Wildlife Encounters

This interactive tool is the result of an extensive Senior Thesis project finished at the end of my fifth year at DAAP. I teamed up with classmate and friend, Brett Cushing, to research, interview, ideate, create, draw, program, user-test, write and much more.

Senior Thesis Project Description - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Project Statement : When faced with decisions about interfering with wildlife most people lack the knowledge to act correctly. This sometimes ends in animal injury or death, a result that we hope to diminish with an interactive tool that will educate patrons of nature centers on wildlife encounters. A branding campaign including a website, logo, and mission statement will be established in order to supplement the interactive tool.

Project Description : This interactive tool will be provided on the internet and as a mobile application for the use of educating adults who attend nature center classes and other visitors via a display exhibit on what to do when encountering a wild animal. Whether it’s a raccoon in the chimney, a snake in the garden, or a baby bird fallen from a tree, the result of uniformed yet well-intentioned human interference often leads to the animals’ death or a disturbance in the animals’ development. These kinds of scenarios are what the interactive tool will address through the innovative use of touchscreen, responsive sound effects, an engaging story line, and appealing graphics. All of this will challenge visitors in a way that will increase their awareness and memory of the exhibit’s content.

By providing an on-site interactive tool and database and at home access to the same supplements via the website, visitors and the general public will be able to further their education and responsibility through a legitimate and trusted source of information associated with their local nature centers.

Desired Result : We intend to provide our audience with the resources necessary to know how to take the right actions when coming across a wild animal. All encounters including animal injury, abandonment and invasion, will be addressed in the exhibit through in-depth touch screen scenarios. This education will hopefully result in fewer unnecessary wildlife deaths.

Our secondary and ethical mission is to promote awareness and assimilation of the animals that live by our side. They may not be domesticated pets, but they play a vital role in the environment and should not be overlooked. Since road kill, yard destruction, danger to smaller pets, and garbage rummaging are among many problems that these backyard critters present to humans, we want to educate on how to deal with these issues in a safe and considerate manner. In addition, we hope to help people realize that they can live in harmony with these animals if the right precautions and steps are taken.

Audience/User Profile : Our main audience includes the adults who attend nature center education classes. Because of the versatility of our tool, our secondary audience includes technically capable people in the general public who seek or will seek out information on wildlife encounters and safety.

Photoshop + Illustrator + InDesign + HTML + CSS + Flash + Actionscript

Launch : View/Play the Demo