As creative technologists at Digital Society School, we are encouraged to experiment with new tools and technologies. In this spirit, a colleague and I organised an "Instrument Jam Week," a week-long initiative designed to foster rapid learning and innovation. Each participant selected a technology to explore and developed a project from scratch using that tool.
For my contribution, I chose VR development with Unity, building on prior training and using this opportunity to expand my knowledge of Unity and 3D application development.
The week was designed to maximise collaboration, inspiration, and creativity. We used a Kanban board system to organise tasks, held daily stand-up meetings to outline plans, and ended each day with demonstrations to gather feedback. Collaboration was a cornerstone of the process, enabling continuous improvement and mutual support throughout the week.
The project adhered to two primary requirements:
I focused on recreating the recycling system at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. Despite clear labels, icons, and images on the bins, confusion persists about where specific items should go. To address this, I developed a playful, interactive VR experience aimed at teaching users to sort waste properly.
The prototype recreated the Digital Society School’s clubhouse in 3D, allowing users to navigate the space, collect scattered waste, and sort it into the correct bins in the kitchen. This immersive environment made the learning experience engaging and interactive.
By the end of the week, I had developed a functional VR prototype, testable on the Oculus Quest 2, which met the project goals while providing an opportunity to explore Unity’s potential for Extended Reality (XR) development for the first time. This project highlighted the power of rapid prototyping and collaboration in driving creative solutions.