Chromatic Greetings
Research / Interactive Design / Core77 Design Awards
Project Overview
Due to the prevalence of Covid-19, several rules have been implemented to limit socialising. As a consequence, connections within a community have become estranged. Our project aims to re-establish the social relationships that have been disrupted by the pandemic, as well as to foster new relationships within communities in Singapore, by allowing people to interact in shared spaces throughout a neighbourhood.
We designed a daily interactive light installation that will be placed at several Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate void decks in the neighbourhood. HDB void decks are sheltered ground level common areas in Singapore's housing estates where residents congregate to socialise, play, and rest regardless of the weather. The space encapsulates childhood memories of many Singaporeans as well as serves as an emotional area where funerals and weddings are held.
The interactive light display allows people within the neighbourhood to interact with each other using simple and familiar means of communication such as greetings, buttons and light. By situating the display at a common space such as the HDB void deck, it enables neighbours to interact with each other at any time of day (when they are returning or leaving home) without the need for face to face interaction due to the use of buttons, which is particularly useful in times of the pandemic.
How it works
Each void deck within the neighbourhood has a light display consisting of the labelled buttons and light. A total of four greetings i.e. Good Morning, Good Evening, Nice To Meet You and Hello are presented in the form of buttons that resemble the shape of a foot. The shape aids in the interaction of buttons by encouraging people to step on it.
When a neighbour chooses a greeting and steps on the respective button, a display with colours that relate to the specific greeting is lit up. Each interaction with the button will result in a light display that will last for a minute.
Greetings translate into colours
Good morning is represented by colours of the Sun, Sky and Nature such as Orange, Blue and Green colour; Good Evening is represented by colours of the Sunset such as Orange, Red and Purple colour; Nice To Meet You is represented by Energy and Happiness such as the Orange and Yellow colour; and Hello is represented by Positivity and Friendship such as the White and Yellow colour.
The interaction with the buttons results in a echoed effect throughout the neighbourhood. When a neighbour interacts with a specific greeting in one of the void decks, the light display in all the void decks within the neighbourhood will reflect the same coloured greetings on the wall. Neighbours can reply to each other by choosing and pressing on the same greeting. As more people reply with the same greeting, the lights display more movement, making it a community effort to create the complete aesthetic display. The installations in some blocks display varying shapes of light that are simple in its form and layered to give an aesthetic appeal to its users.
Research
Firstly, we conducted secondary research on existing ideas such as previous interactive projects held at void decks or public spaces, so as to get a better understanding on the different forms of interactions and gain inspiration from them. We then conducted primary research in the form of an interview with 23 responses gathered. Our primary research allowed us to get different perspectives on the ideas that we proposed as well as to get a better insight from future users in terms of what they would be interested in as well as to receive feedback and suggestions on certain aspects that could be improved.
Impact
‘Chromatic Greetings’ provides opportunities for the people within the neighbourhood to communicate with each other by expressing their thoughts and feelings through the coloured lights. Through the daily greetings exchanged, each individual instinctively acknowledges and forms a subtle bond with the people and the space around them, bringing the community within the neighbourhood closer together with every interaction made. In creating this project, we aspire to create opportunities for neighbours to potentially develop further interactions with each other beyond ‘Chromatic Greetings’; in the near future when the pandemic subsides.
