Interaction Design
Chalktalk is a design intervention on the streets of New York City developed in the process of learning about Interaction Design.
Point of tension:
Urban Navigation
New York City can be disorienting when reaching the street level from a subway exit, during rushhour in busy areas, or simply the ah-hoc numbering of streets in Queens.
How might we stir curiosity while helping people orient themselves while walking on the streets of our city?
Callum is a ten year old New Yorker who never pays attention to his surroundings.
Below is the storyboard illustrating him disengaged, and how through a colorful intervention on the otherwise mundane sidewalk, is teaching him to orient himself by reading the directions on the picture blocks, as well as picking up facts of life in a fun way.
Successes
The Right Space
Together with my group partner, we identified the sidewalk as an optimal space for change. Not only could it improve the city landscape, but with minor changes it can captivate the attention of its jaded quotidian users.
Cycles of Life
Displaying the life cycle of a plant inhabiting the surrounding the area in just several frames is an appealing form of educating. It is fun, simple, playful and most of all, it does not feel like you are “being educated”.
Exploring
From the steps behind a billboard, abandoned alleys, highway overpasses to interactive park equipment I observed my body and its reactions. It helped me easily find spaces that need improvements that any person would appreciate.
chalktalk
The intervention on the sidewalk is not permanent, as it would be printed on recycled cardboard and pasted to the sidewalk. With time and rain, the intervention blocks would dissolve. Chalktalk marks its presence online through a minimal website that outlines “trails”, sidewalks that have the interventions, as well as cycles of life covered.
Process
Walking
We first met as a group and walked together through Chelsea taking pictures of everything that caught our eye. My group partner planned a great route, along small streets, a highway, parks, brownstones and affordable housing. Canvasing such a diverse helped us out.
Storyboards
Doing the storyboards, I noticed that even with a character and two sets of pictures, I still was still lacking a good angle to display the solution. This accumulated other challenges, as I noticed there is a big disconnect between how you imagine a story and what elements you need to tell it in pictures.
Brainstorming
On MIro, individually and as a group, we narrowed it down to 2 spots that we both could develop ideas around. Having many photographs helped us see the big picture of where we would like to intervene as designers not only to improve the space physically, but bring people together.
Feedback
After revising the plots, we cut down one of the characters. I went back out to take more pictures to bring across what I wanted to say. I presented it to my group partner, who helped me focus on improving what we have. This also taught me to listen with my eyes next time.
Pictures
With feedback from the class and framing exercises on Miro, we were ready to hit the road again and take more pictures that would be suitable for our sidewalk intervention. We developed three personae as our target users. This gave each storyboard a unique need and solution.
Final Presentation
I was very excited for this project and really enjoyed working on it, yet, I was not able to translate that into a cohesive story for my listeners. Having guest designers give us their feedback was very constructive and encouraging to pursue specific goals.
Challenges and Opportunities
Storyboards
Producing a final plot through pictures and words proves to be incredibly challenging. It seems to make me lose my footing when I combine a plot with pictures, as I still am learning how to chose visuals that compliment and advance the text.
Conveying Ideas
Fabricating ideas proved to be a challenge, as I did not do enough sketches to help me refine what I was trying to say. I focused on talking, rather than sketching, so I lost myself in the process.
Technical
Daily practice with the software helped me improve several skills, but left room for many more to be learned. I saw my limitations in producing cohesive work, which tells me exactly what I need to lean, improve and incorporate in the future.
Design
Learning how we interact with objects helped me look at objects differently, and showed me how many essential design components I overlooked such as practicality, appeal to the target group and actually serving the intended purpose.
Captivating Visuals
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Use of color
Since Chalktalk is interacting with its users solely through sight, I could figure out a different pattern and color configuration that excites our sense of sight.