A site visit was essential as a first step because experiencing the layout, lighting, acoustics, and natural flow of the environment helped us envision how the installation would interact with the space.

The space features 360-degree projections on a 33-meter-wide canvas and motion sensors spread across the gallery floors.

During our site visit, we approached visitors around the gallery’s cafe and conducted 3 semi-structured interviews. Our intention was to understand the motivations of the visitors and why they frequent the area.

Alongside the interviews, we conducted background research to spark inspiration for our concept. Our exploration included local history, demographics, and past interactive installations. A particularly compelling discovery was the area’s history with lead factories and poisoning.

We began our concept development by using Playful Experience (PLEX) cards to establish the emotional direction of our installation, selecting cards that captured the intense feelings we aimed to evoke. We chose cruelty and suffering. This exercise aligned our team on a shared vision, laying the groundwork for an emotionally impactful experience.

As previously mentioned, our background research revealed a particularly memorable finding: the area's history with lead contamination. This discovery perfectly aligned with our chosen emotional themes, making lead the central focus of our installation.

Creating moodboards* was invaluable, as it was challenging to put our vision into words. They allowed us to visually convey the atmosphere and emotions we aimed to evoke, exploring textures, colors, and imagery aligned with themes of cruelty and suffering. Building on this foundation, our first iteration was developed using TouchDesigner and Resolume, selected for their capacity to program abstract and visually dynamic installations. I incorporated noise textures to achieve an unpredictable and organic quality.

**Due to copyright, I am unable to attach the moodboard.

Our goal for concept testing was to observe how users naturally interacted with the installation. Users roamed freely around the installation, allowing us to see which elements captured their attention, how they engaged with different aspects, and any spontaneous reactions that arose.

The first iteration fell short in both visuals and interaction. Although most participants appreciated the installation, they struggled to understand its purpose, describing it as too generic. This feedback highlighted the need to refine the design, ensuring it communicated our intended themes more clearly and left a memorable impact on users.

Designing an interactive installation on such a large scale was a first for me—and hopefully not my last! This has been my favorite project in my Master’s program. There was something thrilling about visiting the site and envisioning all the possible outcomes. This project pushed me in new ways: from quickly picking up new tools (Touchdesigner & Blender) to testing how effectively I communicate design ideas to my peers and tutors, and learning how to design for a specific emotion. At times, the openness of the brief felt overwhelming, but it ultimately allowed me to stretch creatively and think more broadly about the different facets of interaction design, from sensory engagement to emotional impact and spatial storytelling.

This project taught me that design is never a solo effort. When I struggled, especially with iterating from concept testing, I realized how much progress relies on collaboration and exchanging ideas. My teammate and I would share our iterations back and forth, building on each other's insights and feedback. This experience gave me a deep appreciation for teamwork and the unique perspectives each person brings to the process.