ASU2 Reflective Journal: Technology

Technology as an obstacle in the city - Creating signs for pedestrians.

A while ago I surprisingly found myself in the uncomfortable position of having my feet tangled in a plastic bag while walking in the street, looking at my smartphone. I almost tripped and fell and got angry that someone had just abandoned his garbage on the sidewalk.

How funny, blaming somebody else for not having my own eyes open, looking to where I am going.

Hundreds of people walk in cities without paying attention to what is happening around them. People check their social media profiles, update a status, tweet, upload a picture, manage their playlist, reply to emails. Unfortunately, I am one of them. This is how the use of technology in every aspect of our daily lives has shaped us. We feel the urge to be constantly updated, just because we can, without being consciously aware of what is happening next to us.

All this facts lead me to another sign designing project. This time I would like to create signs for pedestrians that look at their smartphone screen while walking, but also to inform and protect the ones that don't.

Related research lead me to Hayward, California and the installation of road signs in 2013 that refer particularly to people that look at their smartphone screens while in the streets, risking their lives.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/13/hayward-california-street-signs_n_6681866.html

More recently, in September 2014, messages were written on the pedestrian streets of the Chinese city Chongqing in order to create "lanes" as shown below:

http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/sep/20/cellphone-use-while-walking-is-dangerous/

The following table shows the way shapes and colors are used as a code for public signage in the United Kingdom:

However, yellow and black colors are used indicate danger:

Approach & Development

Based on the existing traffic code and the used shapes and colors for signs I started creating my own, trying to find the best way to express my message:

First ideas on paper:

digital designs:

Black and yellow inform the individual for a danger in the sense of general conditions. Red shapes with black figures warn for an approaching danger in a more direct way.

A short text would communicate the message more clearly and prompt the pedestrians to "Look up more". Further development will include real and fictional dangers that the pedestrians could face such as : vehicles, obstacles, people and more imaginary like dragons, sharks, monsters etc.

Inspiring illustrations by Sergio Ingravalle

I came across Sergio Ingravalle's illustrations on his Behance profile. This project is called "50 Mindshots" and is a project inspired by daily moments. Some of them are close to my current project:

Reflection on my first designs and further development

I am excited about the current direction of my project, yet there are problems to be solved. Clarity of the signs, effectiveness through the right use of shapes, colors and symbols and effective placement in the streets are the three aspects that I am focused on.

In the beginning I created some more designs by making the person pictured on the sign facing the viewer:

Perhaps this approach does not get the message across as desired.

Who is the audience?

1. Smartphone users being warned that they should "Look ahead".

2. Pedestrians are warned of smartphone users' existence .

3. Both of the above.

Another element that this design lacks of is the illustration of the crash. The message of the sign is to make people walk carefully and look less at their smartphone screens. The danger should be made clear and obvious.

I created designs that show the smartphone user in pain. The sense of pain is communicated by using symbols like the crash and the stars:

In my first design pedestrians are warned about a general approaching danger. Two people bump in to each pother if either of them does not look to where he is going. It feels clearer than my previous designs. Anyone can relate to the individuals on the sign and act carefully.

However I designed the two signs shown below in an effort to be more specific and directly communicate with the smartphone users.

Additionally, these signs would be more effective if put on the ground so that people that do not walk properly can see them:

Texting while walking - A major contributor to pedestrian injuries and deaths.

In 2013 500 Hailo cab drivers in London were invited to identify the most confusing and outdated road signs. After two months of hard work Hailo's experts presented alternative road signs:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/10458856/Road-signs-should-warn-of-rickshaws-and-potholes-say-cabbies.html

-An App called "Transparent Screen" clears way to walk and text (source)
- Extreme smartphone addicts HERE including a "Seeing Eye Person" guide.
-Communities start to fine texting while walking. ( UsaToday) (2012)
-Texting while walking blamed for the rise of pedestrians' deaths according to federal study in the United Kingdom. The study shows that death rate rose in 2011 from 4,109 to 4,432. (DailyMail)

First sign prototypes. Acrylic board and vinyl stickers

I visited the laser-cutting facilities so that I cut the Perspex acrylic board to a circular and a triangular shape for my first signs.

After the board was cut it was time to stick on each shape the appropriate vinyl sticker signs.

I knew about the process of putting the vinyl sticker on a flat surface more or less, but being to excited lead me to failure for the circular sign. The sicker was not applied properly and that lead to the appearance of many bubbles and wrinkles.