POP-UP HOOD
8 months | Jan-Aug 2018
Project POPUP-Hood! is to provide an interactive and educational playscape that captures Geylang Serai’s unique identity and sense of place, while at the same time providing a resting and a congregating communal space for the community and its residents. The playscape comprises iconic and colourful Malay traditional games such as the Gasing Top, Chapteh and the Wau kites thus, reinforcing the rich Malay culture and heritage of Geylang Serai.
Role: Project Manager | UX Research | Graphic Design | UI Design
Tools: Fusion360, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator, Excel & Tableau
Design Methods: Persona, Customer Journey Mapping, User Interviews, Site Recce, Competitive Analysis, Affinity Mapping, Participatory Design, Focus Group Discussion, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Design Pitch
Design Process
Research
Understanding the needs of the community was critical for developing a design that can act as conversation starters, evoke shared experiences and educate the younger generation about the Malay culture. Our team focused on designing survey questions, conducting in-person interviews and activities that could engage the community to open up to us and provide us their most candid feedback. This helped us to gain insight into the types of participatory design activities that would appeal to the community.
Site Recce
To identify the ideal location for our final installation, we conducted a site visit to identify the buildings in Geylang Serai that were popular with the community. These popular locations, with its high traffic, would give our installation high visibility.
Participatory Design
Primary research was conducted through our Participatory Design Booth at the Topping Out Celebration (TOC) during the opening of Wisma Geylang Serai. We gathered stories and insights from residents which is useful for our ideation process. There were around 250 people from different community centres, students and visitors who attended the TOC event and approximately 80 participants participated in our booth activities.
The key insight that was obtained from the heat-mapping activity showed that the community wished to see the “Gotong Royong” spirit rekindled. “Gotong Royong” is Malay term that refers to the community working together and help each other.
The art making results was classified into four main categories; communal gathering space, playground, landmark and transportation. This activity had the most impact to our project which inspired and provided us a direction for our final installation design. The summary of the data collected is found in the table below.
| Categories | Age Group | Details | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communal Space | Adults | Outdoor sitting area, plaza, sheltered space | Space to gather and relax |
| Playground | Adults and children | Playscape, slides, fountain | Adults want a space that engages their children and children want a space to play |
| Landmark | 13-16 | Sculptures, statues | To welcome visitors and gives the place an identity |
| Transportation | 5-12 | Ships, trains, cars, futuristic vehicles | Nil |
Focus Group Discussion
Our team ideated and designed five ideas which we used to present during the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with the residents of the community held at Geylang Serai Community Club. The main objective of the FGD was to introduce our project to the community and share our design proposals with them. Through the sessions, feedback and suggestions for further improvement to the design proposals were gathered from the residents. The FGD provided a platform for our team to validate our design proposal, to derive insights and ensure that it meets the needs of the community.
There were some difficulties recruiting people within the range of 16-24 years old. Nevertheless, the small number of participants attended enabled the sessions to be more intimate and productive. In summary, based on the responses of the participants, design proposal 2: Chap-Play and Knite Cycling was the most well-received design and elicited the most excitement from participants. Participants tend to reminisce about the traditional activities and games and grew very enthusiastic especially when on the subject of childhood games.
Prototype
For our final year project showcase, we included the booth which we designed for the Topping Out Ceremony (TOC), table top model of Wisma Geylang Serai and the Chap-Play.
For the prototype feather, we took inspiration from the shape and pattern of real chapteh feathers. This was to accentuate the behaviour of an actual feather such that our prototype would resemble the real chapteh. The curvature and shape of the feather stem affects the overall comfort of the user experience and aesthetic.
The choice of material is imperative to the overall function and aesthetic of our prototype. We decided to use 5mm EVA foam sheets to fabricate the feathers as the material is flexible and able to withstand outdoor conditions.
User Feedback
These feedback given by the public are very useful for our future development of the project since our project mentor People’s Association expressed interest for our team to continue with the project after we graduate.
