monument to homelessness
DESCRIPTION
"How can HCI alleviate homelessness?" This was a question I and two cohorts addressed. We reasoned that the 'most likely' approach most others would take would be to develop a social network for the homeless (or caretakers of the homeless) or volunteers. We looked instead to create empathy by giving our users a 'virtual' experience of homelessness. As we approached this idea through games, we could achieve an intellectual appreciation of homelessness, but not necessarily the 'feeling.' We ended up moving way "outside the box" to create a 'monument' to the homeless, that took users through a narrative of shame, fear, confusion, and finally, resolution, kindness, and support for fellow humankind.TRANSCRIPT
Team H
Hyewon KimAdam WilliamsChandra DysonSean Connolly
Aims
We aim to assist communication
between those who are displaced by
homelessness
LOST IN ISOLATION
Mantra
Goals
Our goal is to stimulate a meaningful awareness in the public of the homeless
Predispostions
Homelessness is as much an emotional issue as a material
All people have emotions
Shame causes isolation
Maya Lin would “go into the pain.”
Insight
The pain is shame
Research
A community’s social networks are highly effective tools for preventing recurring homelessness
Friends! Shelters! People!
Insight
Encouraging more public interaction with homeless will increase support networks of homeless
Encouraging human interaction with homelessness decreases homelessness
So…
You
Seeing yourself homeless
Enacts mental model of “in proximity to homeless person”
Puts one in context of ‘avoiding the homeless’
Too subtle to attract everyoneIt is the attention of one
person on the homeless which starts the group experience
1. You approach
2. You look down
3. The floor blinks HOMELESS
4. Pictures of you start to appear
5. Pictures of you rise up the wall
6. Once at eye level, pictures of just your eyes (blinking back at you) rise up the wall - accelerating
7. Your eyes race up to and *across the ceiling*
8. Pictures of your eyes race back down wall, turning back into pictures of you (face) looking at you
(note the reflection of the dog)
9. You follow reflection of dog back to original screen
10. See yourself in hobo clothes
Consequences
Your clothes are tatteredEveryone is looking at you,
wondering what you didAll of your own eyes are
looking at youYou are unconfident /
uncomfortable
,
Consequences
While you linger in your spot, the outer parts of the board/wall solicits volunteers for homeless programs (food banks, shelters, missions)
But, these portals are only active when a person endures the whole experience of becoming homeless
Meaning
It’s only after individuals begin to
look at the context of homelessness, that the
community network can begin to grow.
Conclusions
Facilitating empathy with the homeless, enables interaction with the homeless
If human interaction increases, community’s social networks gain strength
The stronger the community’s social-networks, the less homelessness will persist
Thank you