Minor Project Self Reflection Compilation
Melvin Yung Khun Yew | 0357241 | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
PRJ 62204 | Minor Project
Week 1 — Week 15
WarisanXR project: Self-reflection
These are the jump links to each part of this portfolio
Instructions
Mr Mike Choong Wai Keng, my lecturer for the Minor Project module for this April 2025 semester, gives us a heads-up on the upcoming tasks and requirements.
Summarized Individual Contributions
Throughout the CitrawarnaXR minor project, I actively contributed to various stages of the AR experience development, from the initial research and ideation phase to the final storyboard and visual assets that formed part of the project’s deliverables. My role in the multidisciplinary group mainly focused on research, AR experience concepting, storyboard creation, character and emblem design, and asset preparation for the final presentation. Below are the key areas of my contributions throughout the project.
Contextual Research and User Understanding
At the start of the project, I conducted research on mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, exploring global trends and the applications of these technologies in exhibitions. I also studied Malaysian multiethnic cultural symbolism to ensure our AR exhibition could reflect cultural heritage without misrepresentation.
In week 4, I participated in museum interviews with both local and foreign visitors to understand public expectations for cultural exhibitions. My role was to handle audio recordings and develop a local visitor user persona together with another teammate in charge, defining their needs, motivations, and pain points to guide our design decisions. This process helped ground our ideation in user-centered insights.
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| Museum trip for public interview sessions |
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| The final version of the user persona about Mohd Hafiz with his family |
In week 5, I was involved in reviewing and understanding the survey questions for our broader user research. While my teammates handled the adjustments, I observed the process and learned the importance of avoiding biased questions in surveys to ensure valid data collection for design decisions.
Initial Storyboard and AR Experience Ideation
During the ideation and proposal stage (weeks 7 and 8), I was tasked with creating the initial storyboard sketches that visualized the AR experience from a visitor’s perspective. This storyboard captured key interactions and cultural elements that the user would encounter in the AR environment.
Later, I proposed the first draft for the Malay cultural station concept, listing its interactive items such as the wau kite maker and silat learning wall, along with screen layer breakdowns to explain the content. I also created visual sketches of the concept to communicate the user flow and interactions to both the team and our client.
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| First idea draft documentation in Miro |
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| Relation to How-Might-We and user personas |
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| Initial Interaction Sketch Idea on Wau Maker |
My early visual and mockup played a crucial role in the first client presentation, where our ideas were shared with Mr. Mike and the TrueXR team for feedback. These sketches served as the foundation for the final user journey visuals, which were later refined by my teammates for the final presentation.
Finalized AR Experience Ideation
After the initial proposal and feedback from Mr. Mike and our client, our group revised the approach to focus on cultural performances as the centerpiece of each station, complemented by supporting cultural items to enrich the storytelling. I collaborated with Kar Yee on the Indigenous cultural station, where I contributed by producing detailed AR content sketches and researching relevant assets online to ensure cultural accuracy and visual inspiration. These sketches visualized how users would experience Indigenous performances and interact with key cultural items, forming a clear reference for the team’s later development of the final AR experience.
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| Ideation document on indigenous station |
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| Sketches of key traditional artifacts and the performers |
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| Props info panel |
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| Stage design refinement from teammate's sketch and visualization |
Later on, I also worked on developing the storyboard sketches for the AR experience context for our client, making our intended user journey flow more comprehensible with the visual aid.
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| All storyboards about AR experience |
Visual Mockup for the Chinese Cultural Stage
In week 9, I refined the Chinese stage mockup to provide a logical and realistic visual guideline for the exhibition space. This involved:
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Adjusting the scales of the AR elements and projection mapping backgrounds.
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Positioning totems for AR recognition targets.
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Adding visitor references to simulate the real-life experience.
This refined mockup became a visual reference for other cultural stations, ensuring that our spatial planning and AR interaction design were consistent.
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| Initial visual mockup on Chinese AR station |
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| Finalized visual mockup, true-to-scale placement |
Pak Citra Character Design and Chibi Sticker Concept
One of my most significant contributions was the design of Pak Citra, the guided character of our AR experience. I worked from black-and-white sketches to clean line art and full-color illustrations, presenting various poses and emotional expressions for different stages of the exhibition narrative.
Towards the final stages, I adapted Pak Citra into a chibi-style version for sticker merchandise, considering that a realistic design would appear uncanny as a collectible. The chibi design is better suited to family and children audiences, aligning with our inclusive target demographic.
(Pak Citra sketches, line art, and chibi sticker placeholder)
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| Character moodboard for reference in Miro |
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| Pak Citra design variations |
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| Posture study |
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| Final Pak Citra colourized illustration |
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| Chibi style Pak Citra family-friendly design for sticker |
Emblem Animation Planning for Cultural Stations
I was responsible for planning and preparing the emblem animations for the Malay and Indigenous stations. Since the original emblem designs were provided in PNG format, I traced and separated the elements in Procreate, creating layered compositions to animate different parts of the emblem.
This work not only contributed to visual storytelling within the AR experience but also provided animation guidelines for the rest of the team to maintain stylistic consistency across all cultural stations.
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| Colourized Emblem Design by Zhen Xing |
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| Animated Malay station emblem using Procreate |
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| Animated Indigenous station emblem using Procreate |
Storyboard Enhancement and Final Presentation Preparation
In the final stages (weeks 13–14), I contributed to enhancing the final user journey storyboards, particularly the ticket purchase and redemption flow. I produced colored, flat-style illustrations to unify the visual style and ensure clear communication of the user experience.
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| Setting the design style direction for the renewed storyboard |
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| Refined and colourized storyboard |
In the meantime, I finalized and finished a complete sticker set as the merchandise for our CitrawarnaXR exhibitions, featuring the simplified emblem designs from the 4 culture stations too.
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| Finalized sticker design |
I also added a new storyboard segment to clarify the visitor flow and adjusted other teammates’ visuals for accuracy and consistency.
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| Before adjusting the items' content on the desk |
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| After adjustment for the teammate's storyboard |
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| Added a storyboard for visualizing the merchandise giveaway |
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| Sticker pack mockup |
Finally, I assisted in refining the final presentation slides and volunteered to present during the final showcase, rehearsing my part to ensure smooth delivery.
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| Conversations on me to volunteer to take on the presentation |
Presentation Slides
Idea Proposal
Visual deliverables & User Journey
My reflections
Interpret: Insights and Learning
Throughout the CitrawarnaXR minor project, I gained significant insights into both AR experience design and collaborative project development. Initially, my role in the research phase exposed me to the importance of contextual studies—understanding not only AR/MR trends but also the cultural symbolism of Malaysia’s diverse heritage. Conducting museum interviews and creating user personas deepened my understanding of user-centered design. I realized that designing for cultural exhibitions is not just about presenting artifacts, but about creating a narrative that visitors can emotionally connect to.
As the project progressed to the ideation and prototyping stage, I learned to translate research insights into visual concepts and storyboards. Drafting the initial AR experience storyboard helped me visualize how a visitor would interact with the exhibition and allowed me to communicate these ideas to both my teammates and the client. Later, in the revised ideation phase, I collaborated with Kar Yee on the Indigenous cultural station, where I produced detailed AR sketches and researched supporting visual references. This experience reinforced my ability to ideate based on feedback and adapt designs to client expectations, which is a critical skill in the creative industry.
Finally, designing Pak Citra and the emblem animations allowed me to explore character-driven storytelling and visual communication for interactive media. This process taught me how to balance cultural authenticity and audience appeal, especially when adapting the character to a chibi style for sticker merchandise to cater to family-friendly audiences. Across the project, I constantly felt the need to be flexible, respond to feedback quickly, and collaborate effectively in a multidisciplinary team, which improved my professional attitude and adaptability.
Evaluate: Judging the Experience
Looking back, I believe this minor project was highly valuable to my growth as a designer. Working on a real client project with TrueXR allowed me to experience how research, ideation, and visual design align in a professional workflow. My contributions in storyboard creation, character and emblem design, and AR content visualization gave me practical exposure to design for AR exhibitions, which I had little prior experience with.
One key takeaway is understanding the iterative nature of creative projects. Our initial ideas had to evolve significantly after client feedback, and it was through this process that I learned to detach from early concepts and embrace continuous improvement. I also realized the importance of attention to detail and user perspective—even small elements like gesture consistency, emotional expression of characters, and family-friendly designs can significantly influence the overall user experience.
This experience also reinforced my team collaboration skills. I witnessed how dividing roles clearly, maintaining consistent communication, and supporting teammates in visual refinements were crucial to the project’s success. My confidence in presenting ideas and assisting in final presentations also improved, which is an essential soft skill in any creative profession.
Plan: Applying the Learning to My Future
The skills and insights gained from this project will directly influence my future studies and career path. Firstly, my ability to conduct user research, create storyboards, and visualize AR experiences will be invaluable for future projects in creative media, UX design, and AR/VR development. I now have practical experience in bridging research and design—a competency that can set me apart in UI/UX or interactive media roles.
Secondly, the collaboration and adaptability skills I honed here will benefit me in multidisciplinary team settings in both academic and professional environments. I plan to apply these skills in my final-year major project, where I aim to incorporate immersive or interactive media elements and ensure cultural sensitivity in my designs, just as I practiced in CitrawarnaXR.
Lastly, the experience of designing Pak Citra, emblem animations, and sticker merchandise sparked my interest in character-driven and experiential storytelling. I plan to further explore AR content creation and character animation, possibly venturing into freelance AR/VR design or exhibition projects in the future. This project has solidified my confidence in blending research, cultural understanding, and design to create meaningful user experiences.
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