Enhanced Exploration of City of Asylum
In this project, my team selected an organization and identified opportunities for improvement through enhanced visual communication design. Employing design research methods, and exploring the organization, we meticulously examined the user experience and pinpointed issues across various touch points. The primary objective was to create a design solution in 3 weeks that not only addresses these challenges but also fosters a more positive, productive, and enjoyable interaction for the end-user, instilling a sense of affection for the service.
Research
Core Values
We knew from the beginning of the project, that we wanted to keep our designs aligned with the core values that City of Asylum held.
Spaces
City of Asylum (COA) is composed of three main physical spaces:
- Alphabet City, their book store, event space, and offices.
- The Alphabet Reading Garden, a community garden open to the public.
- The House Publications, the homes in which the writers and artists are housed.
River of Words
Community is a huge part of who COA is, so we decided to explore the neighborhood further, where we discovered the River of Words. It's the remnants of an art piece where individual households were asked to display a word on their homes. The Homeowners decided to fight to keep these words on their home, long after the art installation was to be disassembled.
User Interaction
We found that there were 3 levels of user interaction within the spaces. Users started with the bookstore or restaurant in Alphabet City, and then started to develop their knowledge of what COA is. They then would venture out into the neighborhood to see the other locations and points of interest. However, most usesers only stayed in levels 1 and 2.
Key Contributor Interviews
We interviewed Diane Samuels, one of the Co-founders of COA, and Alexis Jabour, the Senior Production Manager. Their insight helped us determine the issues we wanted to solve with our designs.
Deliverables
We developed four deliverables to present to City of Asylum, as individual steps of the user journey. We created a Poem Cabinet, a Poem Card, an AR Adventure Mode, and a Digital Library. These assets work in tandem to address the found areas of concern within the visual communication design of the organization.
Click below to see how they all work together:
The Poem Cabinet
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We wanted to create a physical object users can visit when they first enter Alphabet City. The idea was to inspire curiosity about what COA is and does, beyond the restaurant in Alphabet city or the bookstore and event space. Inside each drawer would be a "poem card" in the language that corresponds to the letter or character on the drawer. Each character coincides with the language spoken by a writer who was housed or currently resides with COA in one of the House Publications.
Final Iteration
Leveraging knowledge of Photoshop, we synthesized this imaginative furniture piece by thoughtfully assembling elements from different existing furniture items. The intent behind crafting something entirely novel was to captivate the attention of visitors. We aimed for a Mid-Century aesthetic, intending to evoke a warm and finely crafted feel, eliciting a sense of familiarity for those who encounter it.
The Poem Card
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The Poem card remained simple, with few distractions from the poem itself. This mockup is just an example of the 12 different cards that would be present within the Poem Cabinet. On one side, is the poem, and on the other is a photo and brief introduction of the writer. A QR code also directs the user to the next deliverable, the AR Adventure Mode.
AR Adventure Mode
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Adventure Mode is activated by a QR code on the Poem Card, or placed (i.e. on a table inside Alphabet City, or a tile in the Alphabet Garden) around City of Asylum's locations. Adventure Mode has 3 distinct features. First, it uses AR technology to lead the user around the neighborhood with arrows and notifications. There's also the option to save for later. If a user comes across one of the House Publications, for example, they can save it for later to read more about. Finally Adventure Mode features a scavenger hunt known as Collections. Users explore the River of Words. Every time the user finds a new word, it is collected as a "trophy," there are also "invisible" trophies symbolized by a different character or letter only seen through the camera. Click the videos below to see how it works.
The Digital Library
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The Digital Library would exist on the landing page when the user first enters the COA website. It's a3D map where the user can not only see the locations of COA's spaces in relation to each other, but they can also choose to delve a little deeper on each one by clicking on it.
What's next?
The founders of City of Asylum came to our final presentation of the project, and loved our ideas. They asked us to present to the City of Asylum staff board meeting, and we received valuable feedback, identifying potential avenues for exploration and suggesting alterations to streamline the project's implementation. City of Asylum has expressed a keen interest in continuing collaboration with our team to bring these ideas to fruition, marking the current stage of development for this project.
Through our research of the spaces and online resources, we learned that City of Asylum is an organization dedicated to constructing a just community by safeguarding and honoring freedom of creative expression. Their mission involves providing sanctuary to writers and artists facing endangerment, ensuring that their voices remain unbridled and their creative endeavors can persist without suppression. In addition to offering refuge, City of Asylum contributes to social equity through cultural exchange by hosting a diverse array of free literary, arts, and humanities programs within a communal setting. Through these initiatives, the organization seeks to foster a vibrant environment that champions the principles of freedom, creativity, and cultural dialogue.