The Guard Site outside of Lawrenceburg, Indiana is the location of a prehistoric village that once belonged to the now-extinct Ft. Ancient Culture. The site resides on a grassy field preserved by the Archeological Research Institute. However, many artifacts and the context of their use are also buried, isolated to the public. My thesis work attempts to correct this inaccessibility by using co-design and research design methodology applied to the creation of an Extended Reality experience. Guided by Maria Palazzi’s design expertise, the design of this immersive experience highlights the findings of archeologists Dr. Robert Cook, Dr. Marcus Shulenburg and PhD candidate Sarah Hinkelman and the model creation of MFA design candidate Jiaxing Gao.

The design and prototype leverage the strengths of both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in order to share knowledge about this ancient culture. This intermodal design enhances a look into the past using both a digital tablet (AR) and VR headset.

On-site, the visitor uses a digital tablet to view AR computer-generated images which represent the artifacts discovered on-site. The visitors will then proceed back to the museum to “share their findings” in VR. This VR view showcases the site as it appeared over 1,000 years ago as a vivid interactive scene.