Week 2 in Tokyo

It’s Caroline! I’m back! My first two weeks are over, and I just completed the Introduction to Design and Innovation course. I truly had such a great experience and am thankful for all the people who made it possible. There are so many highlights: Shibuya Scramble Prototype Test, teamLab Planets, FabCafe, Equmenopolis, and so many more!

The Third Place Design Challenge was a big focus of this second week. We were asked to design and prototype an interactive artifact or experience that allows us to step into and better understand the unique community, atmosphere, and social interactions of a third place in Tokyo. We got to go to FabCafe and interview individuals about their third places, a place outside of their home and work that they regularly go to. One thing I learned from these conversations was the importance of third places in Tokyo compared to the US. Living spaces in Tokyo are traditionally smaller and don’t have the ability to host large numbers of people. Homes in the US can be used for cookouts, parties, book club meetings, etc. However, in Tokyo, this isn’t the case, so people instead gather outside of the home in public spaces. This opens the door for third places where people can bond over their shared interests and make connections. I also think that the fast-paced and busy lifestyle in Tokyo leads to more intentionality when going to third places. Most people go directly from home to work and back, so when they do seek out time with their community, they put in conscious effort about where they go and the time they devote to it. I think these perspectives wouldn’t have emerged without me being able to physically be in Tokyo. Being able to interview people who live in Tokyo in person allowed me to not only hear what they have to say, but also understand their passions from their body language and tone. 

One challenge my team faced was deciding which interviewee to focus on as we progressed on our third-place design challenge. One interviewee had highlighted how Yoyogi Park and her neighborhood were her third places. She described how she felt a sense of belonging when the “Japanese grandpa remembered [her] when buying fruits and vegetables.” She was recognized as a regular, increasing her connection to her community. Another interviewee described that the internet was her third place. This was something my team found very thought-provoking because we hadn’t considered how third places didn’t have to be physical spaces. We were initially drawn to dig digger from the first interviewee’s perspective because we viewed it as more feasible. However, we identified our natural engineering inclination to lean towards feasibility and decided to expand our frame of mind. We proceeded with focusing on the second interviewee, Kaoru, because we were more intrigued by the possibilities. This is one example of the way my thinking was challenged by this course.

Another takeaway from the BUSI 220 course that I hadn’t considered before was how prototyping is about creating an experience, not just a physical prototype. We created an inference from Karou’s interview where we wondered if the reason she connected with her internet community so strongly was because it was never closed; her third place was always open. We explored the following question: How might we let our peers understand the feeling of comfort experienced by Kaoru as she constantly goes to her internet community? I had previously viewed prototyping as iterating rapidly through various fidelity prototypes. However, I was now encouraged to think about experience-based prototyping and the interactions with the user. We considered the emotions of the user we wanted to invoke and the atmosphere we were creating. My team decided to create a vibrating charm bracelet. We intended for our users to constantly wear the bracelet and be reminded of the continuous support and connection of their community, the same way Kaoru receives constant comfort from being able to turn to the internet. We had pairs of charms, each of our peers got to choose from and add to their own bracelet. The charm could be a symbol of their relationship: a shared hobby or something that reminds them of the other person. When one charm was touched, the corresponding charm of the pair vibrated, regardless of how far away they were. This vibrational element further demonstrates the connections of the community. We modeled this idea by creating a “charm” that makes noise when the photonics sensor is triggered to reenact the vibration in an audience-engaging way. We focused on creating an experience, not just demonstrating our physical bracelet and its components. We invited each of our peers into our “shop,” where we created a personalized interaction with them and emphasized the meaningful action of choosing charms that represent their connections. We described how we hope that as they wear their bracelets around, they are reminded of the love and support their community has for them. In projects to come, I will continue to consider experience-based prototyping and am thankful for my expanded perspective.

Peers adding charms to their bracelets

One piece of advice I would give to students participating in iSEED next year is to go out of your way to try new things. My classmates and I were very intentional about saying yes to new experiences, and I think we learned even more, both in and out of the classroom, as a result. We jumped right in the first few days and went exploring. Even if you are uncomfortable, go for it; that’s when it is the most rewarding. Try that new food together – maybe you love it, or maybe you’ll laugh together about how disgusting it was. iSEED is such a great opportunity to learn new things, truly understand a new place, not just go through the tourist checklist, and make memorable connections along the way.