Taylor Greenberg Goldy - Mitsue Elisa Guerrero - Mia Zaidan
Harvard Master in Design Engineering
2019
This project speculates on what transportation will look like in 2040. As building high-structures becomes a common response to rapid urbanization, the utopian vertical city is now a close reality. It represents many opportunities to ensure that people who inhabit these spaces still interact and feel connected.
vertical cities increase social isolation
Vertical cities take the amenities of the horizontal city block and stacks them vertically. This stacking results in the densification of cities but is not without consequences on the wellbeing of residents. According to NCBI, high rise apartment buildings present challenges for people’s quality of life, resulting in social isolation. Through this project we address how to promote a sense of community and social interaction in these new environments.
We approached the problem from 3 different scales and designed a solution that responds to every level. First, we propose an efficient and simple transportation system for elevator rides. Second, we explore the person-to-person interaction inside the elevator by creating a interactive experience. Finally we design an interface that will allow users to navigate the system more efficiently and take advantage of the proposed interactive experience to create a stronger sense of community.
This was a collaborative group project developed as part of the Harvard Master in Design Engineering Studio curriculum.
My main contributions included:
- Utilize UX research methods, such as customer interviews and observation to assess the user experience and design a solution to the main pain-points.
- Design user flows, prototypes, sketches, and high-fidelity visuals.
- Prototype the built environment to test our hypothesis.
Research + Discovery
Key Insights
the elevator experience is bad
When transitioning from horizontal to vertical, our elevators become our cars, our public transport. The elevator has become a place associated with awkward encounters leading to uncomfortable situations sometimes. This project reinvents the elevator experience making it more interactive yet respects that not everyone has the same interaction needs.
the use of proxemics
Proxemics is "the branch of knowledge that deals with the amount of space that people feel it necessary to set between themselves and others". The less invaded our personal space is the more comfortable we are. This sensation, which is controlled by the amygdala, varies from people to people, depends on the level of familiarity we have with the person close to us and can change based on the cultural background as well as the situation.
Idea + Experimentation
The elevator space is filled with particles. When someone walks in, the particles get pushed away to create a personal space bubble around that person. When more people get close to each other, their bubbles merge into a larger one.
01 the system
Different types of lifts account for different types of transportation according to distance, price, privacy and efficiency. By imagining the various types of elements that constitute the vertical system of transportation, we can better understand the context in which the interactive experience is going to happen. This vertical system mimics in some way the rhythm and variety of transportation methods of the current horizontal system.
02 elevator interactions
In order to respect people´s different perceptions of personal space, we created a system where the user defines their personal bubble size before entering the elevator as well as the level of interaction they are comfortable with. The elevator is filled with particles, and your personal bubble repulses the particles in order to create space around you. We are playing with the idea that the more people get close to each other, the more space they have.
03 the interface
The creation of an interface helps to bridge the gap between the system and the user, but also between users, interconnecting them to each other and making their commute more enjoyable and easy. The users can plan their trip in advance, control their interaction parameters, and also connect with people they have crossed paths with.
Space: Built with fabric and piping tubes
Particles: Projected on the walls (ideally on the ground) with a projector
Body: Detected by the Kinect
Movement: Coded on Processing
Interface: Mock-up in phone and TV screen
