Walking in Pigeons' Path: An Interactive Experience
I designed an interactive game to evoke empathy for pigeons, inviting people to imagine and engage with pigeons' behaviors
Type
Interaction design, Game design
Role
Design research / Prototyping / Interaction design
key features
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
ACADEMIC RESEARCH
What does coexistence with non-human mean?
According to research, coexistence with non-human 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.
design decision
As an important step toward mutual respect,
I aim to create opportunities for people to think from the perspective of familiar animals
I focused on pigeons - creature abundant around us yes whose ecology we know little about
user interview
How do people perceive pigeons, consciously and unconsciously?
Saki, Age 65
Persona1: Pigeon Lover
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.
During the interview, I realized I feel a bit uncomfortable when they come close to me.
Ami, Age 22
Persona2: Pigeon Neutral
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.
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.
Keita, Age 24
Persona3: Pigeon Hater
I hate pigeons. I think it’s because they seem dirty.
If just seeing from distance, I think it could be okay for me.
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/day for a week
- I observed pigeons in the local park 3 times/day for a week
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
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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
iteration after user test
My initial idea
Users can only listen to sounds to see their prediction was right
design decision
After the text,
I ensured the drawn path stayed visible to compare with the actual pigeon’s path,
noting it was more engaging to compare their drawn path with the pigeon’s path during the reveal
design
Using TouchDesigner, I created a game where participants predict a pigeon’s path and intuitively sense the accuracy of their predictions through sound.
user feedback
Ami, Age 22
Persona2: Pigeon Neutral
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
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
Keita, Age 24
Persona3: Pigeon Hater
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.
It could feel easier to empathize with them when I think they might think like I do.
if I had 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.