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What if rebuilding history could help us remember it better?
Rebuilt NYC is an immersive VR experience where users reconstruct iconic New York landmarks in 3D space while an adaptive narrative engine responds to their behavior in real time.This project explores how embodied cognition, spatial interaction, and AI-driven storytelling can increase engagement and knowledge retention compared to passive museum experience.
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Overview
Rebuilt NYC is a platform that helps learners explore the history of New York City through hands-on experiences by rebuilding monuments that were once destroyed, allowing them to relive moments of historical significance🗽
Problem
Learners often perceive history as a boring subject, and its content is frequently forgotten or overlooked, despite its significant importance.
Outcome
Learners showed a 40% increase in interest in learning history through a more engaging and immersive experience, leading to improved understanding and retention of historical events.
Date:
May 2025 - July 2025
Team:
Lisa Lokshina
Industry:
VR/AR
An Adaptive Spatial Learning Platform Built for
the Future of Immersive Computing
The Product Vision
Transform users from observers into rebuilders.
By physically reconstructing fragmented landmarks, users:
• Engage motor memory
• Activate spatial reasoning
• Experience contextual storytelling
• Build emotional connection
This aligns with research in embodied cognition, which suggests physical interaction increases memory encoding.
Core Experience Design
I designed a modular interaction system built around 6DOF spatial alignment.
User grabs a monument fragment using physics-based interaction
Inspects geometry and spatial cues
Aligns fragment in 3D space
Correct placement triggers contextual narrative
System adapts difficulty and storytelling depth
This loop was optimized for cognitive flow and reduced friction in VR interaction.
Adaptive Narrative System
Instead of linear storytelling, I built a behavior-responsive narrative engine. The system tracks:
• Time to placement
• Alignment accuracy
• Exploration behavior
• Idle time
Based on this, the experience dynamically adjusts narrative tone and depth. Fast users receive architectural insights. Exploratory users receive cultural and emotional context. This was implemented using a rule-based state engine with scalable reinforcement-learning logic.
Interaction & UX Architecture: Spatial UI Strategy
Rookie Mistakes: Flat menus break immersion in XR. I replaced traditional UI with:
• Holographic radial menu anchored to non-dominant hand
• Gaze-assisted highlighting
• Color-coded alignment feedback
• Spatial adjustable audio guidance
Design decisions were guided by XR ergonomics and arm fatigue studies.
Usability Testing
Tested with 10 users (VR and non-VR backgrounds) - Quantitative Results
• 82% puzzle completion without guidance
• 28% faster task performance after 5 minutes
• 40% improvement in historical recall
Qualitative Feedback
“It feels like I’m holding history.”
“The story responding to how I build makes it feel alive.”
Got a project in mind? Tell me about it
Hi, I’m Priyam Joshi, a Designer who turns curiosity into meaningful experiences. I bridge human emotion, technology, and strategy to craft experiences that don’t just look good they work beautifully. As a UX Designer and Researcher, my passion lies in uncovering the “why” behind user behavior and transforming insights into inclusive, data-driven design systems that create real business impact.