Harmen Kant

Summary
This project has been commissioned by Museum Bevrijdende Vleugels, located in Best, North Brabant. The goal is to introduce an interactive element to the museum’s section on Operation Market Garden, a significant World War 2 military operation aimed at liberating the Netherlands and marching on Berlin. The interactive element was designed to engage children aged 7 to 9, create an interest in history and encourage their connection to World War 2 and Operation Market Garden. Another task was to complete the experience by designing what goes on before and after the interaction with the product.

Plan
The projects realization followed a structured plan. Initial research focused on understanding Operation Market Garden and the target audience (Children aged 7 to 9). This was followed by creation of visual concepts or written concepts, with feedback from teachers or experts. A final concept had to be chosen. Afterward prototypes were created, tested and iterated upon to achieve a functional and engaging experience.

Research
Research highlighted specific challenges in addressing children aged 7 to 9. This age group has shorter attention spans and has difficulty engaging with longer texts. Additionally, it is necessary to address the subject of war in a manner that ensures it remains appropriate for a younger audience. A detailed study of Operation Market Garden was conducted to ensure historical accuracy and relevance, focusing on the operation’s timeline, key figures and strategic significance.

Concepts
Several concepts were explored during development. However, one early idea involving a bridge-building game stood out. In this game children would search for a question in a sandpit and if they answered one of these questions right, they would receive a plank for constructing a bridge. Even though this concept was connected to Market Garden’s focus on securing bridges, it was deemed unsuitable. Feeback from an expert indicated that it involved too much reading for the target audience and lacked a strong connection to the operation’s historical context.
An earlier idea was revisited and adapted, leading to the concept of interactive map. This map, projected onto a surface involved a toy car driven across map-markers, triggering questions or mini-games related to Market Garden. Through this interactive approach information can be presented in an engaging manner.

Feedback
The revised concept was presented to a teacher for feedback. The use of a machine learning API that can track the car and tigger the events was suggested, and the need to involve parents or teachers in the experience was emphasized. This input guided further adjustment to the concept.

Prototyping
The prototype was developed by dividing tasks among team members, with responsibilities including software, content development, minigames, and map creation. During testing, issues with camera detection were found. The toy car was not consistently detected due to the API’s limited resolution. This issue was mitigated by placing the car on a large wooden base, improving detection accuracy. Despite this, small number of errors persisted.
To involve parents, elements were added that required them to provide instruction to children during the mini-games and when driving the car across the map. The experience was further enhanced with additional materials such as small car models for children to take home, posters, social media posts and a newspaper handout about the display.

Conclusion
The project demonstrates both the potential and limitations of machine learning in interactive installations. Additionally, it underscored the complexities of designing for young audiences, particularly when addressing sensitive historical topics such as war. This has resulted in a compelling narrative and engaging interaction for all parties involved in the form of an interactive map.