Learning Through Play: Designing Hypothetical Interactive Experiences | 2026 SEGD Academic Summit

Learning Through Play: Designing Hypothetical Interactive Digital Experiences for Zoo Visitors and Supporting Kiosk | 2026 SEGD Academic Summit Speaker: Huiwon Lim, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Iowa State University Explore how playful learning, UX research, and interdisciplinary design can transform zoo visits into interactive digital experiences for children and families. In this 2026 SEGD Academic Summit presentation, Huiwon Lim, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Iowa State University, shares a studio project developed in an interdisciplinary user experience design course. The project challenged students to design hypothetical interactive experiences for Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa, combining digital interfaces, physical touchpoints, and spatial context. Lim walks through student research, site observation, personas, service blueprints, and prototype concepts, including interactive zoo maps, RFID wristbands, kiosks, augmented reality photo experiences, aquarium drawing tables, and immersive echolocation installations. The presentation highlights how UX design can move beyond screens to support learning, exploration, and engagement in public environments. Presented as part of the 2026 SEGD Academic Summit, a virtual forum for design education, research, projects, and curriculum innovation. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Learning Through Play 00:57 Course Context and Learning Objectives 01:50 Blank Park Zoo as a Learning Landscape 02:28 UX Beyond Screens 03:05 Precedents for Connected Visitor Experiences 03:58 Playful Learning as a Design Principle 04:33 UX Process and Studio Framework 05:22 Team One: Blank Park Pass 05:58 Site Observation and Pain Points 06:36 User Interviews and Literature Review 07:13 Personas and User Needs 07:56 Service Blueprint and Visitor Journey 09:02 UI Components and User Journey 09:26 Physical Prototypes: Wristband and Kiosk 10:18 Mobile App Features and Experience Ecosystem 10:48 Team Two: Interactive Experience 11:28 Site Analysis and Location-Specific Opportunities 11:54 Pain Points and Opportunity Areas 12:33 Personas and Short-Visit Engagement 13:07 Service Blueprint and Spatial Touchpoints 13:43 TikTok Tiger Storytelling Kiosk 14:31 Underwater Imagination Drawing Table 15:09 Echo Adventure and Echolocation Play 16:16 Modular AR Photo Kiosk 16:46 Educational Outcomes and Student Reflection 17:56 Conclusion: Studio Learning Through Real-World Public Environments #SEGDAcademicSummit #ExperientialGraphicDesign #UXDesign #DesignEducation #InteractiveDesign This talk will be featured in Communication + Place, the official journal of experiential design, which showcases research by academics and professionals advancing the field through creative research, curriculum development, and user-centric testing. Find this at https://segd.org/resources-education/... About SEGD: SEGD is the global multidisciplinary community for experiential graphic design. We are designers of experiences connecting people to place. Visit us at https://segd.org.