MEDIA LAB COMMUNITY INPUT COLLECTOR
In order to help transform a traditional City-led public engagement process, my team developed a 3-month interactive pop-up exhibit using visual storytelling tools and new information coding methods to collect meaningful community input on a proposed neighborhood redevelopment plan.
ROLE CONSULTANT TEAM, MIT MEDIA LAB
SCOPE USER RESEARCH
PRODUCT DESIGN
UX RESEARCH & TESTING
CLIENT DESIGN STUDIO FOR SOCIAL
INTERVENTION
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Uphams Corner is a rapidly changing neighborhood in Boston. In 2013, it faced imminent redevelopment due to the reopening of a major commuter rail station. The Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and the Design Studio for Social Intervention commissioned my team at the MIT Media Lab to help engage local residents using new interactive tools.
Working with a team of electrical engineers, industrial designers, and urban planners, I helped develop a 3-month interactive pop-up exhibit to transform the traditional public hearing into a process with greater transparency, power, and concrete community data collection.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
At the beginning of each session, participants are asked to choose their level of engagement: high, medium, or low. They are then guided through three different scenarios that could affect community life in Uphams Corner.
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Participants are given the opportunity to offer suggestions within these visual narratives, depending on their chosen level of involvement.
As part of the exhibition, we designed and built a digital-physical installation that uses a game-based platform and visual storytelling tools to tangibly represent the potential community impacts of different urban development scenarios. The device prompted users to offer feedback at strategic points within the simulated narratives. This feedback was then coded and compiled into a rich dataset, delivered to City officials at the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
The installation was designed, built, and deployed in 2013, as part of the City of Boston's formal public engagement process.