Research

01 Choosing a location

Initially, our group brainstormed several locations for public spaces that could merit some sort of interactive installation. These included:

• PPG Place (Downtown/Office area/Ice rink)
  
• Campus eating area (UC, NSH atrium)
  
• Parking garage (carpooling, exercise- walk to work)
  
• Park
  
• Public Library
  
• Mall
  
• Bus stop

After reviewing the ideas, we narrowed down to the idea of public eating space. We then went to several on-campus eateries including Litchfield Towers (Pitt food court,) Cathedral Cafe (cafe in the Cathedral of Learning,) and CMU's NSH atrium. We conducted several interviews during prime lunch hours and talked to groups as well as people eating alone. They were primarily students, but some older staff and faculty.

In the end, after reviewing our findings, we concluded that this area did not hold great promise for an interesting interaction. Therefore, we shifted our focus to Schenley Plaza, an small urban outdoor park that also incorporated eating space, but also featured a large lawn and other recreational opportunities.