This project is a digital outdoor treasure hunt connecting people during the pandemic with storytelling, nature, and physical activity. Say It Forward aims to re-build the connection and community among strangers affected by lockdown with its unique and engaging experience.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all facets to daily life from physical, mental, and social perspectives. During the early stages of lockdown, people were encouraged to socially distance from each other and stay indoors - creating a rift between people and the outside world. This project aims to overlap spaces and experiences through a conceptual prototype which brings people back together again.
Precedent research was completed on existing physical interfaces to gain inspiration for the project. The final design direction revolved around connecting users with a physical token in the city, building a positive digital space, and highlighting the benefits of physical activity in nature.
Design exercises helped identify a target audience and further develop the project’s vision. Personas and Journey Maps show the range of users and experiences while the ecosystem map illustrates how the interface exists in Toronto.
The project's first iteration included a mobile kiosk covered in plants and foliage to create an outdoor oasis in the middle of the city. It housed a physical interface where users record messages to share with the rest of Toronto and hidden QR codes to scan and listen to others’ stories.
This version had its limitations as it was challenging to design a durable yet portable structure, build a physical prototype during lockdown, and establish logistics for moving the kiosk around the city.
The second iteration added a treasure hunt element by hiding QR codes in parks across Toronto as opposed to a single kiosk.
This removed the previous limitations while highlighting the health benefits of being in nature and doing light physical activity during lockdown.
Research was completed to ensure best practices were used when creating the QR codes. The final codes were designed to be recognizable to users with the appropriate size and contrast while reinforcing the project’s branding.
Exploration was done on a variety of materials to determine the best way to display the QR codes. This included painting them onto transparent sheets to make them harder to find, burning the design onto wood to camouflage them with the natural environment, and painting them onto glass to cast a shadow QR code which could then be scanned.
Say It Forward is an outdoor treasure hunt found in different parks across Toronto to facilitate storytelling and connect strangers during lockdown. Inspired by the “Pay It Forward” movement, users can listen and share stories about coping during the pandemic with the hope of letting others know they are not alone.
Users are encouraged to share both positive and negative stories because it is important to normalize talking about mental health concerns especially during these isolating times.
Branding for Say It Forward uses pastel colours to evoke a sense of calm and make reference to nature while the logo mimics carrier birds used to transport messages from one place to another.
The final QR codes are presented on wooden discs to provide visual consistency and help disguise them with organic elements in parks. This way, users know exactly what object they are looking for while still increasing user engagement by making the treasure hunt more fun and challenging.
The mobile kiosk was transformed into a marketing kiosk to promote the Say It Forward experience in metropolitan areas of Toronto. This provides users with a natural escape from the city while explaining how the interface works with postcards and encouraging people to try it out.
A poster series was also developed to increase the promotional reach and invite more people to join the Say It Forward movement.
Say It Forward was created in a completely remote environment despite featuring physical interfaces and elements. Communication among the team was delivered asynchronously and electronically without traditional methods of collaboration and development due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Fittingly, the synergy formed during in-person group projects was cultivated the same way Say It Forward works, by leaving breadcrumbs and tokens for other group members to read, work off of, and learn from. Despite these challenges, the team was able to produce a successful end-product that brings people together in a time when true connection is difficult to achieve.
