2024
STRANGER
STATIONS
STRANGER STATIONS
Public Spaces
Experience Design
Coding(P5.js + Arduino)
Prototyping
2024
(TIMELINE)
12 Weeks
I find it crazy that cafés, museums, and waiting areas in New York City are full of people and yet rarely create opportunities for connection. Which is why I built interactive table tops for public spaces that would encourage real connections and self-expression through face-to-face engagement and shared cultural experiences, and would require you to put your phone away.
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(TEAM)
(MYROLE)
Interaction flows, Prototyping, JavaScript-based Arduino Coding, and A Clickable p5.js App.
WEB APP FOR SEAT ALLOCATION
Testing highlighted a tension between the concept and the project's screen-free ethos. To keep the focus on physical interaction, we positioned it as a supporting exploration rather than a defining feature.
Testing highlighted a tension between the concept and the project's screen-free ethos.
To keep the focus on physical interaction,
we positioned it as a supporting exploration rather than a defining feature.
As part of the exploration, I developed a p5.js prototype that paired participants and assigned seating based on shared interests. Rather than replacing face-to-face interaction, it was intended to act as a gentle facilitator, helping strangers find a starting point for conversation.
BEHIND THE SCENES
BEHIND THE SCENES
Themes:
Awkwardness, fear of rejection, desire for deeper connections.
Key insight:
People are open to meeting strangers if the interaction feels mutual and meaningful. The challenge isn’t willingness, it’s knowing how to start.
Paper Prototype
Paper Prototype to Test Experience
Description for the first case study slide.
Playtesting
Approaching the table needed to feel easy and inviting. The app created a barrier, while walking up and engaging directly worked better.
Matching by shared interests felt forced. Organic conversations flowed naturally and felt enjoyable.
Participants liked discovering interactions at the station through use, rather than being told upfront.
MY TAKEAWAY
MY TAKEAWAY
(A valuable lesson)
I learned that technical capability is not the same as experiential clarity.
I learned that technical capability is not the same
as experiential clarity.
Simplicity beats complexity for this kind of interaction. Often, it dilutes the core experience. Iterative prototyping and staged playtesting provided the critical feedback loops needed to refine both hardware and interaction flow.
I also learned that technology should function as an enabler of human connection rather than the focal point. In practice, this meant stripping back features that added friction, such as the initial MQTT integration between table and app, in order to preserve the immediacy and analog authenticity of the interaction.