Tiny Home Village: An Interactive AR Experience

Program: Snap Lens Academy (Snap Inc.)

Tools: Lens Studio, JavaScript, 3D Asset Pipeline (Blender), AR Camera Tracking

Project Overview: Tiny Home Village is an empathy-driven Augmented Reality (AR) Lens created to address housing insecurity among young adults. With 51% of Snapchat users belonging to Gen Z—a demographic where 67% report struggling with housing costs—this project leverages AR technology to destigmatize housing challenges, promote positive portrayals of community stability, and connect users directly to actionable housing assistance resources.

Key Features & Mechanics:

Interactive Avatar Exploration: Uses front-camera and screen-overlay controls (on-screen joystick) to allow users to navigate a 3D avatar through a virtual neighborhood.

Narrative Dialogue Triggers: Approaching low-poly village residents prompts interactive dialogue boxes where characters share lived experiences of transition from crisis to housing stability.

Spatial Environment Placement: Utilizes world-tracking via the rear camera to anchor an isometric 3D diorama of the tiny home community onto real-world surfaces.

Resource & Action Hub: Displays an in-lens call-to-action poster linking users directly to regional affordable housing programs and support networks.

Development & Process:

Scripting & UI Design: Programmed custom interaction scripts for character movement, camera tracking, and UI dialogue states. Optimized UI overlays for responsive mobile interactions.

Environment & Prop Pipeline: Modeled low-poly 3D assets (modular tiny homes, greenery, vehicles, and municipal infrastructure) optimized for real-time mobile AR rendering.

Key Insights & Learnings:

AR as an Empathy Engine: Spatial storytelling transforms static data into an interactive experience, making complex social topics accessible and engaging.

Asset & Performance Optimization: Maintaining high frame rates in mobile AR requires rigorous optimization of polygon counts, texture atlas sizing, and runtime script triggers during user interaction.

Scalable Impact Architecture: Future iterations can expand from single-location narratives into location-based AR series, real-time survey tracking, and broader social impact integrations.

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