Virtual SGH Bicentennial Genomic Garden Web App

The Virtual SGH Bicentennial Genomic Garden web app is a digital extension of the physical garden at the Singapore General Hospital. Among the garden’s flora are local and regional plants with potential therapeutic benefits, studied by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Biodiversity Medicine (BD-MED).
BD-MED partnered with HOL to create a virtual experience that showcases the plants’ potential for food, medicine and well-being, promotes environmental sustainability and inspires respect for nature.
The web app’s target users are patients, caregivers, healthcare workers and the general public. Our challenge was engaging an uncommitted audience seeking respite in the garden.
So, we applied gamification, personalisation and socialisation strategies, in addition to content optimisation, to develop an experience that was educational, engaging and entertaining.
THE RIGHT CONTENT AT THE RIGHT LEVEL
We tested sample information with target users, and our findings helped us refine the content to a level that effectively communicates scientific knowledge with rigour to a broad audience.
GAMIFIED, IMMERSIVE AND SOCIAL EXPERIENCE
Our immersive experience engages users in an interactive space.
● Users can pinch, rotate and resize 3D models of the plants to get a closer look while enjoying bite-sized content.
● They can play engaging micro-games and quizzes that successfully “hook” them deeper into the experience.
● They can also take photos with the 3D models of the plants using augmented reality and share them on social media. This helps the client spread its messages beyond the garden’s physical boundaries.
PERSONALISED EXPERIENCE
Users can decide what they want to see and when and how to enjoy it.
● The web app supports multi-format content delivery formats such as audio guides and downloadable PDFs.
● They can scan the QR code and access the content elsewhere without being in the garden.
The virtual experience combines technology with user-centred design, making complex botanical knowledge accessible while enhancing the public’s understanding of biodiversity medicine and inspiring in them greater respect for nature.
The experience has been recognised by the Asian Development Bank as an innovative sustainability solution.