New intervention ideas:
- record musicians and hang up recordings
- piñata + stick // something unique and surprising inside
- message in a bottle
- letter to yourself 10 years ago
- have them make tree ornaments
Users:
Park-goers who have an interest in connecting with their community:
- Seniors
- College students
- Parents and kids
- Tourists
Creation Myth:
- Wall St banker stumbles on a tree, notices a tin can on a string hanging from tree
- Picks up the tin can and says hello
- Listens to his younger self on the other side
- Made him happy to remember and reconnect with his childhood, remembers his values
- On his way back, he grabs a doughnut
Intervention, Defined:
- A text prompt communicates the platform for discussion
- Answers are publicly visible which facilitates community connecting and sharing
- Interface will be tangible — possibly chalk on pavement, a paper board, or hanging ornaments
Studio Prototype Tests:
1. Quick, one-word answers
We installed a big poster with a colorful grid of post-its in the elevator. The question asked, “As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?” The post-its gave each participant a small but open space to write or doodle an answer, and being in the elevator provided a time constraint. The poster was full within an hour.
2. Free-form responses
We made another poster that had no constraints on it and invited free-form responses to a more complex question: “What advice would you give your younger self?” First we installed it in the foyer of Floor 7, only to find that someone had later removed it in angst. Apparently there was a rule against posting in that space that we didn’t know about. Then we placed the poster in the elevator and found it filled with responses later in the day.
Rough 6-Week Plan:
- week 1 – rapid prototype in the studio
- week 2 – rapid prototype in wash sq park
- week 3 – rapid prototype in wash sq park
- week 4 – preparation for higher fidelity prototype
- week 5 – higher fidelity prototype launch
- week 6 – wrap up and document – create video?