UX of Skin - Week 7

👥 : Sofia Alexiou, Zhe Lou, Ava Sheperd, Willow Yan

🗓 : November 18 - 25, 2021

Following the feedback from the previous week, the team agreed to develop the concept of seeing with your fingertips. We wanted to exhibit how people can obtain information by relying on their hands through the sense of touch. To achieve this, we implemented the experience of using varying textures and materials. We were inspired by the design of coins and how people can determine the value of coins solely by relying on their fingertips. People experiencing vision loss also rely on their sense of touch to understand the environment around them.

During this period, we were stuck on visualizing how to create an experience without making it seem like a test. We then decided to create an abstract structure, and allow participants to build on it, while only using their hands as guides. We wanted to create an experience where we create a design with fingertips, for fingertips, and “seeing” in a completely different way.

We took a quick trip to Poundland to search for materials for the structure. We were meticulous with the objects we picked as we wanted the participants to view the materials we provided from a different perspective. Afterwards, we created a quick abstract prototype and experimented to understand how people react when only using their sense of touch. Sofia had the chance to participate along with May during the experiment. We instructed both volunteers to wear blindfolds during the process.

The feedback from the initial test suggested that it would be more enjoyable if we included multiple people to create excitement while people were continuously building on the structure. May also recommended making the materials more abstract, so the participants do not recognize the objects provided.

The team then created a slightly larger version of the structure and formed random and obscure objects, so the volunteers do not recognize the materials on the sculpture and the provided add-on. We thought it was a more creative approach as the participants must rely on their imagination and instinct as they determine what they want to include in the abstract structure. We also wanted to experiment with lack of eyesight and created various masks with different impairments, so it is difficult for the volunteers to determine the objects.

After we explained the rationale behind our concept, we asked four volunteers to get a grasp of the objects provided and to build on the structure.

The class enjoyed watching the chaos and playfulness of the activity. The participants mentioned how they had to make a judgement if the materials stuck to the structure and rely on their spatial awareness. John suggested how the structure can be much larger, so the whole class can participate in the activity. The concept also reminded him of a sculpture of Diébédo Francis Kéré in the Royal Academy of Arts, and how it leaves traces of people over time.

Looking back at the experience, I enjoyed how we were able to create an outlandish structure. This project brought me back to my childhood, and how we had the creative freedom to design anything we could imagine. I can see this as an installation in a museum, encouraging children and adults to use their imagination to create any designs they please.