MONA: An Inclusive AI + AR Campus Navigation Concept

MONA responds to the challenge of navigating a large and complex university campus, where wayfinding is not only a matter of route efficiency but also of accessibility, confidence, and emotional reassurance. The design brief was to create a navigation experience that supports both outdoor and indoor wayfinding while remaining calm, clear, and low-stimulation. The core challenge was to provide rich and supportive guidance without increasing cognitive load, social pressure, or environmental stress.

MONA addresses the brief through a low-stimulation navigation concept combining personalised onboarding, a supportive AI companion, flat-map guidance, calm AR navigation, and optional NFC touchpoints. The solution was shaped through comparative analysis, campus observations, six user interviews, paper prototyping, wireframes, and user testing. Key roadblocks included unclear onboarding steps and an overly complex AR interface, which were refined in the final high-fidelity prototype. The resulting experience provides clearer, calmer, and more personalised guidance across outdoor and indoor campus environments.

MONA’s impact is primarily societal, aiming to make campus navigation more inclusive by reducing uncertainty, supporting clearer decision-making, and helping students move through unfamiliar environments with greater confidence and independence. For universities, it offers a scalable digital model that extends support beyond physical signage into personalised, responsive navigation. As a digital-first concept, MONA can reduce reliance on additional signage infrastructure while informing future inclusive wayfinding services across campuses and other complex public environments.

MONA’s key features focus on inclusive, low-stimulation campus navigation. Dual-mode guidance combines flat-map and calm AR views to support outdoor-to-indoor wayfinding, including building entrances, indoor floors, classroom locations, and real-time rerouting. A personalised AI companion provides calm, adaptive support through customisable avatars, route preferences, and interaction tone, helping guidance feel more familiar and reassuring.To reduce cognitive load, MONA uses a simplified interface, quiet and accessible route options, friendly visual cues, and clearer step-by-step guidance. Optional NFC touchpoints at key campus locations provide instant orientation and route support, helping students confirm where they are without needing to search manually. Post-journey feedback also allows users to rate route comfort and clarity, supporting future route improvement. Together, these features make campus navigation feel more predictable, accessible, and supportive.