CONTEXT TO THE PROBLEM:
Technically, each part of the earth is just as old as the rest. Why is it then that some places are considered prosperous, some cultured, some uncivilized, some safe, some unsafe etc?
Migration and human intervention change the identity of a place. There is a stark difference between the global geography shown by maps versus the unseen 'psychogeographic' identities of places.
Users are hence not sensitized to foreign environments and remain alienated from knowing how these invisible conditions of one place have their effect on other environments. Below is a comparison between geographies and psychogeographies of a place:
Geographic maps
Psychogeographies
HOW HAS DESIGN RESPONDED TO THE PROBLEM PREVIOUSLY?
Through Material Applications:
Through Interactive Virtual Applications:
-Publications like New basford which translate immigrant testimonies to typographic maps.
-Games like Geonet and Plague Inc which are based on the links between geography to health risks and crowd behaviour.
Although captivating, these design responses are not a reflective experience for users. The visual system doesn't allow for people to feel aware of the linked real world geographies as they interact with the gaming system. The idea was to design a digital system which makes users link back to the real world effects of migration and their link to other geographies.
VISUAL INSIGHT:
Visual Translations:
The changing dynamics of an area cause migration and migration causes a change in the dynamics of an area. It is a recurring 'chain reaction'.
The process involved visually combining the two aspects:
1. Emotion of chain reaction.
2. Changing geographic borders and identities when people step in.
DESIGN SOLUTION:
The solution had to be user-centric. Hence, the above visual insights were translated into a gaming app designed where the user experiences migration and the effects it has on foreign geographies.
WHAT IS ON-'GOING'?
It is an interactive system design for a mobile game app based on the unseen aspects of the global map which link migration to communal hatred, racism, economic melt-downs etc together in a recurring chain reaction. The aim of this system design is to sensitize users to the problems of other countries and make them aware of how one issue in any country has its repercussions globally, through a make-believe map game.
GRAPHIC PALETTE AND IDENTITY:
USER EXPERIENCE:
Each map of geographies changes pace and audio as per the mood of that particular place, as seen in the snippets below:
USER INTERFACE SEQUENCE:
Interactive prototype recording: