Umeå Institute of Design | 2006
Umeå, Sweden
Vision
I created a concept for a lightweight, disposable digital pass—a daily ticket designed for seamless city navigation. The pass functions as an interactive window into the urban landscape, allowing commuters to discover great deals, local gems, and promotions on the go, without interrupting their journey.
Receiving promotions while navigating the city as an interface—here, Juan enjoys a free coffee.
Design Process
To bring this idea to life in a pre-smartphone era, I developed low-fidelity physical prototypes and imagined future usage scenarios.
My approach was guided by Urban Probes user research. By having participants document their commuting journeys through photography, I uncovered what truly captures attention in transit and which features matter most to travelers. These insights helped shape critical design decisions.
I also ran participatory design workshops using interactive games ("Idea Cubes") to explore possible user scenarios. Collaboratively, participants crafted new ways for people to interact with city life through tangible materials and visual storytelling.
Exploring Motion: Leveraging the Urban Probes user research approach, I delved into understanding how we perceive motion and experience things while on the move. Participants were tasked with documenting their commuting journeys through photographs. This method offered valuable insights into what captures people's interest during transit and their preferred sights. Utilizing these findings, I prioritized features in the design process.
Workshops employing Participatory Design methods utilize interactive games to generate user scenarios. Participants use materials and a combination of pictures derived from rolling dice to craft these scenarios collaboratively.
Receiving promotions and offers from establishments while on the go, tailored to various locations such as gyms, sports centers, community centers, libraries, shops, and educational centers.
Here's an example of a pattern from a dance studio: they're sharing details about their new Salsa class. The promotion includes a salsa music clip to immerse people in the rhythm while they check out the information.
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