On the Go has an idea, and we play it out with available materials. The glass ITP classroom door, dry erase markers. Brandin stands on one side of the glass, with me on the other. We begin to simultaneously write our answers to the question, “What stands between you and the world?”
Something about this worked. We connected. We were having a conversation with each other – both writing our own ideas in our own time, but also stopping, reading, and responding with new insight as we figured out what our partner was saying (backward) in front of us.
There was also significant intimacy in being face to face.
Could this be the starting point for a conversational interface? We grabbed more found materials, and hit the streets. Specifically, Washington Square Park.
Heading out in public with only a small glass board and a boxful of questions about personal identity, we were immediately surrounded by curious strangers. Once we explained our project and invited participation, we were met with enthusiasm and a real eagerness to speak.
We returned from our afternoon of user testing with the gratifying confirmation that we were on to something good, but more questions than answers as to how this had been achieved! Was it…
—The invitation to talk?
—The metaphor of the glass?
—The act of writing?
—The box of questions?
—Just us ourselves, the people, standing there?
What could we do to build on the success of this early mockup, and make a more sophisticated installation?