Aquazoo Düsseldorf · AR & Education

Aquazoo Augmented

Making biology visible through augmented reality, extending a physical exhibition with a meaningful digital layer.

AR · Anatomy layers

[ mobile AR experience ]

Client

Aquazoo Düsseldorf

Role

UX · Interface · Project coordination · Prototyping

Focus

Augmented reality · Science communication · Spatial UX

Stack

Unity · Cinema 4D · Photogrammetry · 2D tracking

01 / Goal

Use AR as a learning tool, not a gimmick.

Aquazoo Düsseldorf already offers a rich educational environment, but some scientific topics are hard to communicate through static displays alone. Anatomy is one of them: visitors can see an animal from the outside, but understanding its internal structures requires abstraction or extra explanation.

The concept focused on the anatomy of a frog. Through a mobile AR prototype, visitors could explore layered 3D visualisations that reveal structures normally hidden in a traditional exhibit, extending the physical experience rather than replacing it.

Key QHow can we use augmented reality to make invisible biological structures visible, simply and engagingly, right at the exhibit?

Visitor holding an iPad showing the AR frog skeleton inside the anatomy selector ring

AR · liveThe experience. A visitor points a tablet at the exhibit and the frog’s skeleton appears in place, wrapped by the anatomy selector ring.

02 / Challenge

Keep the focus on learning, not the technology.

AR easily becomes a gimmick when the technology matters more than the learning. In a museum context, visitors don’t want to figure out a complicated product, they want something that works immediately and helps them understand the exhibit. The interaction had to be simple enough for younger visitors, yet meaningful for adults and educational groups.

It also had to work in a real exhibition: lighting, tracking reliability, spatial constraints, device performance and visitor behaviour all shaped the design. The challenge was both conceptual and technical, make it educational, intuitive and reliable.

03 / My role

UX, interface, coordination and prototyping.

My role was to connect the educational objective with a usable digital experience, working closely with teammates across 3D modelling, development and concept design.

Coordinating project planning and collaboration

Analysing the exhibition context and visitor behaviour

Defining the AR user flow

Designing the interface and interaction logic

Supporting prototyping in Unity

Testing the prototype with real visitors

Iterating the experience from usability feedback

Keeping the concept focused and technically feasible

04 / Research & concept

Give AR a clear reason to exist.

We analysed how visitors move through Aquazoo Düsseldorf, where they stop, what draws attention, how information is presented, then looked for the exhibit that would benefit most from an AR layer. The topic needed a real educational reason for AR, not just visual appeal.

Frog anatomy was the strongest direction: it let us reveal internal structures through layered 3D content, giving AR a clear purpose. The physical skeleton on its patterned tracking ring became the anchor for the whole experience.

The physical frog skeleton mounted on the patterned 2D tracking ring at the exhibit

Physical exhibitThe tracking anchor. The frog skeleton on its patterned 2D tracking ring — the real-world object the AR layer is anchored to.

01Make it immediate. Visitors understand what to do without instruction-heavy onboarding.

02Make it educational. The AR content explains biological structures, it doesn’t just decorate.

03Make it stable. The prototype works reliably enough in the real exhibition context.

05 / Process

From lightweight UI to a stable build.

Interaction design

A lightweight UI built around quick access and minimal friction, keeping focus on the exhibit and the AR content.

3D & modelling

Anatomical models from photogrammetry, refined in Cinema 4D, detailed enough to teach, optimised to run on mobile.

Tracking

3D tracking proved unreliable in the space, so we moved to 2D tracking for a more stable foundation.

Testing & iteration

Visitor testing drove refinement, most notably a scaling feature so small structures became easy to inspect.

Phone showing the AR frog with the anatomy layer selector ring

One ring, five layers.

The interface stays out of the way: a single selector ring around the animal lets visitors switch anatomy layers with one tap, while the 3D model stays anchored in real space.

SkinSkeletonNervesMusclesOrgans

06 / Outcome

A working mobile AR prototype.

The project resulted in a working mobile AR prototype for Aquazoo Düsseldorf. It extended the physical exhibition with an interactive educational layer and helped visitors explore frog anatomy in a more visual, engaging way, showing how AR can support science communication when it is used with a clear purpose and designed around real visitor behaviour.

Working AR prototype for Android & iOS

Interactive 3D visualisation of frog anatomy

A clear visitor flow for mobile AR

More accessible explanation of internal structures

Improved usability through visitor testing

Unity · Cinema 4D · photogrammetry · 2D tracking

Visitors in the exhibit using tablets for the AR experience

AR only works when it disappears, and the biology takes over.

08 / What I learned

Emerging technology needs restraint.

AR is only valuable when it improves understanding. If it doesn’t make the experience clearer, it becomes noise. The technology should not demand attention, it should support the content.

I also learned how strongly physical context shapes digital design. In a real exhibition space, tracking quality, lighting, visitor movement, device handling and attention span all affect the experience. Aquazoo Augmented helped me design more confidently at the intersection of UX, education, 3D content and immersive technology.

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