Blackout
Personal Project | Summer 2021
Arduino, Fritzing
Blackout is an interactive installation design. Starting from the special group — blind people. China has the most blind people in the world, but I seldom see them walking on blind roads in real life. After the research, I figured out the unconscious man-made occupation of the blind road has aggravated their daily transportation and caused their insecurity. Targeting the citizens with normal eyesight, I came up with the visually impaired experience, helping them form empathy, raise awareness, and stop occupying the blind road consciously.
Observation
China has the most blind people on a global scale. Until 2010, China has 1.3 billion people and 8 million blind people. Only 8 years later, the population of blind people doubled and reached 17 million.
Design requirements
However, these design principles have not been well implemented in daily use. Based on the research, I have found man-made inconvenience has already contradicted the policies, and I wonder if these interferences make blind people’s daily transportation more challenging and difficult.
Design requirements
Experiment
In order to find out if the blind road works out for blind people, and if man-made interference aggravates their transportation, I decided to experience it by myself. Through the experiment, I found out the two biggest problems are coverage and discontinuity of blind roads. Even though I feel insecure when crossing the road, there are people passing by who help me. However, when there are fewer people walking on the road, and when man-made interference breaks the road, I feel very restless and insecure, I totally lose the sense of direction.
Persona
Brainstorm
Target Group
-
The main target group is people who have normal eyesight
-
Citizens with civic awareness, care about special communities and are enthusiastic
Purpose
-
Help citizens form consciousness and avoid occupying the blind road
-
Provide a better transportation environment for blind people, and help them feel safer when walking
Solution
-
Let normal eyesight citizens to experience visually impaired people’s daily life
-
Form empathy and avoid stepping on the blind road consciously
The blind road acts as blind people’s eyes, and when the road is arranged continuously, they can walk through easily and safely. It is equivalent to people with normal eyesight under the light that they can see everything clearly. When the blind road is occupied by human factors, blind people will fall into panic, just like people with normal eyesight when their sight has been covered completely, and their world blacks out suddenly.
The blind road acts as blind people’s eyes, and when the road is arranged continuously, they can walk through easily and safely. It is equivalent to people with normal eyesight under the light that they can see everything clearly. When the blind road is occupied by human factors, blind people will fall into panic, just like people with normal eyesight when their sight has been covered completely, and their world blacks out suddenly.
Prototypes
Process & Testing
Final Installation
Reflection
In this project, I practiced the combination of programming, technology, and art installation. I am also attracted by the beauty of coding, even though it is really challenging for a green hand. I guess artists, as well as UX designers, have similar goals in focusing on special groups and designing completely from their perspectives to solve their problems. I feel like I am at the beginning stage of this, and I am still learning how to “design for the real world”.