Approximately 6.8% of children under 18 have vision-related challenges, and an estimated 1 in 5 American teens experiences some degree of hearing loss. The traditional classroom structure, based on textbooks and lectures, does not accommodate for students with these challenges. Only a small number of students with these challenges have access to an individualized education program. Our goal is to provide a more immersive and equitable educational experience for as many students as possible.

Our solution offers a mobile app equipped with AR, AI, and VoiceOver to provide an optimized learning experience for a range of student needs. For this iteration, our topic is astronomy, one of the typical subjects students find difficult to understand. Since we cannot always observe planets and stars in our daily lives, everything in the book may seem unrealistic to the students. By implementing features such as AR, AI, Voice Over, and closed captioning, this app provides an immersive and equitable learning experience for students with visual or hearing impairments who have traditionally been excluded from learning environments.

The Space Between : Planetrek offers an immersive experience to learn astronomy in a way that disrupts the status quo by:

Making the abstract directly observable Students may find written materials unrealistic and difficult to understand for a topic like astronomy due to the foreign and abstract nature. Using AR to address such stressors, students observe celestial bodies in the simulated sky while Planetrek reads explanations out loud.

Facilitating cross-topic exploration We connect astronomy to other subjects like history and the environment. Through celestial exploration and time manipulation, students learn about the star’s history and formation, while simulating reduced visibility due to air or light pollution. Students can deepen their knowledge in one subject while extending their learning into others.

Making learning more equitable for those with visual/hearing impairments Planetrek uses AI to interactively help guide the student if they struggle during an exercise. Closed captioning benefits non-native English students or those with hearing impairment. For visually impaired students, the system offers personalized spoken support, providing a comparable learning experience as those without. Additionally, students can control text size and color contrast as design features.

Designers : Sunaina Kuhn, Ran Konaka

Course : Introduction to Interaction Design

Instructors : Zach Pino