Identity Bridge
An Installation on Trust
The Project: The Seattle Design Festival Block Party invited people from the city and the community to explore the concept of Trust with interactive installations throughout the park. We researched self-expression and how it affected the way communities related to one another. We hoped that, through our installation, the public could explore the contrasts in their own personal and professional identities.
Our final installation was one of forty at the Seattle Design Festival Block Party. Hundreds of participants of all ages and all backgrounds came to read our infographics and interact with the bridge, filling the installation with cards of their identities, entrusting the public with important parts of themselves.
6 months
In collaboration with Brys Fleming-Henning, Claire Kantner, Christine Lee, Patrick Mao, and Olivia Tang
Problem Space
“In a world that appears increasingly defined by mistrust, how can design affirm and strengthen critical connections of TRUST in our community?”
Through large scale, interactive installations at the two-day Seattle Design Festival Block Party, people of all ages and backgrounds were welcomed to explore and broaden what trust meant
User Group
We began our research of trust in the workplace through interviews and studies of the type of personal information one might keep from an employer for fear of discrimination. We then observed how people of various ages interact with installations.
Research Insights
People often tend to hide the more "controversial" aspects of themselves in professional settings.
The biggest hindrance to self-expression is fear of judgment or discrimination.
"Anonymous" online platforms often open the door to reveal deeper parts of themselves.
How might we promote self expression to better humanize coworkers to build trusting connection and community in the workplace?
Design Principles
Initial Ideation
Our team went on to brainstorm ways in which we might allow the public to bridge how they see themselves and how they present themselves to others in the form of an interactive installation.
Refinement
With consideration for feasibility in construction and transportation, we focused on a bridge installation that would prompt users with certain questions to consider how they trusted the public with aspects of their identity using simple cards to display.
Construction
Funding for the project allowed the team to purchase the wood and materials needed for the installation. Members of the group split up to work on more specific parts of the installation: the bridge, the informational stands and table, and the infographics and other visuals. My role predominantly involved aiding in the construction of the bridge and the informational stands.
Identity Bridge
Our final installation was one of forty at the Seattle Design Festival Block Party. Hundreds of participants of all ages and all backgrounds came to read our infographics and interact with the bridge, filling the installation with cards of their identities, entrusting the public with important parts of themselves.
