Pigeion

Process / Details

Prompt

How can humans be encouraged to reflect on coexistence with familiar animals in their daily lives?

This project was created in response to a prompt from the Royal College of Art's MA Information Experience Design summer school, which called for a work exploring co-existence with non-human beings using TouchDesigner. I chose pigeons as my subject—creatures we often see but know little about—and began my observations.

User Interview

How do people perceive pigeons, consciously and unconsciously?

Many researchers have addressed the topic about coexistence with non-humans. Following the context provided by the RCA summer school, means understanding and practicing mutual relationship with non-human like animals and plants. It involves moving away from anthropocentric thinking to achieve mutual respect between humans and other life forms.

Persona 1: Pigeon Lover (Saki, Age 65)

I like observing pigeons. I observe them on sunny days at parks, but I can’t name their features about their behavior.During the interview, I realized I feel a bit uncomfortable when they come close to me.

Persona 2: Pigeon Neutral (Ami, Age 22)

I don’t pay attention to pigeons usually.But I realized I unconsciously avoid areas where too many pigeons gather. Their movement is unpredictable and I’m annoyed when they get in my way.

Persona 3: Pigeon Hater (Keita, Age 24)

I hate pigeons. I think it’s because they seem dirty.If just seeing from distance, I think it could be okay for me.

Key takeaways

Regardless of their self-perceived feelings toward pigeons, people generally tend to dislike being in close proximity to them.
While people may feel that they frequently see pigeons, they do not actively observe or attempt to understand their behavior.

Design decision

I decided to take a mild approach by encouraging people to imagine a pigeon’s perspective while keeping a comfortable distance from them.
Given that even pigeon lover tend to keep a certain distance from them, taking a radical approach might backfire and only heighten people's aversion.

Observation

How do pigeons experience the world?

I observed pigeons in the local park 3 times a day for a week.

How do pigeons interact socially?

I recorded the pigeons' movements, finding their social behavior.

Design Iterations

What kinds of playful interactions could foster empathy for pigeons while maintaining a certain distance?

Design decision

I decided to create an intuitive sound-based game where players predict pigeon movements,with different sounds indicating whether their predictions are correct, to help people intuitively understand pigeon’s social behaviors

User Test

Using Zoom’s annotation feature, I asked ~15 testers to draw their predictions of a pigeon’s path on the screen. Then, I played a video showing the actual path the pigeon took. (without using TouchDesigner or any technologies)

Testers focused on if their prediction (drawn lines) are similar to the actual path the pigeon took.

Testers also showed interests in the pigeon's social behavior, saying that "The pigeon went somewhere completely different from what I predicted! Sometimes they move socially―that's very interesting!"

Iteration After the User Test

Initially, I didn't plan to leave the path user drew when they are seeing the result (the actual path the pigeon takes). However, I realized that uses enjoyed comparing their drawn path and the actual path, so I decided to make drawn path stay visible when they see the answer.

Design

Using TouchDesigner, I created an interaction interface where participants predict a pigeon's path and compare their predicitions with the pigeon's actual path.

Different sounds are used to let them intuitively sense the unexpected difference between their prediction and the pigeon's behavior.

User Feedback

Persona 2: Pigeon Neutral (Ami, Age 22)

After playing the game, I found myself observing pigeons at a nearby park.Upon closer look, I noticed them sunbathing on a nice day, and I started to feel they have more relatable traits than I initially thought

Persona 3: Pigeon Hater (Keita, Age 24)

I don’t like pigeons, but this was a great opportunity to imagine that their actions might have some reasoning behind them.It could feel easier to empathize with them when I think they might think like I do.

If Ihad more time...

I would have conducted user testing with the improved version featuring sound and iterated further. However, due to time constraints, I had to conclude the project at this stage. For future iterations, I would like to create a more engaging group-based competitive game, rather than individual gameplay, similar to the format used in the Zoom session.

Walking in Pigeon's Path