Kokari
An augmented reality platform for collecting, experiencing, and sharing virtual treasures in the real world.
Role
Experience Designer & Producer
Medium
AR
Year
2021
Project
Kokari is a prototype for a mobile app and social platform designed for collecting, experiencing, and sharing digital treasures in the real world. It merges Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) with Augmented Reality (AR) in order to create shared immersive experiences that are unique, personal, and elevate human connections beyond the constraints of reality.
On the technical side, Kokari will enable social sharing, geo-discovery, and spatial colocation viewing of 3D digital art, content, and experiences. The prototype uses a unique blend of technologies including AR, 3D point cloud storage, GPS tracking, and game engine to deliver magical immersive experiences.
To validate the concept and inform the prototype design, I conducted interviews with 50+ potential target users including gamers, collectors, and 3D artists, and conducted extensive UX studies to conceptualize how Kokari would work in practice.
The proof-of-concept prototype won the USC Iovine & Young Graduate Development Prize in 2021.
Placement with persistence
Kokari uses Infinite Anchors that maintain an object’s location and orientation, even when the app isn’t being used. When a user places a virtual object in the real world it stays there until someone moves it, just like physical objects.
Send someone special something special
Users can easily send virtual objects and gifts to others with a tap. All object transfers are monitored and validated on-chain to track provenance including origin, authenticity, and rarity.
Experience it together, in real-time
Kokari is social by nature, so it is build for shared experiences. Experiential Co-Viewing allows multiple users to view the same object on their own devices in real-time, as if it were really there.
Ready for the future
While the prototype for Kokari is built for smartphone-based augmented reality, the infrastructure and user interface is designed with a view towards the near future when consumer head-mounted AR devices will be available and provide a revolutionary new user experience.