From the feedback collected from the BodyStorm, it has been analysed that overall, most commenters thought the concept was humorous and had potential. They also voiced their concerns about the harshness of the confronting message or the successfulness of actually causing users to reflect.
Feedback 1
"Hi “Team Mirror Messages”,
That is a funny bodystorm and very innovative concept. Obviously, I believe your target participant would be female as they are sort of like mirror. That would definitely attract many females to use the “mirror”. But once people begin to use the mirror, the screen will turn on and show a challenging message, “you’re in a social space, what are you looking at”. Your concept is quite flexible and possibly could address any of the three thesis which depends on the challenging message your mirror will be showing.
However, to be honest, your concept might be a little bit rude to participants and might make them angry if your challenging message is too over. As a result, participant might not have positive reflection to your concept. Therefore, please design carefully for you challenging message.
Other than that, the concept is amazing to me. Hope to see the actual installation soon. :)"
Feedback 2
"As Allen said, this concept has a lot of flexibility in terms of the message you can display and how you can use it. Calling people on an unconscious thing can be very effective at getting a message across.
I'd recommend figuring out a way to more actively draw people in, however. Most people would see a mirror and ignore it; some would glance at it; few would stand there for long enough for the message to come through.
Also, I'd suggest reconsidering exactly what message you are trying to convey here. If you have some sort of premise ("you are in a social space"), it needs to be something irrefutable. I could easily imagine someone seeing that message and thinking "so what?" or "says who?"; if they challenge the premise, they will ignore your conclusion and they will not reflect in the way you intend.
Not much more to say here; best of luck with the project."
Feedback 3
"Mirror Message,
This concept is quite humerous. The result of a person unexpectadly receiveing a message would make them think over the message conveid.
I like the general Idea of the senario, a lot of people would hae a quick glancce at a mirror, however perhaps not as long as in the bodystorm. The average user would probably look at it for around 10 seconds tops, expecially when in a crowded place.
I'm a little concerned about how you will set this up. A Cardboard box with a hole in it? You have to be careful about how you set this up as your setup may make it too obvious that it isn't a normal mirror.
I think you have a solid concept, you just need to be sure that your settup of the actual display is right one for the concept.
Overall I look forward to seeing how this concept works out. "
Feedback 4
"The concept presented by the team is very interesting, and as stated previously can be easily changed to adequately suit the thesis . I think people will engage with the interaction as many people like to use reflective surfaces as they walk pass to view their appearance.
There are a few ways in which I think the design could be improved. As previously stated, measures should be put in place so as to limit users from merely glancing at the reflection and then leaving without seeing the message. This could be fixed by maybe a sign over the mirror to attract users to walk up to the mirror.
The message of the mirror itself will have to be crafted to suit the thesis. As mentioned I think the message at the moment is a little threatening, and may offend some members of the public. This can easily be changed by coming up with some message ideas and surveying a few members of the general public before the day of the installation.
In addition the cost of the installation may be an issue if a screen is involved. If a team member has an iPad this can be solved however.
Overall though I think this is a fantastic idea and something that will both engage people and cause them to reflect on the chosen thesis."
Feedback 5
"The team has presented a very intriguing and well thought out concept. Their approach towards the thesis is very abstract yet effective. However I feel a more alert way of getting the customers attention is necessary for this installation to be successful as just seeing a mirror is not so amusing that people would stop and stare for a prolonged time.
If the team comes up with a effective and practical way to lure customers in and then have their installation continue as shown in the bodystorm, i believe the team will achieve the reflection they want their users to experience.
Another issue that comes to mind is to how this installation is going to be built and made appropriate for their given scenario. Other then that I believe this concept can be very successful."
Feedback 6
"Cool idea. The thesis being aimed at is, quite clearly, that social spaces are antisocial spaces. Good use of something that everyone uses with a twist. There's also the reduced need to attract people to your installation. Despite the fact that the installation/concept is interesting, my main issue with the concept is how you would be able to actually implement this. It also depends on who might actually end up engaging with it and how long they'll use the mirror for.
Going back to the implementation of the concept, I'm guessing that this isn't any old mirror placed in some random toilet or a big shiny mirror placed on a the side of a building but either way, I'm having a little trouble thinking of where this would be placed. I'm also assuming that it's a mirror on both sides as well. The message included in the bodystorm was good since it wasn't too short, wasn't too long.
It ticks all the boxes of the brief and it literally reflects the thesis (though not directly) upon the user. Nice."
Feedback 7
"When I first looked at the thumbnail I immediately assumed that this installation was simply just a mirror placed on a wall where passers by would look at which obviously is not original. However ironically I got fooled by it just like the lady in the video which is a good indicator that other people will be fooled by it also.
When constructing the mirror I think it would have to stand out in some way in order to attract the attention of the audience. As there are plenty of mirrors around, one that stands out will most likely attract some much needed attention. The construction of the mirror will need to be done in such a way that it is inconspicuous so that people think it's just a regular mirror.
I believe that the message displayed when the mirror is flipped around is a bit too direct and shallow. It doesn't really allow the audience to reflect on the thesis but rather get the thesis handed straight to them. A bit more refinement on the message would result in a more successful installation."
Feedback 8
"Mirror Message,
I like the premise of this concept, it shows great promise and seems flexible, as Allen has stated before, in terms of which message you can display and how it can be used. The unexpected nature of it would be alarming to many and as a result would, ideally, send your point across to the audience. However, I do believe that this, 'In your face' approach could have unexpected and unwanted repercussions that would severely impair ones ability to gain a positive message from it.
This concept also requires one to look at the mirror for a period of time of which I believe to be more than your average user would spend looking at it. You would need a more appealing invitation to attract more users.
I also suggest that you consider what your message will be and how you are willing to convey it. One could possibly challenge the premise, as stated by Dylan, and could possibly reflect in an unexpected and somewhat negative manner.
Apart from that, I believe this concept to be good, with a lot of tweaking it could be pure gold. Best of luck with your project!"
Feedback 9
"The concept behind mirror message is very interesting in many ways for example conveying different massages to users and using the mirror to attract people especially females.
To begin with I just have some concerns with the installation, attracting people will be very challenging with the current installation shape as it’s not really compelling. Also, the type of massage you are trying to convey to people must be written in a format which does offend people or cause some inconvenience. To solve the attraction issue, it will be a great idea if you have signs around the place to attract people and colorful boards around the installation since the installation based on people spending time reading the massage. In addition, you may allow users input in the message mirror in respond to the message shown to get their view and feedback that will increase interactivity with people.
Another issue is cost, using large glass mirror and screen will increase the expenditure on the installation and for future development having couple of them will be expensive. A solution for that would be using clear plastic instead of glass which will cost less and replace the screen with small tablet or ipad which probably would reduce cost.
I wish your team the best of luck with enhancing the installation."
Feedback 10
"I think this concept has a lot of potential. It has the potential to do several different things depending on what message is displayed allowing for a number of different approaches to the thesis.
The main concern i see with the concept is its installation and whether it will be feasible for this design process. For this installation to work there needs to be a high level of technology. for there to be message to appear within the glass this would be a very costly and sophisticated mirror.
The other concern i have with the installation is to do with the interaction with the public and the "draw." if this is just a plain mirror on the street that is very unsuspecting then it is very unlikely that any one will interact with the mirror. Maybe if some signage or some sort of enticement was used to encourage participants towards the mirror this would improve this aspect of the design.
Overall i think if this concept was pulled of perfectly. It has great potential to address the thesis in an effective and insightful way."
