Exhibition Design | Workshop | Social-Interaction Design
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Google & California College of the Arts offered a partnered fellowship for our research to develop a concept on the theme of “The Future of Belonging” where the goal was to research, ideate and iterate concepts based on our understanding of belonging in the digital world.
We initially started exploring the concept from an intimate belonging and how people feel belonged in different groups, cultures and communities.
The unimaginable disruptions of 2020 radically altered our worlds while amplifying our digital connectedness across time and space. The hybrid medium accelerated social anxiety and mental health issues in a lot of people.
The feeling of belongingness in one’s own community/ society/ culture grew stronger, but divided people from different backgrounds.
While we wanted to follow the traditional linear double diamond framework, in reality we found the process to be much more entangled.
Our objective was to balance the deliverables & the stakeholders, have an out-of-the-box idea, and let the research-driven data guide us towards a solution.
My role involved planning for User Research, Bodystorming for designing workshops, user testing in hybrid settings, user journey maps, coding in C++, and integrating machine learning from Google Teachable Machines for our exhibition and setting up the interactive exhibit.
The first objective of this ambiguous problem space was to research what communication means to people and we wanted to explore the most common and popular interaction - mobile phones.
Why an early era mobile phone? Our choice of an early model mobile phone as an artifact related to our topic is based on the idea of intimate connection. Initially, we considered the phone as a tool for increased connection - an artifact that made it possible to transmit the intimacy of the human voice across distances, anytime anywhere.
People today utilize their phones for communication, entertainment, news. networking and access to knowledge among many things. They are seen as an extension of oneself, similar to a body part or an essential item of clothing.
While phones were used for critical communication years ago, today they are used for a stronger purpose - reaching out and connecting with loved ones. The artifact gave a representation of the effort made by people, using their phones to achieve deeper emotional connections that phones of yesterday couldn’t provide.
Our focus was to understand the relation between space, risk, vulnerability and connection. While we had a certain grasp of how most people connect with eye-contact, we wanted to understand the level of connection for differently-abled people and re-define communication, vulnerability & connection.
We conducted an experiment with Joshua (above, right image) with the objective:
“Maintain constant eye contact with Scott, while answering certain questions about intimate connections”
Questions that were explored:
Through our research we wanted to identify the different definitions and perspectives of belonging, connection and vulnerability; some key dialogues that stood out:
“ ...I think for me, being seen kind of relates to vulnerability.”
“ ...I feel like I belong in this room. In this discussion, I feel like I belong. It’s creating reciprocity that gives me belonging.”
“ ...you can never reach a point of belongingness. There’s a momentary satisfaction that you get. But you’re constantly at work.”
From here, we defined belonging as an active feeling that requires a willingness of vulnerability and risk mutually between 2 or more people in that moment.
Context
We looked at 2 people - coworkers who have been working together for almost a year. They have interacted only virtually but want to explore a connection beyond their existing one.
Relationship after the experiment
The 2 colleagues continue with their remote working relationship but will be meeting each other for the very first time - exploring a relationship beyond the work environment.
We consciously excluded a few populations from our research -
1. People who are in a hybrid or in-person relationship
2. Spouses, friends, family members
3. Any pairs who did not have to undergo a shift from in-person to remote/hybrid communication
4. People who don't work in a creative (design/art) field
Reason: In the context of how the Covid pandemic has changed the paradigm of the working culture in the past 2 years, we wanted to speculate how two people would be subconsciously analyzing their belonging, authenticity and the ability to connect with others, so it was critical to focus on relationships that hadn’t been established beforehand.
We mapped out a desired user journey map to test how we’d want our participants to explore the act of being vulnerable and feeling tension with their workshop partner.
Based on the insights, we designed a movement workshop that reveals the rewards of taking risks and being vulnerable with others.
The workshop allows a person to slowly get comfortable with their partner through sight and sound before they take the risk of physically touching their partner, who they may or may not know and thus taking a risk to form a connection with them.
Workshop name: FUSE
Target audience: CCA community (artists + designers)
Our workshop was a resounding success based on the feedback from the participants:
“It felt very meditative. I feel positive and energized to socialize and not feel awkward about it.”
“I don’t know if I feel connected with my partner. But I feel connected to myself right now.”
“I didn’t even know my partner before this workshop but I feel that I have now known them for a very long time. I would love to connect with them separately after this.”
Based on the success of the workshop, we wanted to explore how a similar interaction would take place without our group present as a facilitator.
We designed an exhibition that was intended for no more than 2 people at a time.
Technology and Materials used:
“The experience was incredible. We were laughing & giggling at the awkwardness and once we reflected, we feel like the power difference that was holding us apart as a professor and a student has now disappeared.”
- Juan Carlos, CCA professor
“I did this experiment with an absolute stranger. It was so very awkward and uncomfortable. But, after I did it, I don’t feel scared of meeting another stranger.”
- Google UX Design Manager