portfolio — aisha kazembe

01. Sound Placement

the rundown

Problem: Speaker in front of the house made the audio feel like an announcement, not a world.

Fix: Moved it behind the house. Sound comes from inside now, which reinforces the projection instead of competing with it.

The installation is built around a 3D-printed house with a projector casting historical imagery onto its surface, extending the illusion of a sidewalk into the viewer's physical space so the boundary between the model and the room dissolves.

Problem: The sound component (recordings of someone moving through a house, doing ordinary things) wasn't creating the right sense of presence. Placed in front of the house, it felt external, like an announcement rather than a world.

Process: Tested the full installation during a structured presentation demo and gathered feedback on how the audio felt in relation to the projection.

Decision: Moved the speaker behind the house so the sound appears to come from within. The recordings feel like evidence of life inside, reinforcing the projection instead of competing with it.

Installation with final sound placement, speaker behind the house

02. 3D-Printed House: Scale

Problem: The first print was too small. At that scale the projection lost detail and the model read as a toy rather than a home.

Process: Tested projection quality on the small model. The surface area wasn't large enough for the projector to render texture or detail legibly.

Decision: Reprinted at a larger scale. The increased surface area made the projection sharp and the model convincing in the space.

First print (~9 in.), projection detail lost at this scale

Second print — Reprinted at larger scale (~13 in.), projection reads clearly

03. Room Projection Surface: Materials

Problem: The projection needed a surface that could hold image quality, look intentional in the space, and be portable.

Process: Tried fabric over cardboard. The fabric diffused the projection and washed out the image.

Decision: Switched to canvas paper folded into an origami-style structure. Held projection quality, cleaner look, light enough to transport.

Materials — Process: building the fabric version

Fabric result — Fabric over cardboard, diffused the projection

Canvas paper — Process: folding the canvas paper structure

Final surface — Final canvas paper surface

04. Digital Interface: Platform Pivot

the rundown

Problem: Unity scene wouldn't load on mobile via QR. Desktop user testing revealed a second problem: users felt the digital version looked too different from the physical installation.

Fix: Rebuilt in Three.js using spherical renders from Cinema4D, mirroring the installation's exact aesthetics. Works on any device via QR.

Problem: The digital component needed to be accessible via QR on a phone. Personal testing showed the Unity build wouldn't load on mobile. User testing confirmed it and surfaced a second problem: users felt the digital experience felt too visually disconnected from the physical installation.

Decision: Rebuilt in Three.js using spherical renders from Cinema4D, made from the same 3D model as the physical installation. Mobile load time dropped and the site works on any device via QR. See the original Unity build here.

Unity scene — Unity build: desktop-only, too large for mobile

Three.js rebuild: mirrors installation aesthetics

05. Navigation: Onboarding

the rundown

Problem: No instructions. Users spent time experimenting instead of engaging with the content.

Fix: Added a landing page, a table of contents, and a small disclaimer pointing to clickable items.

Problem: The first version dropped users directly into the 360 environment with no onboarding. Users had to experiment to find navigation, spending time on the interface instead of the content.

Decision: Added a landing page that frames the project before users enter. Added a table of contents and a small disclaimer pointing out that media items are clickable. Reduced friction, increased content engagement.

06. Navigation: Click Interaction

the rundown

Problem: Media items were marked with dots. Users didn't know what they were clicking on.

Fix: Two-stage click: first click reveals the item label, second click opens the media.

Problem: Media items marked with dots. User feedback was consistent: people wanted to know what an item was before committing. Many didn't click.

Decision: First click reveals the item label (with a prompt to click again). Second click opens the media. Provides a preview before committing, and two redundant tap targets for forgiving interaction on both desktop and mobile.