Nature's Pollinator
Project: Snapchat X RCA Program
Team Members: Aarti Bhalekar, Ayushi Saxena, Ruby Bell & Riya Mahajan
Sound Designer: Lian Dyogi
This project was developed as part of the Royal College of Art x Snapchat Program. Each year, students from across the RCA apply, but only a select few are chosen to participate and experiment with Snapchat’s cutting-edge software and technology.
I collaborated with the team on conceptualising and prototyping. Once we finalised the augmented reality experience, my role in the project focused on creating the illustrations for the cards and producing 3D renders of the icons.
Nature’s Pollinators is an augmented reality card game designed to educate children about the vital role pollination plays in our ecosystem. Players can explore different pollinators, match them with their favourite flowers, and see them come to life through a seamless blend of physical and digital interaction. Along the way, they’ll learn why these pollinators are drawn to specific flowers and the importance of their relationships.
As a team of four, we shared a common passion for ecology and education. After extensive brainstorming, we decided to create something tangible. While augmented reality is powerful for transporting users to other worlds, we wanted our project to stay firmly rooted in physical reality, bridging the digital and tangible in a meaningful way.
Our research started with us connecting with schools to explore the educational potential of AR. Additionally, our teammates Ruby and Ayushi visited the Natural History Museum, where they were inspired by an insect-matching game that informed the design of our project.
We chose the concept of flashcards small, handheld tools that seamlessly integrate augmented reality (AR). This felt like a beautiful way to blend physical and digital worlds without relying entirely on 3D. To make the experience more engaging, we added an interactive layer. Instead of merely displaying 3D models, we designed a mix-and-match game where users could match pollinators to their corresponding flowers. This approach was especially aimed at being fun and educational for children.
This film aims to give the audience a clear understanding of our process, from the initial concept to execution. While we continued refining and expanding the project after the film was made, the film offers valuable insight into how we approached creating our augmented reality experience.
