Dinosaur Ridge AR
🦖 Dinosaur Ridge Augmented Reality App
Role: Animator & UI/UX Design Assistant
Tools Used: Cinema 4D · Unity · Adobe Illustrator · UXPin · Figma
Overview: As part of a four-person team during my BFA at CU–Denver, I helped bring prehistoric creatures to life through an engaging educational AR app for Dinosaur Ridge. I created keyframe animations of textured dinosaur assets in Cinema 4D, which were integrated into a Unity-based prototype. Our concept was so well-received that it secured funding from the board, leading to a full app launch.
Post-Development Contributions: After graduation, I collaborated with Professor Bryan Leister to refine UI/UX design and conduct user-centered research, optimizing accessibility and engagement. Our final product—available on Apple and Android—lets users explore fossil sites, interact with AR dinosaurs, and capture shareable moments.
Impact: The app blends storytelling, accessibility, and immersive design—providing a meaningful educational experience for users of all ages.
Presented below are some of the outcomes of my User Interface and Experience research, focusing on button design and placement within the mobile application. This study also includes my site map design, developed to streamline navigation and content flow for the Dinosaur Ridge AR app.
An additional feature—the reddish gradient photo frame—was designed as a location-specific interactive overlay, exclusively available onsite in Morrison, Colorado, enhancing the user’s experience with place-based content.
