Hyperlocal
This project is led by Dr Marcus Winter & Dr Ivana Tosheva, an architect working at the intersection of data, emerging technologies and architecture, and their effect on human perceptions. Ivana examines how engagement with archive materials presented as locative media shapes peoples’ appreciation and understanding of the built environment.
Year
02.25
Scope
Branding, Motion
Timeline
9 weeks
Situation
QueenSpark Books holds a rich community archive, but much of it is inaccessible to younger and visually impaired audiences who are less likely to engage with long-form print. The Hyperlocal prototype aimed to turn this archive into a location-aware audio walking companion, yet early pilots surfaced friction: slow loading, connection drops, unclear session end, and no stories in some streets left participants unsure how to use.
Tasks
As a mid-level UX designer on the research team, the responsibility was to translate raw public evaluation data into clear product opportunities. The goal was to identify how the experience could better support wayfinding, story relevance, and audio usability, while staying within the constraints of a research prototype.
Actions
Working with real-world walk data and interviews reinforced the importance of scaffolding “serendipitous” experiences with light structure: people still want to know where to go, when they’re “in the right place,” and why a story matters to what they see. This project strengthened skills in turning messy qualitative feedback into a focused, research-driven roadmap for an early-stage cultural-heritage product.
The analysis gave the team a clear, evidence-backed backlog for the next prototype iteration: route guidance, better location signalling, and audio quality became top priorities instead of adding new features.
Community partners gained concrete insights into how locative media can both invite immersion and cause disorientation, helping them plan future deployments in other neighbourhoods and archives
