MAKING SENSE

How often do you think about how you navigate the world? What senses do you use? And how much does each affect your life?

Inspiration

Try: Making Sense

Goal:

Create an experience where individuals interpret the way they value their senses before and after action.

Skills:

UX Design

Prototyping - digital and analogue

Storyboard Creation

Usability Testing

RESEARCH

This project was inspired by my project about accessibility for the blind. My goal was to translate that project's core to a more lighthearted activity.

Kacey Ballard

PhD, MA in Psychology

BA in Integrative Biology, Art History

50% of our brains are used for visual perception, including motion and color.

Multitasking: vision and hearing are separate, but vision dominates, explaining why we turn the radio down when parking for example.

ANALOGUE

The project began as a participatory physical exhibit. It involved sections for participants to experiment with touch, taste, smell, and hearing.

The exhibit required each participant to use blindfolds, nose clips, and earplugs. Each station had all other supplies needed for the experience.

General Intro

Participant Journey

Participant Journey

Supplies

General Station Layout

Hearing Station

Touch Station

Taste Station

Smell Station

PROTOTYPING AND TESTING

LOW FIDELITY

Insights

Users did not like using the blindfold.
Users felt nose clips hurt.
Gloves worked well to dull sense of touch.

Intro and Supplies

Station Example

Touch Station with Blindfold

Smell Station with Nose Clips

Earplugs for Hearing Station

Button at Hearing Station

MID FIDELITY

Design Shortcomings and Strengths

Bag did not hide objects well.
Bag did not secure the object to stay in a specified area; objects could fall out
Box with flap hides objects and provides easy access.
The box and cube with coffee glue on worked as the object for the smell station; however, it was unsightly.

Rapid prototype bag

Object peeks out

Box with flap

Object in and out of box

Coffee for smell station

Testing Set Up

Each station was set up with objects needed to try activity. Stations included cards to rate how the participants valued each sense.

Usability Testing Insights

Karlo I.

Product Manager

confused by order of wording in taste station instructions
wanted instructions to unwrap food
wondered how to share reactions
felt the hearing audio instructions would give other participants too much information about the station

Mike M.

Software Engineer

closed eyes before reading all of the instructions
confused by order of wording in taste station instructions

MOVE TO DIGITAL

The project began as a participatory physical exhibit. It involved stations for participants to experiment with touch, taste, smell, and hearing.

The transition to an internet platform changed the dynamics of interaction. Participants must now have a partner and provide their own materials for the experience.