Light, Water & Transparency

ABOUT DUMBO PARK

On-site Visit

Elements

Strangers:

Tourists / People have free time / Couples / Photographers / Children

Landmark with Beautiful View :

Water / Reflection / Bridge / Sky / Sun / Cloud

RESEARCH, OBSERVATION & DOCUMENTATION

Methods

AEIOU + Behavior Map + Brainstorm

Insight

The main activity is Resting & Enjoying the View. We found resting is actually an interaction between people and nature, which is usually hard to be observed. We want to figure out a way to emphasize the interaction between strangers and the view.

Concept Brainstorm

We want to create interactions between strangers and the river by thinking about three questions:

• How can people feel the river?

• How can people touch the river?

• How can river respond to people?

Concept Sketch

First Prototype

Test Result
Interactions (30min, afternoon)

Touch: 3 adults, 1 parent, 6 children

Play (touch the piece more than once): 2 adults

Take Photo: 1 adult

Look into the piece: 2 kids

What worked

• People interacted with it by tapping and rotating because it is turning on its own and making this wave-like movement.

What didn’t work

• Parents are stopping kids from touching the piece because they don’t want kids to break it

• Many people just touched it once and left without keep playing with it

• Some kids looked into it instead of tapping it

Other notes

• Many people are looking for signs or explanations.

Learnings

• The structure should look stable enough for people to feel comfortable touching it.

• We should make the feedbacks more visually appealing so people keep playing with it.

• We should hang it closer to eye level. We assume a lot of children play with it also because the height was appropriate for them.

• We could use reflective material to make it more appealing and attractive.

• We could use light to add more feedbacks.

  
  

Second Prototype

Test Expectations
It turns with wind and looks like a wave from a distance. People are attracted and come closer to try to make the wave. Once they tap one block, the whole line of the blocks turn one by one to create a wave. Through the transparent material, they can see shadows and reflections on the floor. Through the experience, they can connect with water and feeling relaxing.

Test

Results:
Adults:  33
Child:  10
Take picture:  4
Play with it:  1 kid & 2 couple


What works:

• The material attract people’s attention from a far distance.

• It works better at night because of the darker environment and wind.

• People are noticing the shadow it created.

• People are using it as filter to take photos.

What doesn’t work:

• Instead of turn it, some people come closer to look at the edges and squeeze it to see what material it is made of.

• The side of the brick is heavier than the faces. So, it remains vertical when no one is touching it. Thus, it implies people should touch it rather than tap it.

• The light of the reflective material can’t be seen in the environment

• We used the wire instead of string this time, trying to solve the unstable problem. However, it doesn’t make a big difference.

Next Steps

• Build the structure. Make it more stable and hang it higher.

• User less color. Use more transparent materials.

• Visually heavier. Material: Stronger and thicker

• Emphasize light ?????? Put the light on it or something on the back to hold the shadow.

Trying out different Materials

We tried to use acrylic boards instead of the transparent film. However, the boxes were too heavy to be hanged by stands. We would need stronger structure to make it stable. It would work if we can drill into the floor and make the structure with steel.

Final Prototype

Changes:

1. We used to stand to stabilize it and make the whole installation stand alone.

2. Since it didn’t need to rely on the street light or benches to stand, we moved it into a more open space so it would get enough attention.

3. We use the metal rod with matte silver finishing. It was more stable and didn’t stand out or pull people’s attention away.

Result:
There were strangers constantly interacting with it. Since the space is more open, more people could gather around. The main activities are turning it to make a wave, taking photos with it or through it, looking into it. Stangers are adults, parents, couples, and kids. Most of the kids were playing with it for a longer time and appears to be more violent. Parents enjoyed playing it with their kids or taking videos of their kids playing with it. 

Interviews (Keywords):

Comments from Strangers:

• It would be nice it works like an instrument. Someone even gave us detailed suggestions about how to make it produce sound.

• People saw it from a far distance. They found the color and reflection very attractive. They like how it reflects light and its surroundings.

• They want to use it as filter to post in instagram.

• It looks like solid glass. They are very curious about the material.

People would like to see it longer, and they would like it to work more smoothly. If it is longer, they would like to see how it moves when they tap the middle block.

Thanks for Viewing :)