CECE

AI-Powered AR Experience Bridging Education to Manufacturing Careers

Working with Miki Bin (Founding Designer) and Tim Raftis (CPO) at TAP3D, we developed CECE – an AI-powered assistant that combines mentorship, friendship, and organizational support.


CECE provides professional skill training, structured career guidance, and networking opportunities, all accessible regardless of a student's background or resources.


You can read the detailed research report I presented to TAP3D below.

Notable contribution

AR Strategy Pivot

Led CECE's shift from web to AR, creating an immersive experience connecting classroom learning to real-world manufacturing.

AI Companion Spatial Design

Developed CECE’s AR interface with context-aware, personalized career guidance in a humanized format.

User-Centric AR Implementation

Applied user research to AR design, ensuring intuitive solutions for job previews and skill development visualization.

Team

Jiho Kim(AR Designer)
2 Designers

Duration

6 months

Tools

Figma

ShapesXR

Cinema 4D

After effect

Duration

Literature Review

Qualitative Interviews

Rapid Ideation

Rapid Prototyping

Spatial Design

Project overview

The Problem

AI-Powered AR Experience Bridging Education to Manufacturing Careers

The Soultion: CECE

AI-Powered AR Experience Bridging Education to Manufacturing Careers

Background

The manufacturing industry in the US faces a critical challenge…

navigating persistent talent obstacles in relation to the ongoing shortage of skilled labor[1].


1. 2024 manufacturing industry outlook | Deloitte Insights.

The tight skilled-labor market is one of the main issues being faced by the advanced manufacturing industry.

Who is TAP3D?

Our capstone sponsor, TAP 3D, is currently working in the training simulation VR space for blue-collar individuals to match them with technician-level job positions in such industries.

TAP3D's goal is twofold…

To connect as many skilled laborers as possible to technician job opportunities through its recruiting platform.

To bridge the gap between their VR training platform and real-world job opportunities in the manufacturing sector.

the challenge

Community college students in technical programs often struggle to connect their education with industry needs.

Our task was to bridge the gap between TAP3D's product offering (technical VR training) and their new job portal by generating insights from the career exploration practices of individuals pursuing courses in community colleges.

How might we help community college students in technical programs by addressing their unique needs, goals, and learning preferences to support their career growth and skill development?

Research

Curating the problems

Based on our desk research, our critical sub-challenges emerged:

Fly on the Wall

observations at 4 retail stores

Service Safari

Next Year’s Headlines

with 4 employees and 3 customers

What did we find?

From these sources, we compiled findings about both customers and staff.

01

Staff desire to offer personalized assistance but are often constrained by time and resources.

02

Customers crave a balanced sensory experience, avoiding overstimulating environments.

03

The disconnect between fitting room and real-world appearance leads to returns and dissatisfaction.

Ideation

From Wild Ideas to Workable Solutions

Based on insights, our team started an intensive ideation phase. I facilitated brainstorming sessions that generated over 100 ideas, which we then synthesized through multiple rounds of voting and discussion.

Affinity mapping from our figjam

Going from 90 ideas to 2

After having multiple rounds, two concepts rose to the top:

01

A digital wishlist that bridges online browsing with in-store experiences

02

An art installation-inspired store layout for a more immersive, aesthetic experience

How did we downselect to 1?

One way that helped guide our down-selection process was by generating 4 insights-driven design principles. I facilitated discussions to define our design principles.

Efficient and joyful for everyone

Encourage product retention

Foster confidence through self-reflection

Elicit a deeper connection to the product story 

All this boils down to combining the two ideas…

Individually, we believed each scenario to lack potential as a standalone project. Together, we anticipated their integration could potentiate something innovative within the retail sector. 

Digital Wishlist

seamless try-on experience by saving pieces and translating them into a try-on appointment. 

Art installation-inspired store

opportunities for new experiential designs to elicit sensory feedback and give practical direction via product merchandising and wayfinding. 

Basel

where digital wishlists become curated, art-inspired try-on journeys.

Design

Building out the foundations

Customer journey mapping

I created a CX journey map to visualize the experience of a museum visitor, which helped realize the greatest opportunity for the product.

Mapping information architecture

Before creating user flows and wireframes, we outlined the main information architecture to be the foundation for the app.

Organizing four user flows

 I created four primary user flows to understand the main categories of interaction within the product.

Mid fidelity prototype

Once we were all aligned on the concept, I created wireframes on Figma to lay the groundwork for future designs.

Ironing out the business value

I used the Lean Canvas Model to understand the business model of this product and service

User test

Bringing Basel to Life

With our concept taking shape, it was time to make it tangible. We transformed a teammate's apartment lounge into a makeshift Basel boutique. Portable hangers became our "magic closet," iPads our interface to the digital world.

Scenario 1: At-Home

During these sessions, participants were encouraged to verbalize their impressions, thoughts, and experiences while viewing the prototypes in the 3D environment.

Prompt

“One day, you come across a post on your friend Joho’s Instagram about Basel, a fitting room only experience ...Intrigued, you decide to give Basel a try!”

Task

  1. Basel web-experience

  2. Online Wishlist

  3. Confirmation Email

  4. Notification Email

Scenario 2: At-Basel

Participants were given three specific tasks to complete:

Check-in process

Settings in the Fitting Room

“Magic Closet” feature -

We had the participants close their eyes for 10 seconds while we brought out a new size of clothes.

Post-Interview

After going through the experience prototype, we had a 15-minute post-test interview session with each participant.

Research Question #1

What are users' overall impressions and satisfaction with the experience?

Research Question #2

How do users perceive the usability and functionality of the prototype?

What worked?

Self-directed experience

“I like that there's nobody bothering me in the shopping experience because I got really bad social anxiety. If someone's asking me questions when I want to try something on, my people pleasing skills come out.” - P2

Magic closet feature

“The whole wardrobe delivery is cool - I wish other stores had this....it’d be nice if Uniqlo or Zara had this feature” - P3

Room for Improvement

Walk-out checkout experience

“I didn't know what to do unless I was prompted what to do. Like if I didn't have you told me what to do, I would have been confused.” - P2

Still desired some human interaction

“Maybe it’s nice to have someone on hand if I have any questions...so I think there’s still be a human component.” - P2

iteration

Getting closer to the desire outcome

“Abandon the walk-out checkout experience and incorporate human interaction elements through style curators”

Make an appointment

Self-guided Fitting Room (Tablet)

Style Curator

ITeration

Implemented an in-store style curator to empower users to seek one-one-one help should they want it.

Final design

Key features walkthrough

Curate Your Digital Try-On List

Select items from Basel's online catalog to create your personalized try-on list.
Schedule your in-store appointment through the app, ensuring your chosen pieces are ready in your fitting room upon arrival.

Step Into Your Gallery Fitting Room

Enter a spacious, art-inspired fitting room customized for your session. Control lighting, music, and temperature via a tablet interface to create your ideal try-on environment.

Request Items and Swap Sizes Instantly

Use the in-room tablet to request new items or different sizes.
Your selections appear in the Magic Closet within moments, allowing you to continue your try-on experience seamlessly without leaving the room.

Design System

REflection

Takeaways

Lesson learned

Human touch and meaningful interactions are still key to engaging experiences and to connecting with users to understand their needs.

Field observations and user testing provide valuable real-world insights. Even though they are short sessions, they can significantly refine designs and prioritize user experience.

Creating better experiences means breaking current frameworks, combining resources, and taking a holistic view leading a multidisciplinary approach to comprehensive solutions.

If we have more time…

We want to do the second round of user testing to verify if our iterated experience design is really coming across Desirability, Feasibility, Viability.

looks best when viewed on your computer 👩🏻‍💻