Tangible Media
Interactive Path
The Concept
How It Works
Since the pandemic and enforced social distancing restrictions were introduced, green spaces throughout Brisbane City are no longer as lively and central as they once were. Communities have been encouraged to limit social connectedness, to slow the spread of the virus. Some implications have risen including a lack of community and social belonging for individuals. The Interactive Path, has been created to provide a source of connection for people in the most affected areas while igniting community spirit. It will be installed in parks for users to enjoy and uniquely interact with themselves and the people around them. An action-centric approach was selected to allow the interaction between user and object to be playful, intuitive and seamless. To press is to apply a force or weight to something. In this design, the force of “press” triggers a response of illumination. A user will walk along the path, and as they step on selected pavers, will trigger a series of “lanterns” in the form of flower figures that emit a bright blue hue. The light slowly fades behind the user and continues to be triggered ahead as they continue along the pathway. A pathway (or footpath) is intended for pedestrian use and provides a sense of direction for travel within spaces. In a park setting, these affordances invite users to participate in leisurely activities and walking when they enter a space. A discussion from Norman around visibility and feedback states “relevant parts [should be] visible” and each “action [should have] an immediate and obvious effect” (Norman, 1990, p99). Contrary to this discussion, visible affordances to indicate which pavers are buttons have been removed as the intended interaction with the user should be an intriguing addition to the usual experience of accessing and using a pathway. The immediate feedback of emitted light from activating an interactive paver provides the user with a positive indication to continue (Djajadininggrat, Overbeeke, et al. 2002). This feedback loop continues along the path allowing the user to explore and experience the interaction at their own pace.
Design Process
Buxton, B. (2007). Sketching user experiences. Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann.
Djajadiningrat, T., Overbeeke, K., & Wensveen, S. (2002). But how, Donald, tell us how?
Proceedings of the 4th Conference on Designing Interactive Systems: Processes, Practices, Methods, and Techniques, 285–291.
Norman, D. A. (1990). The design of everyday things (1st Doubleday Currency). Doubleday, Chapter 4.
PACT Analysis – IxDiscover. (2021). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://ixdmethods.qut.edu.au/pact-analysis/
Wensveen, S. (2005). A tangibility approach to affective interaction (Ph.D. dissertation). Delft University of Technology
