Identity Bridge

I partnered with five teammates to create an experience for visitors at the Seattle Design Festival, with the theme for 2018 year being “Trust”. The focus of our installation is to ask participants about how they see and present themselves to others in the workplace. It also questions whether or not these are aspects people are ready to share in the larger Seattle community.

Research

Our team conducted two in person interviews with people who were in the workforce. We wanted to explore how trust plays a role in the workplace environment, and how personal and private identities could alter how coworkers interact with one another. We also conducted two online surveys to gain a broader sense of how people interpret identity expression in the workplace. Additionally, we visited some museums in Seattle to take notes on and observe how children and adults interacted with exhibitions.

How might we promote self expression to better humanize coworkers to build trusting connections and community in the workplace?

Design Principles

Challenge Notions of Identity

The juxtaposition of our identities (private and public) should be at the forefront of our exhibit.

Ideation

We made hundreds of sketches throughout the months of our work. From building blocks to a canopy of hanging note-cards, every crazy idea we had brought us closer to our final solution.

Prototyping and Refining

We created a several different prototypes to explore the form of the exhibition. Eventually, we landed on an interactive bridge structure where people passing by can react, and potentially contribute, to the structure.

Construction

For some of us, it was our first time designing at this scale (10 x 10 x 12 feet) and with wood as the medium. Our team underestimated how long this process would take, but in the end we were able to construct all of the components.

Iconography and Information Stands

One of my tasks was to design a set of icons to be displayed in the background of the information stands, as well as to inspire viewers to share their own identity with fellow festival visitors. I created this task flow diagram to help us decide the ideal placement of visuals so visitors can get the most out of their experience.

Iterations

Placement

Final Product

The final exhibition is made of three parts: two information stands with infographics and identity question prompts, and one communal identity bridge. Together, they create a space where visitors can choose to view and share a side of themselves with the public.

Looking Back

My biggest regret was not making the instructional icons more clear. I could have placed additional words beneath them. Another way I could have made them more clear would be by adding arrows in between the icons, like this:

Despite this, I would say the Seattle Design Festival was one of the most interested learning experiences for us, and we are very proud of the final design.