My PhD
Title:
Technology and Topophilia: Cocreating a digital walkthrough of Swansea City Centre.
External Stakeholder:
The City and County of Swansea Council
The Research:
Anna’s PhD will focus on using human centred methods to analyse how interactive technologies can be used to enhance topophilia (sense of place). The aim is to have a human first approach where we hold workshops and interviews with communities to find the most appropriate technology to aid them. We will focus on creating technology that is interactive and immersive so that the users have the most positive experience possible. A focus on inclusivity will also be vital to the work, with many new technologies focusing on one demographic we hope to ensure that in contrast to this our deployments are as accessible as feasibly possible for all. The basis of this work will be focussed within Swansea city centre, where we hope to make a cohesive digital journey throughout the city centre that provides a range of different modal experiences for as many users as possible.
The Lookout
Anna’s masters project work led to the deployment of the ‘Lookout’. The ‘Lookout’ was launched in November 2020 at the £135million Copr Bay arena complex development in Swansea. At the heart of the complex are digital binoculars, each with a viewing screen. They give local residents and visitors the opportunity to view interactive visuals that combine current images with how the city will look in a few years as the city centre wide £1billion regeneration story develops. Anna and her supervisory team from the Centre developed the blueprint for the interactive digital displays. Lookout’s futuristic viewing devices are hands-free operated, making them Covid-safe and accessible to people of all abilities. Two devices have been installed at different heights to be enjoyed by adults, wheelchair users and children. Between November 2020 and July 2021 over 10,000 users interacted with the Lookout. Find out more about the Lookout here:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/swansea-council-arena-housing-news-17862300
https://businessnewswales.com/technology-gives-view-of-future-as-part-of-1bn-swansea-regeneration/
In Context Tools
As many design tools are screen-based, it was challenging to find an accurate prototyping tool for designing the Lookout. Therefore, the design had to be created using pen-and-paper sketching storyboards which were updated after each co-creational workshop. In addition, there were no tools that enabled the description of the context for the design being created. Leading on from this, the InContext project was created which aims to engage with stakeholders, practicing designers and UI students and instructors in order to understand better the needs for next generation design tools.
In particular, current wireframe and similar tools focus on screens not context – always a problem and even worse for systems that have a strong physical or situational element. We will envisage new forms of design tools that encourage best practice linking representations, analysis tools, and just-in-time evidence, and crucially put context at the centre of design. For more information on the InContext project and to read our EduCHI paper please use the links below:
https://hcibook.net/incontext/
https://educhi2021.hcilivingcurriculum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/educhi2021-final90.pdf
Technocamps
A collaboration with Technocamps led to a series of eight, 1-hour workshops with over 160 pupils from primary schools across South Wales. The digital programme with a goal to increase young people's engagement with STEM subjects across Wales. The aim of the workshops was to encourage the students to invent their own designs and encourage them about the new city centre and future technologies. We discovered that children would like to see futuristic multi-sensory technologies within public spaces with an emphasis on sustainable technologies. For example, one pupil invented an environmental robot that could improve air quality and another invented a wall button which revealed a hot pizza for the homeless when pressed.