenarios.
How can technology create a safer diving experience while encouraging a more sustainable user and community?
I tackled this issue using a dual focused approach. I needed to design something that: 1. Increases user safety 2. Educates users on the marine environment around them.
My research process started with a deep dive (literally and figuratively) into the realities of modern scuba and freediving. I gathered insights through a detailed user survey with 27 respondents across different diving backgrounds, as well as ongoing interviews with subject matter experts — including conservationists and professional divers. I even joined the diving team at Beneath The Waves to try my hand at a scuba diving experience. This gave me the insight on how it felt to be in the water psychically and more importantly, how it felt mentally.
This research was the backbone of the project, discovering and understanding the current needs, pain points and perspectives of each experience group allowed me better understand the needs of my users in this unique scenario underwater.
After sketching some initial screen ideas, I took these to Figma to create some early lo-fi wireframes for the Pre Dive desktop setup and the AR dive experience. As I was designing for a 360° environment — something I’d never done before — I explored examples from games, VR and AR systems to help structure information hierarchy and interactions. Each design decision, from screen layout to colour choice, was tested against real user needs, such as maintaining clarity in low visibility or avoiding overwhelming new divers with too much data.
ARC consists of an application used ‘Pre Dive’ on a touchscreen tablet and then the AR diving mask that is used while in the water.
Pre Dive
This reflects the current process before a diver enters the water, but with ARC, this process is streamlined and conveniently contained all in one place.
AR Mask
This device gives the user real-time information on vital metrics such as air or depth. Additionally it gives the user feedback on the environment around them, providing information on points of interest or marine species encountered, highlighting any endangered life. It also allows the user to maintain contact with the buddies they are on the dive with, the boat team and, in the unfortunate scenario its needed, the necessary emergency services.
This project was one of the most challenging that I had faced so far but in the end it was deeply rewarding to have created a product that pushed me out of my comfort zone. I am incredibly happy with how it turned out and it ended my university experience on a great note. I am excited for the future and the endless possibilities in front of me as a designer.
Visit my ARC project – Blog and my – Prototype.
