Within Pure3D we are using Voyager, a software developed by the Smithsonian Institution. Through this platform, we constructed the entire visual journey of what a user would see when they viewed our model. This holds great importance as it shapes the user’s perceptions of not only the toy but places it in a larger social and cultural context as well. All of the decisions we made from the camera movements, annotations, article order, titles, and multimedia were carefully thought out and intentional.
Using Voyager was a small learning curve, as we had one intensive session to familiarize ourselves with the software by working through exercises on a demo model. This was extremely helpful as it established a good foundation for using the software and prepared us for pitfalls that we could encounter in the making of our own tours.
Difficulties that we ran into whilst using Voyager, was the lack of its real-time collaborative nature. More specifically, we discovered that when two devices are working on the model simultaneously, you have to refresh the page to resume your turn. Otherwise, your partner's contribution will be lost when you save your progress. Another issue was the laptop trackpad's limited capabilities. We were unable to observe the toy from every angle because the laptop trackpad's right-click feature hindered us from dragging the entire model around. After we bought a mouse, we were able to move the camera and annotate considerably more precisely.
By adopting a methodical approach to the tour construction, we ensured we had all our articles and multimedia complete before we began to use the software. Thus our project felt like making a cake, as we established one layer at a time and continued to add embellishments that make use of the platform’s affordances. We used multiple annotations that are color-coded for each tour as well as various audios from the doll that are added to the annotations. Articles are sometimes overlaid and other times aligned to the right of the object to offer some visual aid and interest. We add a variety of multimedia to the articles including movie clips, explainers, diagrams, songs, and more. Since the article editor does not offer many creative choices, we used Canva to make a timeline and other graphics to improve the visual narrative.
Making use of most, if not all, the platform has to offer a well-rounded edition that encapsulates all our intentions as designers. Looking ahead, this software fulfils its purpose, however, it appears to be in development which results in limited functioning. Beyond the technicalities of the software, we learned a variety of skills in terms of narrative construction, tour design, multimodality, and information presentation.