interactive digital experience /
The interactive digital experience projects represent a unique and innovative approach to design. It is aimed to enhance the user's connection with their physical environment through the use of digital technology.
01 Feel the vibe
02 Sound of the city
DUTCH DESIGN WEEK 2019
Feel the vibe /
Vibroacoustic installation
Project background
Feel the vibe is a sound healing experience that combines ancient healing principles with modern science to create a relaxing and therapeutic session. This installation was designed to explore the future of sound healing in collaboration with Vibe Research Labs
The project was initially developed in an interactive design studio with the goal to investigate how vibrations can improve mental well-being. After the project was selected for the Dutch Design week, the team had the opportunity to improve the prototype with Vibe Research Labs (TU Delft).
the interaction
The installation allowed two people to participate. One person could compose or choose the vibrations, while the other person could lay down and experience them. People who experienced this installation described it as surreal and otherworldly. The hammock in the installation had a continuous 40 Hz tone and soft vibrations that made it feel alive and breathing. It was a physical sensation that people enjoyed exploring.
human experiences with vibrations
One of the frequencies used in this installation is 40 Hz, which stimulates cognitive activity and triggers brainwaves. It has been shown to have a positive effect on people with Alzheimer's disease by activating parts of the brain that have reduced activity.
Other frequencies used in the installation are based on the principles of sound healing. Solfeggio frequencies are ancient beliefs in the healing properties of sound. Each pitch aligns with certain chakras in the body and has its own healing properties, such as freedom from fear, awareness, stimulating change, and awakening intuition.
SOUND OF THE CITY /
Postponing loneliness
in the public domain
Project background
By providing users with greater agency and control over their surroundings, the design aimed to reduce feelings of loneliness and discomfort in unfamiliar places. Through digital technology, the final design enabled users to interact with and manipulate their environment, fostering a stronger connection with their physical surroundings. Ultimately, this approach aimed to enhance the user's sense of ease and control in public spaces, contributing to a more positive experience.
Research & analysis
To accomplish this, the research employed the Vision in Product design (VIP) method (Hekkert & van Dijk, 2009), which involved considering the context and interactions to identify future possibilities. Contextual factors were gathered from literature, expert and non-expert interviews, and observations, resulting in 120 documented factors organized by category, such as psychology, socioeconomic, and culture. These factors were then clustered and synthesized into a worldview, which informed the creation of the design vision. The design vision comprised a design statement, interaction vision, and product qualities, which were used to guide the development of the final solution.
“I WANT TO ENHANCE PEOPLE’S
SENSE OF SECURITY BY GIVING THEM AGENCY IN THE ENVIRONMENT.”
Design Statement
Design goal
There are many possible opportunities to tackle loneliness in the public domain. However, the statement was created y selecting the critical driving forces that could lead to the most promising design solution.
The design statement was formulated as “I want to enhance people’s sense of security by giving them agency in the environment.”
A sense of security is the combination of having a sense of place’ and ‘self-awareness.’ Having an agency in the environment means that people can control the situations, be part of the place, and feel more secure.
Interaction vision
The interaction vision is an analogy that explains the way users will interact with the design intervention. It acts as an appropriate means to realizing the design goal.
The interaction vision used for this project was “Like when you’re choosing a song in a bar.”
As the VIP method suggested, the characteristics of the interaction are defined to give a clear quality of the desired interaction between users and the product. The qualities from the selected interaction vision were intuitive, direct, simple, and adaptable.
The desired interaction
The sound creation tool transforms the environment around users using augmented reality to generate sounds that fit with the interactions and the surfaces, letting them build their musical touch to space by walking around with their phones.
Click to play + Sound on
the design
Sound of the city / 9292 Application feature
Sound of the city is a digital tool using spatial augmented reality to create sounds by interacting with the environment and attaching the sounds to the exact locations, which will increase security for users and postpone their loneliness..
