Research + Frame Analysis - 'Tap to Vote'

Chosen concept

This is a concept developed by DHEEKO that involves asking users for their opinion on a controversial topic, challenging them about their decision, and asking if they want to share it. It is based on the thesis that “Society has too many prohibitions and too few invitations”. Conforming to society is being challenged, and so is made to seem normal. On the other hand, not conforming to society and still deciding to share opinions on social media is made to seem extraordinary. The concept asks users why they chose the particular answer they did, and so what is made to seem good is expressing opinions for reasons other than “society says this is how I should think”. To some people, this situation may be described as offensive. Within this concept, society has agency and the public is victimised.

Research + Frame Analysis - Nauru police to investigate asylum seeker sex assault claim

Newspaper article -

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/nauru-police-to-investigate-asylum-seeker-sex-assault-claim-20150525-gh8yfi.html

This is a news article by Eryk Bagshaw of the Sydney Morning Herald about the sexual assault allegation of an Iranian asylum seeker at the Australian detention centre on the Pacific Island. Within the article, what is made to seem normal is the denial from the detention centre and Nauran police force regarding allegations of sexual assault, as these kind of allegations have been occurring for many years. On the other hand, the sexual assault of asylum seekers is made to seem out of the ordinary. The article contains implied values, including that justice for the abused, if the allegations are true, would be the right outcome. This situation may also be described with proper investigation needing to be completed as this isn’t the first report of sexual abuse, and probably won’t be the last. Within this article, the police have agency and the Iranian asylum seeker involved is victimised.

Research + Frame Analysis - Vending Machine That Sells T-Shirts for €2

Existing installation -

http://www.trueactivist.com/this-vending-machine-sells-t-shirts-for-2-euros-but-no-one-will-buy-one-see-why

In Berlin, Germany there exists a vending machine that sells t-shirts for only 2 euros. At first glance this seems too good to be true, so it attracts many users, but none of them will buy a t-shirt. Why? The vending machine reveals to the user why the shirts are so cheap, just like clothing available in shops - sweatshop labourers who work for as little as 13 cents an hour. Once the user has inserted 2 euros into the machine, they choose the design and size of the shirt, and are then shown the confronting video. When the video is finished, they are asked if they still want a t-shirt, or if they’d rather donate their money instead.

Within the concept, what is made to seem normal is everyday people wanting to pay as little for clothing as possible. On the other hand, considering what it takes for the clothing to be cheap is made to seem extraordinary. Through the use of the machine values are implied, including that sweatshop labourers deserve better, and that we should consider what consequences may come from things designed to convenience us. From other points of view, this situation may also be described as just a demonstration of how the world works, and that there’s nothing we can do about it. Within this concept, first world countries have agency and sweatshop labourers are victimised.

Final Concept - Tap to Vote

Research + Frame Analysis - Design Intervention

Existing installation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUri6KxT_bY

As many students leaving high school are still unaware of what they want to be doing at university, this installation is aimed at reassuring students that it is normal and okay to not be sure about the future. In fact, this installation suggests that it is extraordinary for students to be sure of their future and what path they want to take.

Design Intervention implies that it is a good thing to test the waters and see where the current takes you because there is no one correct path. The installation also enforces the value of being able to change your mind and that it is normal for there to be many paths that need to be taken in order to reach a goal.

Aside from being an intervention allowing students to see that paths are not set in stone, it can also highlight disorganisation and lack of preparation for the future. The installation may heighten some users’ fears of being unaware of where their futures may lead them. Or, organised people may see it as an excuse for disorganised people not taking the required measures to set up a stable path for themselves.

This installation gives students agency as they have the power to take their futures in whatever direction they want. Furthermore, society is victimised for having pressured students into making extreme life decisions regarding university, even as they are so young.

Feedback on Body Storm

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."

Research + Frame Analysis - Moments of Warmth

Existing installation -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mQZqKLiMIg

Freezing in the intensely cold and breezy winter on your lonesome is viewed as normal, as individuals have braved the cold weather for years in their hooded jackets, beanies and scarves. However, Moments of Warmth provides users with warmth through the process of holding a possible stranger’s hand in a bus shelter. This concept, of holding a stranger’s hand to access warmth, is made to seem extraordinary, as it is viewed as bizarre to interact with a stranger in a public space nowadays. The main value implied is that interacting with a stranger in public can be simple and rewarding, especially when working together towards a common goal; to gain warmth.

This installation can be perceived as positive as it encourages the interaction between strangers, however it can also be observed as negative as there are many individuals who genuinely feel uncomfortable having to interact with other people in public situations. If anxious individuals feel forced to interact, because of the unreasonable temperatures, this can have a negative effect on their mental health and wellbeing.

In this situation, the general public have agency, as for the most part they are comfortable with interacting with strangers to gain heat from the bus shelter. However, individuals with social anxiety are victimised as they either have to interact with a stranger against their own will, or freeze.

Initial Concept - Mirror Messages

Workshop/brainstorming with people outside of the design team

Opening the workshop, the audience was asked to think about what would personally attract them to a public installation, and write these suggestions down on multiple sticky notes. Sticky notes were then categorised and it was found that participants largely had similar ideas. From there, they were asked to describe, in detail, how and why their suggestions would generate appeal. Common ideas suggested, in order for the public installation to be successful, were for it to be aesthetically pleasing, entertaining, social and offer personal gain to the user. 

Under the aesthetically pleasing heading, it was suggested that the installation needs to be flashy, colourful or big in order to gain initial attention. Participants reasoned that attracting attention is the first step to creating appeal - without standing out and being visible, users lack the opportunity to notice the installation and therefore any chance of appeal is essentially lost. 

Developing an entertaining aspect was also highly suggested to increase user attraction. If the installation was humorous and could provoke laughter, participants believed it would captivate a larger audience as social spaces do not generally feature entertaining installations. Therefore it would be more unique and have greater appeal.

Following on, participants proposed that the humorous factor could encourage social behaviour. The installation is likely to gain a social aspect if there is something users can momentarily laugh or bond together over.

The personal gain suggestions fell into a category close to the humorous factor. If the installation is humorous, then users would likely feel more inclined to share it with friends and spread word of the installation. They also personally gain from the experience by being the cool friend who found it first.

After suggestions had been reasoned, a suitable concept was selected. The initially chosen concept, Mirror Messages, already supported the factors of being humorous, social and offering personal gain to users.

It was documented that the concept appealed to the audience as a whole and they saw the potential for it to be successful. Most participants admitted that they personally, regularly, check their reflection in mirrors and windows, therefore they believed it would be an installation that they, as well as others, would easily use. Participants also commented highly on the humorous factor of being caught staring at their reflection and confronted by the challenging message. Aside from the positive feedback, concerns regarding gaining initial interest and visibility to users were raised. Relating to their phase two answers, they suggested designing a flashy outer appearance or making the mirror supersize, unmissable.

Research + Frame Analysis - Love Has No Labels

Existing installation -

http://lovehasnolabels.com/

Without knowing the race, age or gender of the individuals behind the screen, love is viewed as normal and uncomplicated. The aim of the installation is to show that loving anyone should be normal because, when it comes down to our basic foundations, people are all the same - everyone shares the same skeletal composition. When people emerge from behind the screen, society is reminded of all the religious and manmade boundaries that have been enforced over the years. This point is especially highlighted when two members of the same sex, or couples combined of different races, walk out from behind the screen.

The installation emphasises how extraordinary it is for society to see people, who are not conventionally allowed to be together, in a relationship and sharing love. Love Has No Labels, as an installation, implies the value that love should have no boundaries and that the criteria for loving another should not be based on gender, age or race. It takes these prohibitions, that have been imposed on individuals for years, and knocks them down, proving that what is good and right means removing the labels when it comes to love.

Looking at this from the opposite angle, individuals may view this installation as an abomination and disagree with the entire concept. It may come as shock and appal them because of their upbringing and cultural background. Despite this view, LGBT and different race couple supporters have agency in this installation. Society, in general, is victimised for having closeted these types of relationships for such an extended period of time. It almost mocks them, proving that an individual’s outer appearance has nothing to do with their emotions within.

Site - Studley Park

Site - Great Court

The Great Court is a communal meeting point for many students as it offers large expanse of green grass that students are freely allowed to frequent. As the shady trees produce a friendly environment for students to eat, meet, relax and simply unwind. 

Features

Large grassy green field

Well-endowed trees

Sunny and shaded areas

People

UQ Students

What are they doing?

Groups (80%)

eating

studying

relaxing

playing games (with frisbee/soccer ball)

Flying solo (20%)

eating

studying

relaxing

Students choose to frequent this area to sit and play games because there is a great amount of land shaded by tall trees as well as there being many sunny spots.

 Time

During this time of day the Great Court is not busy, however there are still small groups of students populating all corners of the court. The mood is fairly relaxed as most students have finished classes for the day and simply want to relax, with the exception of a few gathering to play frisbee or some other sport. 

Midday - Great Court is generally densely populated as more students (solo or in groups) populate the area to eat lunch and sun themselves. This time of day also brings larger groups of students to the grassy field to play games.

Mornings - similar vibe to afternoons, however more students sit either in the sun or shade with books preparing for the day’s lessons.

- It is also noted that during different times of the day, as the sun moves, the sunny areas of the court are more densely populated than shady as it is currently winter. Summer brings the opposite effect. 

Site - Burnett Lane

Burnett Lane is a public alleyway located close to the densely populated Queen Street Mall. This area is generally used as a short cut, although on occasion it plays host to small street events.

Features

Street/road art

Rubbish bins

Multiple signs

People

Workers

Buskers

Students

What are they doing?

Walking between locations (95%)

Parking cars (5%)

The demographics of people frequenting this alleyway are workers or students. Currently there is a lack of interesting features presented in this area. As a result, those who frequent it generally have their eyes glued to the screens of their technological devices. 

 Time

During this time of day the alleyway is rather empty, only frequented by people parking/retrieving their cars and those simply using the lane as a walkway shortcut. 

The alleyway’s population does not change greatly throughout the day as it is not a central part of the city.

- It is also noted Burnett Lane does host to multiple small street events throughout the year. During these times, the area becomes quite lively with an upbeat vibe. 

Research - 21 Balançoires (21 Swings)

https://vimeo.com/40980676

Research - Night Lights

https://vimeo.com/8525186

Research - MeetWall

https://neighborland.com/ideas/sf-meetwall-a-stunning-int 

This installation makes use of light weight tiles that rotate when users approach the wall. The user's proximity is monitored by the MeetWall's Kinect sensor. If a single user approaches one side of the wall, the light weight tiles rotate 45 degrees and once another user is standing on the opposite side of the wall, they rotate to a 90 degree angle allowing for users to see each other. 
The MeetWall is interactive and as multiple users engage with the instalment, it also becomes social.