The Project Overview
Crop Circle is a group project for a Strategic Technology course conducted by TUM Technology, a team of three members including Taylor Chandler, Uchenna Okosa, and me.
TUM curated a series of interactive and immersive placemaking installations with luminous fibers to form mysterious and naturalistic “crop circles” in city hubs. The project aims to provide a haven for people from various ethnic/socioeconomic backgrounds to express themselves freely and to listen without biases about sensitive issues or common values of humanity on a global scale using comprehensive experiential design and technology.
This innovative and original product was based on interviews, focus groups, and cultural dialogues. The experience was proposed with holistic user experience (UX) design and comprehensive analysis incorporating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats (S.W.O.T.), audiences, and market analysis, as well as launch, managing, and funding strategies.
The project was developed from my original idea and accomplished by the collective effort of the group members. I am responsible for visualizing the installation design based on a comprehensive analysis and developing an engaging presentation method to immerse the audiences in five senses encompassing intangible materials of videos, images, audio demonstration with interviews, and tangible pieces of laminating fibers samples.
Award and Honor:
The project won an internal competition in first place in the strategic technology course for the Most Innovative Product, Service, and Experience (PSE) and the Most Influential PSE.
Project Background and Opportunity
According to the world bank, there are about seven billion people in the world. There are about seven continents, 195 countries, four major races, and 6909 languages. Every region of the world is filled with diverse cultures and interesting human beings. Each sharing in their diversities similarities in how they love, gather as a community, and in traditions. However, the society that is present is burdened with walls of miscommunication and misunderstanding.
Many people in the world have feelings of isolation, unable to express themselves freely in a safe environment of the hindrances that existed including cultural barriers, racial differences, political disagreement, etc. They are unable to relax and experience the environment, and laking of a bridge that could connect people and provide them with a safe area for them to express, listen, and reflect.
Currently, the political state in the United States is divided, but each side whether democrat or republican holds one aspect in common which is the longing to have a better and safer country. In the microcosm in the united states or even other countries, is that individuals only want the best for themselves and their country.
That is why TUM Technology offers Crop Circle, a form that enables acceptance to happen.
Global Environment and Interviews about Love
Mission Statement, Purpose, and Vision Statement
Mission & Vision Statement
Feature Description
Crop Cycle correlates to the global scale and the mysterious phenomenon of crop circles. The cycle relates to trying to break the cycle of humanity's eagerness to divide. The Installation will be a place where people will unite and come together and embrace their differences. The installation starts from a local scale in New York, expanding to national scales in significant cities in the USA, and finally to the international level. The temporary installation would be located at squares, parks, or other public spaces. At the international level, the installation could collaborate with unused spaces or famous attractions either indoor or outdoor.
A Corp Circle
Optical Fibers
Optical Wheat
A Crop Circle, Optical Fibers, and Illuminous Wheat
The installation with an organic shape is mainly formed by a field of luminous fibers, which would move with the wind, and play voices with exterior force. As for the source of the voices, we would choose topics resonance with general human nature, including love, hope, aspiration, and regret, which are all under the theme of acceptance.
The field would be equally divided into different areas corresponding to the topics. Users could use a specially-made application to record sounds related to the topics. It could be their voices or even a line from a movie. And their voices would be transmitted to an ear of wheat at the corresponding topic area. When audiences explore the wheatfield, they could not only use a specially made app to interact with installations and listen to the voices through their headphones but also have in-depth conversations with other users in the chat room.
Also, upon leaving the installation, you will walk through the Farrell which is at the center of the installation to reflect on your experience and also see all the thoughts merging together. By using the app, you can add your thoughts in real-time, and your thoughts will be electronically seen moving across the digital scream of the Farrell. Moreover, the app has the feature of data summarization.
The Aerial View of the Installation Site
The Design Credits Mi Lin
The Website Page after A Successful Ticket Purchase
Audiences would be able to attend the physical site after ticket purchases
The Design Credits Mi Lin
Primary Feature: Physical Experience in the Field
I Experience with the Wheat
(1) Explore and Listen: Attendees could explore the wheatfield, and listen to the voice of each wheat
(2) Post Voices through the App: The sound of each wheat is posted lively through an app specially made for this installation or through social media channels. We would choose topics to relate to general human nature. Posts could come from any corner of the world. Each wheat would rotate to play their opinions due to many voices. We would encourage celebrities to participate in improving their influence.
The Interaction Interface of the Application when Triggered by the Wheat in the Field of Hope
The Design Credits Mi Lin
Sound Demo Mimicking the Voices Heard When Interacting With the Wheat in the Field of Hope
Close Your Eyes to Optimize the Effect
The Design Credits Mi Lin
II Experience with Farrell
The Farrell is located at the center of the installation. This time machine-like glinting tunnel connects the imagination to the real world as a reflection component and a transaction section for the installation.
A LED screen shows live comments: The wall would be made with an LED screen, which allows live comments to run on it. People use their apps or social media to post their thoughts, write comments, or encourage each other. There will be an area on the site for users physically attend to write the comments on the LED screen directly an,d it will transform into text form.
The screen would also show pictures of people who participated. It could give people direct visual stimulation with a sense of cultural diversity.
Visual Demonstration of the Crop Circle
The Design Credits Mi Lin, and the Copyright of the Image at the Lower Right — Wheatfield Belongs to Fondazione Nicola Trussardi
Secondary Feature: Online Experience — the Communication, and Culture Exchange Component of the Installation
I Dialogue
People from anywhere with any background would all have the power of freedom. They are eager to be heard, to understand, and communicate.
(1) A chat room: When people are posting their voices, they are asked to categorize them. We would set up a chat room for each category. Users of the app could have in-depth conversations. Listen to voices online is also available.
(2) Live interaction: People using the app could approach each wheat and gain corresponding information for the people who posted it. They could write feedback and have further discussions about the issue. They could choose to have a public or private conversation.
Could approach each wheat and gain corresponding information for the people who posted it. They could write feedback and have further discussions about the issue. They could choose to have a public or private conversation.II Data summarization
People can see the geo-concentration of the origin of the voices by checking their applications. And see which wheat around the world is whispering their ideas.
Third Feature: Aesthetic Feature
I The dreamy luminous wheatfield
This public installation mimics the organic form of a wheatfield. The wheat would be made with light-guide fiber, which allows the field to illuminate at night like the jellyfish light up in the ocean. The rhythm of the lighting would respond to the intensity of the wind, which means the stronger the wind, the brighter the fiber would be. Each fiber lighting system is independent, they will respond differently to the wind. The field would look dreamy, and like a living organism instead of an installation.
The height of the field is up to the general audience’s eye level. To make them feel like they are just about to see the whole picture of the installation to create a mysterious feeling for the audience. When the wheat surrounds them, visitors would feel safe in this immersive adventure. When they are exploring Wheatfield, they would be amazed by the constantly changing color of the fiber and interact with the installation.
The Aesthetic feature would please Instagrammers. The public space would be transformed into an exciting garden where people could hang out with their friends or children could hide and seek.
II People could use the app to control the lighting system
III The aerial view
The aerial view of each crop circle would be unique and inherit cultural meanings. The symbols would relate to the culture of the hosted area. If a drone flies over each location of the installation there would be some symbol etched in the fibers or the fibers would be in the shape of something hence the new name Crop Circles.
There are going to be three versions of the PSE. Each is a slight elevation of the previous version with a larger scale, and updates or new features are added.
Features of Three Upgrades
Project Purpose
Gain and Ideal Outcome
The Crop Cycle presents a unified platform that enables individuals to convey feelings and invites others to listen and digest and relate. It provides the following:
(1) Give a safe space to freely voice opinions
(2) Give a Cross-cultural exchange to break isolation and enable understanding
(3) Provide a synergetic environment that celebrates diversity to reduce stress and tension
An objective of the Crop Cycle is to enable patrons the opportunity to share culture and interact with a timeless structure. Culturalist studies indicate the benefit of exchange.
Target Audiences and User Experience Analysis
Target Audiences
Awareness, User Engagement Strategy, Conversion, Optimization Methods, Affinity, Loyalty & Retention Methods, and Transact Model
Empathy Models of the Original Version
Implementation Analysis and Plan
S.W.O.T Analysi
Service Blue Print of the Original Version
Management and Organization
Funding Strategy
Measurement of Success
Due to the Crop Cycle being an installation that is projected to be installed in space nationally and long-term internationally, it is our objective to establish the funding that will enable the development of core features in the years 2018 and 2019. As a result, our goal is to:
(1) blueprint and develop the systems for the application;
(2) Develop the luminous fibers;
(3) Installation planning in the first year.
(1) blueprint and develop the systems for the application;
(2) Develop the luminous fibers;
(3) Installation planning in the first year.
To know the progress, the key results are measured
(1) Success in testing usability for application;
(2) Construction of led Farrell;
(3) Success in fiber testing technology;
(4) Initiating the Release date of the application;
(5) Application release.
the Key Performance Indicators, which is measuring
(1) Obtain funding and support;
(2) Maintaining the time it takes to create each technology, such as the fibers and the app;
(3) Maximizing the funds to create a quality installation.
Bibliography
https://www.brookings.edu/research/technology-and-the-innovation-economy/
