city window
An installation piece made as a research product to help with decentralisation using the Internet of Things. (IoT)
“How can you decentralise Dundee using mindfulness and navigation?”
Collaboratively, my team decided to research into health and sustainability within the city of Dundee, and from this we looked further into mindfulness. Our research was based heavily on an independent business, Heart Space Whole Foods. We tried to stretch their morals and values out to the whole city, and to see how we could find out what people think mindfulness means to them as an individual. Our outcome, the ‘window to Dundee,’ influences people to ‘wander with words’ and help find mindfulness throughout the city.
We began the research by communicating with Heart Space Whole Foods (HSWF), conducting conversational interviews and exploring their environment. We then took their mantra and split it into experiential questions, based on what a healthy space is. Allowing the public to freely write up their own answers before plotting the findings on a matrix map gave us a wide scope for where to take the project. The matrix axis directed if the results could be found in a public space or private space, and if as a product, it would require an input or provide an output. The gatherings drew a picture for us which suggested that a product found in a public space, giving data output, is what could work best to decentralise the city.
research
Taking our research findings and progressing forwards with ideas saw us brainstorming routes down many different paths. From mobile applications connected to public hotspots, to city maps integrated with new IOT technology. The area we decided to go for was with the public maps; inspired by monoliths, existing city maps and eventually by Google maps. We created prototypes of various map ideas, and put them to members of the public to find out what they associated them with, how they made them feel and what would make them use the maps. Developing the idea, we took the shape of a map 'pin' and thought instead of pinpointing your current location, it could be used to point you in a new direction, a direction to be followed aimlessly, wandering with mindfulness through the city, something which connected back to our origins with HSWF and healthy spaces.
ideation
Being content with the direction of the project, we took time to dissect it deeper. One thing we found during our probes was that the pin would point users in a specific direction, and they would just follow. It gives no allowance for true mindfulness, instead, it was just an instruction. Reflecting upon our initial findings, we took the original pin concept and turned it into light, which saw the beginning of our next stage prototyping.
This was when we created The Window To Dundee. The decisions made at this stage included using abstract map designs to deter users from focusing too heavily on directions, and making it semi-transparent to emphasise that it is window to look further into the city, to help people explore aimlessly using mindfulness. We implemented the map with NEO Pixel technology, which would use IOT to help suggest places in the city for people to wander. The light, rather than a pointer, referenced back to our previous research where we didn’t want to just give out instructions but instead wanted to create a series of ways to help people on their wanders. At this stage, we knew we delved deeper into how this part of the map worked with IOT and explored ways to really connect with users, and to gather final insights we later returned to our roots of this project with HSWF.
Prototyping
Our final stages of research with HSWF saw us add further dimensions to the product, which made it into the final working prototype seen below. On the face, there is the interactive light map and an NFC spot for users to scan. Upon scanning, the map will light up an area for users to wander next, and will simultaneously ping a poem about the city to their phone using IOT. Poetry; the final jewel in the crown, the idea that gave us the Window to Dundee: Where you Wander with Words.
Our final meeting with HSWF gave us this inspiring insight to add sound to the product, to help users dig deeper in their minds making the journey they go on more meaningful and personal, whilst still exploring outdoor spaces. The possibilities for this product to go even further were considered in great detail too, such as using many windows in the city to connect the dots for users, to help decentralise the flow of people in each space, and to connect the poetry from each map, which would provide a goal for users to visit them all, thus pushing further adventure to complete the story of the city window.
