Week 6 - Tube or Dare
Participants who tested the prototypes over the weekend came back with overall positive feedback. They said the cards encouraged them to take off their headphones, look around and observe their surroundings as well as other people. One participant said the commute passed more quickly, another recalled vivid details about what they saw. Unprompted, they also reported some cards lingered in their mind even after the activity had ended, particularly cards with prompts that asked them to hide or stick an element somewhere along their route. Passing by those locations triggered the recollection, as I intended.
To me, this signifies increased mental engagement with their environment, supporting my goal to spark reflection through embodied experiences. That said, some prompts weren’t as successful. One card asked participants to “give this card to a stranger”. This suggestion proved too daring. One tester explained it was due to their shyness, whilst another explained it felt socially incomplete. Whilst I liked that even not doing what this card prompted meant that the participants self-reflected on why they’re not engaging with it, I decided to alter it in the final iteration.
The rest of the week was spent creating a higher fidelity final prototype.
↑ One participant marked the card as their own by biting it, whilst another opted to write.
↑ Card hidden in the Tube by a participant
↑ Sticker stuck to the wall in Elephant & Castle Tube station
↑ One participant left the sticker on the Tube rail (click to play).
↑ A participant engaging with the transparent paper included in the deck.
Final outcome:
↑ A video flipping through the deck.
Feedback and reflection:
The cards are playful and approachable, and felt like a realistic product. Having said that, I could have leaned further into the multisensory aspect of it. This was my intention, as shown previously - creating a layered, multisensory experience integrating embossing, varied textures, temperatures, vibrations, etc. Should I take this product forward I would have liked to incorporate more of those elements.
Additionally, I recognise this product has its challenges around habit breaking and formation. As this activity is not yet common on public transport, it may require a transitional approach. For instance, an introductory digital application could help build some habits initially, which could then be transitioned into the physical deck. Later on, bigger elements could follow, like big interactive billboard advertisements, which are another idea I explored during this project but didn’t end up including in this outcome.
In conclusion, despite the outcome being quite compact, it is usable and interactive. This reminds me of Meadows' leverage points in a system (1999), that claims sometimes a small change, placed in the right place, can yield great results.
References:
Meadows, D. (1999) Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System. The Sustainability Institute. Available at: https://www.donellameadows.org/wp-content/userfiles/Leverage_Points.pdf (Accessed: 10 June, 2025).