Soil Explore
Interactive Platform
Soil Explore is a browser-based teaching tool developed by ETH’s Media & Methods Lab in collaboration with D-USYS. Designed for use in environmental science and soil-related courses, the interactive online platform allows students to explore key soil properties through visual and spatial representations.
The project is currently in development, with a first functional version expected in early autumn.
Project Contribution
The project required a clear UX structure and a visual system to make soil data accessible for teaching. I developed the user flow architecture and designed the interface to guide users through interactive soil profiles. In addition, I created illustrations of soil layers in a simplified and didactic style, both for the Webapp and a physical exhibition at ETH’s TerraFocus. I was also responsible for preparing the design concept, structuring content, and delivering all necessary assets to the developer for implementation.
UX Flow Design
Developed user flow and interaction logic for intuitive exploration of soil properties.
Scientific Illustration Created simplified soil profile visuals for digital and print use.
Developer Handoff
Prepared concept, structured content, and delivered assets for implementation.
Stakeholder Sketch
A rough sketch illustrates how stakeholders envision integrating the tool into teaching – for example, guiding students through soil profiles visually while linking key layers to relevant readings and course materials.
Refined Wireframe Sketch
Following the stakeholder meeting, the initial sketch was revised to reflect their specific needs. This optimised version became the basis for the development of the interactive web platform.​
The Challenge
The original concept explored an interactive scrollytelling format, aiming to immerse users in a continuous narrative. However, this approach proved too impractical for classroom use, as students would need to scroll back and forth repeatedly. A side navigation was briefly considered but dismissed early on due to its disruptive effect on user flow. Instead, a bottom navigation solution was developed, offering clearer control and allowing users to jump quickly between different soil profiles for focused comparison. In the teaching context, three specific soil profiles are used, and users need to move easily between them to compare and explore their properties.
The current challenge lies in gathering and structuring all educational content for each soil profile and its layers. The next step is to present a fully functional prototype using placeholder text, helping stakeholders understand the required text volume and guiding content development.
Planning the User Flow
To view all three soil profiles, the interface begins with an overview. By selecting one profile, users can explore the full profile and examine each layer in detail.
The concept sounds simple, but what does it mean for implementation? How many subpages will be needed? To align design and development, a clear overview is essential — even a rough sketch helps reveal the scope and complexity still to be addressed.
Navigation and View Options
The concept was designed as a scroll-based website, and it was decided that navigation would be handled via mouse clicks. A toggle allows users to switch between a 3D view—comparing real images with illustrations—and a 2D view focused on the illustrated soil profile.
Next Steps and Outlook
The project is currently in development, with an initial prototype available to demonstrate the current status to stakeholders. Over the summer, the content, icons, and highlights will be assigned to the respective soil layers. By autumn, a first ready-to-use version for teaching will be available, along with an adapted version for the Terra Focus exhibition.