Institution
The Wellcome Collection
Discipline
Installation
Role
Experience Designer
Year
10/11/2021
Farm Co-Design
Farm Co-Design
Farm Co-Design
Understanding animal behaviour through collaboration with farm staff
Role
UX Designer/Researcher
Year
20/10/2022
Institution
Spitalfields City Farm - London
Discipline
UX Design
Farm Co-Design
Designing a co-created experience to help visitors better understand animal behaviour
Co-Design Workshop with staff at Spitalfield City Farm in London
Co-Design Workshop with staff at Spitalfield City Farm in London
Problem
Visitors struggled to interpret animal behaviour, making it difficult to understand whether animals were comfortable, stressed, or seeking interaction. This created uncertainty and limited meaningful engagement within the farm environment.
Visitors struggled to interpret animal behaviour, making it difficult to understand whether animals were comfortable, stressed, or seeking interaction. This created uncertainty and limited meaningful engagement within the farm environment.
Context
How might a physical environment offer a restorative, screen-free experience that supports shared presence and reflection without demanding explicit interaction?
How might a physical environment offer a restorative, screen-free experience that supports shared presence and reflection without demanding explicit interaction?
Design Question
How might we help visitors better understand animal behaviour in a way that supports safe, respectful, and engaging interactions?
How might we help visitors better understand animal behaviour in a way that supports safe, respectful, and engaging interactions?
Goal
To design a clear and accessible way for visitors to interpret animal behaviours, improving both visitor experience and animal welfare awareness.
To design a clear and accessible way for visitors to interpret animal behaviours, improving both visitor experience and animal welfare awareness.
Constraints
• Information needed to be simple and instantly understandable
• Solutions had to work within a physical, low-tech environment
• Must respect animal welfare and avoid encouraging harmful interaction
• Designed for a wide age range and varying levels of prior knowledge
• Information needed to be simple and instantly understandable
• Solutions had to work within a physical, low-tech environment
• Must respect animal welfare and avoid encouraging harmful interaction
• Designed for a wide age range and varying levels of prior knowledge
Concept
Using co-design with farm staff, the project explored ways to translate animal behaviours into relatable, human-understandable cues to support more intuitive interactions.
Using co-design with farm staff, the project explored ways to translate animal behaviours into relatable, human-understandable cues to support more intuitive interactions.
Co-design & Research
To gather visitor perspectives, I designed a lightweight survey and collaborated with farm staff to place a QR code within the environment, inviting visitors to share their thoughts and experiences.
To gather visitor perspectives, I designed a lightweight survey and collaborated with farm staff to place a QR code within the environment, inviting real-time feedback from visitors.
To gather visitor perspectives, I designed a lightweight survey and collaborated with farm staff to place a QR code within the environment, inviting visitors to share their thoughts and experiences.
QR code placed in-situ to capture real visitor feedback
QR code placed in-situ to capture real visitor feedback
Pre- and Post-Experience Touchpoints
Pre- and Post-Experience Touchpoints
Before entering the installation, visitors encounter a simple physical kiosk that offers brief orientation—what the experience is, how long it lasts, and what to expect—without demanding attention or prolonged screen use.
After leaving the space, visitors may optionally continue the experience through a lightweight mobile app designed for quiet reflection and sharing. Both touch points frame the experience without disrupting its calm, screen-free core.
Before entering the installation, visitors encounter a simple physical kiosk that offers brief orientation—what the experience is, how long it lasts, and what to expect—without demanding attention or prolonged screen use.
After leaving the space, visitors may optionally continue the experience through a lightweight mobile app designed for quiet reflection and sharing. Both touch points frame the experience without disrupting its calm, screen-free core.
Welcome
Welcome
Visitors are introduced to the Tranquility experience and invited to opt in to taking a personal reflection home.
Visitors are introduced to the Tranquility experience and invited to opt in to taking a personal reflection home.
Start experience
Start experience
A single action begins the experience, ensuring participation is deliberate before entering the space.
A single action begins the experience, ensuring participation is deliberate before entering the space.
Name & email
Name & email
Visitors enter their name and email to personalise the experience and receive a private post-visit link—no account or ongoing commitment required.
Visitors enter their name and email to personalise the experience and receive a private post-visit link—no account or ongoing commitment required.
Confirmation & clicker
Confirmation & clicker
A clicker number is assigned, linking the kiosk setup to moments of calm captured inside the installation.
A clicker number is assigned, linking the kiosk setup to moments of calm captured inside the installation.
Pre- and Post-Experience Touchpoints
Before entering the installation, visitors encounter a simple physical kiosk that offers brief orientation—what the experience is, how long it lasts, and what to expect—without demanding attention or prolonged screen use.
After leaving the space, visitors may optionally continue the experience through a lightweight mobile app designed for quiet reflection and sharing. Both touch points frame the experience without disrupting its calm, screen-free core.
Post-Experience Reflection App
Post-Experience Reflection App
After leaving the installation, visitors are optionally invited to continue the experience through a lightweight mobile app. Rather than extending the installation digitally, the app acts as a reflective companion—allowing visitors to revisit moments from the experience, capture a personal perspective, and share it with others. The app was intentionally designed to remain calm, minimal, and secondary to the physical experience.
After leaving the installation, visitors are optionally invited to continue the experience through a lightweight mobile app. Rather than extending the installation digitally, the app acts as a reflective companion—allowing visitors to revisit moments from the experience, capture a personal perspective, and share it with others. The app was intentionally designed to remain calm, minimal, and secondary to the physical experience.
After leaving the installation, visitors are optionally invited to continue the experience through a lightweight mobile app. Rather than extending the installation digitally, the app acts as a reflective companion—allowing visitors to revisit moments from the experience, capture a personal perspective, and share it with others. The app was intentionally designed to remain calm, minimal, and secondary to the physical experience.
Revisiting the experience
Revisiting the experience
Visitors can return to a quiet moment from the installation and reconnect with how it felt, without replaying the experience in full.
Visitors can return to a quiet moment from the installation and reconnect with how it felt, without replaying the experience in full.
Capturing a personal perspective
Capturing a personal perspective
Visitors are invited to write a short reflection, focusing on a moment that felt most calming or meaningful.
Visitors are invited to write a short reflection, focusing on a moment that felt most calming or meaningful.
Sharing and collective memory
Sharing and collective memory
Reflections can be shared with others, allowing visitors to explore different perspectives and recognise shared moments of presence.
Reflections can be shared with others, allowing visitors to explore different perspectives and recognise shared moments of presence.
Post-Experience Reflection App
Post-Experience Reflection App
A lightweight companion that allows visitors to revisit and reflect after leaving the installation.
A lightweight companion that allows visitors to revisit and reflect after leaving the installation.
Entry / Invitation
Visitors receive a personal link inviting them to revisit their Tranquility experience.
Start / Re-entry
A simple landing screen invites visitors to begin revisiting their experience.
Reflection
Visitors revisit a moment and write a short personal reflection.
Entry / Invitation
Visitors receive a personal link inviting them to revisit their Tranquility experience.
Start / Re-entry
A simple landing screen invites visitors to begin revisiting their experience.
Reflection
Visitors revisit a moment and write a short personal reflection.
Visual capture points
Visual capture points
Discreet cameras embedded in the space allow visitors to capture a still visual moment using a handheld clicker—without introducing screens or overt prompts.
Discreet cameras embedded in the space allow visitors to capture a still visual moment using a handheld clicker—without introducing screens or overt prompts.
Ambient sound capture
Ambient sound capture
Directional speakers and microphones capture the ambient soundscape of the installation, preserving the atmosphere of the moment rather than a single focal interaction.
Directional speakers and microphones capture the ambient soundscape of the installation, preserving the atmosphere of the moment rather than a single focal interaction.
Non-recorded immersion
Non-recorded immersion
Some areas of the installation remain entirely non-recorded, offering visitors uninterrupted presence and reinforcing that capture is optional, not expected.
Some areas of the installation remain entirely non-recorded, offering visitors uninterrupted presence and reinforcing that capture is optional, not expected.
Reflection
Reflection
Designing Leaving a Digital Trace shifted my focus from interfaces to atmosphere, timing, and restraint. The project explores how interaction can remain optional and unprompted, with technology quietly supporting presence rather than competing for attention—an approach that early concept testing showed visitors responded positively to, particularly the distinction between immersive and non-recorded zones. If developed further, I would explore how spatial configurations and capture thresholds shape behaviour over time without eroding the installation’s calm, screen-free core.
Designing Leaving a Digital Trace shifted my focus from interfaces to atmosphere, timing, and restraint. The project explores how interaction can remain optional and unprompted, with technology quietly supporting presence rather than competing for attention—an approach that early concept testing showed visitors responded positively to, particularly the distinction between immersive and non-recorded zones. If developed further, I would explore how spatial configurations and capture thresholds shape behaviour over time without eroding the installation’s calm, screen-free core.