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User Interface Design
The Issue ~
Overview
Our problem space addresses the growing issue of social isolation, which is exacerbated by economic, technological, and cultural shifts in Sydney’s urban landscape.
Connectico is a series of installations designed to enhance social interactions in public spaces.
Providing shade and visual appeal, Connectico makes public spaces more inviting while encouraging shared experiences and personal expression. By promoting community interaction, it helps build and strengthen friendships, creating a stronger bond with our public spaces.
Approach
To arrive at our final design, Connectico, we conducted a thorough evaluation of our initial concepts using a decision matrix that considered key criteria aligned with SDG 11 and user needs.
Compared to our other concepts, which fell short in areas concerning accessibility, expenses and potential to incite meaningful interactions that weren't highly dependent on individuals.
As we progressed with Connectico, we refined the design to address any areas where our original design scored below satisfactory in our decision matrix, ensuring it effectively met both user needs and SDG 11 objectives for safe, inclusive, and accessible urban spaces.
Researching our market ~
For our investigation, we decided to use mixed methodologies to provide an in-depth insight into the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of young adults in Sydney. The methods we chose, particularly interviews and online ethnography, bring a voice to our users, allowing us to explore more niche yet significant areas of this problem. In addition to this, naturalistic observation and surveying provided a behavioural and statistical outlook on public spaces and the ways our users interact with them.
Interviews
8
participants
Surveys
40
participants
Naturalistic Observation
4
platforms
Online Ethnography
4
public spaces
What did we learn?
The Struggle to Stay Connected
Public Spaces could be the key
Fostering more Community
Our Journey ~
Develop a Mid-Fidelity Prototype
Creating testable wireframes to connect users to our solution
User Testing
Engaging with real users, discovering insights and receiving feedback
Iterate and develop a High-Fidelity Prototype
By synthesising our insights, we developed iterations that later became our MVP
Our Solution ~
By aligning with SDG 11, Connectico revitalises urban spaces, encouraging people to connect through installations that enhance the social functionality of locations like bus stops, parks, cafés, and libraries.
These installations, tailored to fit their specific environments, transform overlooked spots into meaningful social hubs, offering prompt-based interactions and hosting events that bring communities together.
Connectico combats loneliness by helping individuals meet new people and nurture these connections through prompts, messaging, and events. It also serves as a convenient third space for existing friends to gather, creating accessible public spaces away from home and work where they can relax together. This approach transforms under-utilised urban locations into lively, engaging areas, adding vibrancy to the greater Sydney region.
Sarah Samarasinghe
Sydney 2024