MULTIDISCIPLINARY PROJECT II / ASMT 02

Naura / 0356798 / Interactive Spatial Design
MDP60104 / Multidisciplinary Project II
Assignment 02: Design Rationale

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Week 05:

Lecture Notes:

• User Personas is a research-based fictional users representing key segments of the audience.​
• Purpose: humanise data, keep problem statements realistic, guide design decisions and feature prioritisation.​
• Benefits: higher adoption (better fit with user needs) and retention (pain points addressed).​ 
• Effective personas are built from real, current data (surveys + interviews), not guesses or stereotypes.
• Key Components:
• Demographics: age, occupation, location, education, income.​
• Personality traits: values, attitudes, what influences decisions.​
• Goals: what they want to achieve (task outcomes, lifestyle, professional goals).​ 
• Behaviours: habits, usage patterns, preferred channels.​
• Needs and pain points: what they are missing and what frustrates them.​
• Scenarios and quotes: concrete situations plus direct user statements.

Assignment Progression:

With Assignment 1 officially submitted, this week marked a shift from broad research to specific user definition. During consultation, the class was advised to begin constructing User Personas for the upcoming review. 

I have started developing these profiles (aiming for three distinct archetypes) by analyzing the results from my previous questionnaire. This ensures that the personas are not based on assumptions, but are grounded in the real data I collected regarding the audience's knowledge and empathy levels.

Week 06:

We were introduced to the second assignment, which focuses on the concept of 'Phygital' design—the seamless convergence of physical spaces and digital interfaces. The objective is to design an environment where the architecture and the digital elements complement one another. 

The final deliverable will be a 3D conceptual model that visualizes this synergy. To ensure a fully immersive experience, the design must also account for atmospheric elements, specifically sound design and lighting.

Lecture notes:

• User journey map: visual timeline of what a user does, feels and encounters when completing a goal.​
• Helps teams empathise with users, identify pain points and align features/content to each stage.​ 
• Built on personas: the map should clearly reference who the journey is about.
• Core elements:
• Phases (e.g. discovery, consideration, booking, during-use, post-use).​
• User actions: what the user actually does in each phase.​
• Touchpoints: where interactions happen (website, app, physical space, social media).​ 
• Needs/pain points: what the user wants vs what blocks them.​
• Emotions: mood over time; where frustration or delight appears.​
• Opportunities: ideas to improve or remove pain points.

Assignment Progression:

The consultation focused on a detailed review of my first submission. The feedback highlighted the need to restructure the report, specifically placing the Literature Review before the Case Studies to establish context earlier. Additionally, I was advised to sharpen the Problem Statement within the introduction and ensure that at least two sources in the literature review were explicitly design-centric.

So based on that, I have reorganized the report structure and refined the introduction to clearly define the core problem. For the literature review, I pivoted the focus to balance human-centric narratives (specifically the daily lived experiences in Gaza) with theoretical design frameworks, ensuring the research supports the proposed spatial interventions.

To maintain momentum, I initiated the 3D modeling phase early. I have established a preliminary spatial layout consisting of four distinct zones, which will structure the narrative journey of the exhibition.

Week 07:

Lecture notes:

• Emotional design aims to create positive feelings and memorable experiences, not just usable interfaces.​
• A central theme or story gives structure to the whole space and shapes user expectations.​ 
• Themed zones allow different parts of the story (or emotions) to unfold spatially.​
• Interactive storytelling uses touchscreens, projections and physical installations to let users “play” with the narrative.​
• User autonomy is important: multiple entry points and open-ended activities let users choose their own path.​ 
• Clear navigation and feedback (visual, sound, sometimes haptic) reduce confusion and support a sense of control.
• Storytelling Checklists:
• Action: what users do, how they participate, whether there is a call to action.​
• Emotion: moods, peaks/valleys, rewards, and pain points; use of colour and imagery to express feelings.​
• Sensory: how vision, sound, touch, smell, etc. are used to deepen engagement.

Assignment Progression:

I admittedly got ahead of myself this week by jumping straight into 3D modeling. Mr Zeon told me to trust the process, so I took a step back to focus on bubble diagrams first. While it felt like backtracking, mapping out the zones first actually helped me visualize the user journey much more clearly than the 3D model did. 

A series of sketches exploring various spatial configurations. Option 4 was selected for further development due to its effective user flow.

My idea for the digital interaction

While my initial pitch received approval from Mr. Zeon regarding its feasibility, I sought a second opinion from Mr. Ron to evaluate the interactive depth from an HCI perspective. His feedback was a crucial wake-up call; he felt the concept lacked the emotional weight necessary for such a sensitive topic.

He challenged me to create something more thought-provoking and described an installation idea that uses tension and randomness as its core mechanic.

The concept involved a 'Russian Roulette' style setup: a user sits in a chair, and a cannon randomly decides whether to fire a scroll containing a victim's name. This metaphor of 'random selection' effectively simulates the reality of war—where being a victim is often just a matter of chance. This conversation inspired me to move away from standard interactions and explore how I can use uncertainty to make the audience feel the weight of the narrative.

Week 08:

Lecture Notes:

• Spatial Relationships:
• Space within a space (nested volumes).​
• Overlapping spaces (shared zone).​
• Adjacent spaces (side by side with a boundary).​
• Spaces linked by a common connector (shared hub).
• Planning strategies: linear, grid, radial, centralised, clustered – often combined in one interior.​ 
• Circulation is a design tool for choreography of movement and narrative.​
• Spatial compositions rely on horizontal and vertical planes, beams, columns and arches to define and differentiate areas.
• Case Studies:
• Innovation Dock, Rotterdam
• New rectilinear office “box” inserted into a massive existing industrial hall.​
• Clear example of “space within a space” and layering of old and new.​
• Tate Modern, London
• Turbine hall as a huge public volume with natural light from an axial lantern.
•  Open-plan gallery levels allow flexible exhibition layouts under a visible ceiling grid

Assignment Progression:

Presenting my initial bubble diagrams led to a crucial conversation about the project's visual identity. My supervisor suggested that the current layout was too rigid and encouraged me to adopt a Deconstructivist approach, referencing the work of Daniel Libeskind. (angled and harsh) .

The key takeaway was that the floor plan shouldn't just be a container for the exhibition; it should be a piece of art in its own right. I am now reworking the flow to use sharp angles and slanted partitions, using the architecture itself to communicate the tension of the narrative.

My floor plans using the 4th bubble diagram as the user flow

On the technical front, I continued refining the p5.js code to support the narrative. During a consultation with Mr. Ron on Monday, I pitched two potential directions for the interaction. 

First, I proposed a 'body heatmap' effect, visually simulating the tension of being scoped by an enemy thermal camera. Second, I shared my progress on the face detection system, which estimates the user's age and gender to match them with a specific war victim of the same demographic. 

Ron resonated strongly with the second concept, noting that it powerfully communicates the message that 'war doesn't discriminate.' To further deepen this metaphor, he suggested adding visual 'ghost trails' that follow the user’s movement—symbolizing that we are not just viewing the data, but carrying the weight of these souls with us. 

Week 09:

To finalize the spatial layout, I consulted Mr. Zeon for a comparative review of my design options. I presented three primary floor plan concepts, each accompanied by three specific derivations (totaling nine distinct variations).

The three selected floor plans with their derivations.

Once the most effective layout was selected (the middle one), based on its flow and thematic resonance,I immediately transitioned into the Design Development phase. I have now begun translating the selected 2D plan into a 3D spatial prototype.

This week was defined by technical experimentation and critical feedback. I initially attempted to build a heatmap visualization in p5.js but faced significant technical hurdles. Pivoting, I developed a 'Poppy Field' prototype where users could interactively 'touch' flowers using hand-tracking gestures to reveal the name and age of a child victim.

However, during my review with Mr. Zeon, we identified a narrative flaw: the interaction felt redundant. Simply revealing a name and age—information the user has likely seen elsewhere in the exhibit—lacked impact. The feedback challenged me to move beyond simple data display and find a way to make the visualization emotionally resonant rather than just informative.

Week 10:

The final push before submission was all about optimization. During consultation, we identified areas of 'wasted space' in my layout that risked breaking the user's immersion. I was challenged to activate every surface (specifically the floor and lower walls) and to clearly designate spots for interaction so the journey felt intentional.

We also discussed the data visualization strategy. The goal shifted toward creating dynamic visuals that change over time, utilizing ceiling elements and diagonal lines to maintain the Deconstructivist tension we established earlier. I spent the remainder of the week translating these notes into the 3D model like removing dead zones, refining the flow, and ensuring the data connects emotionally with the viewer, before successfully submitting Assignment 2. Below is my slides presentation: