48 Hour Inclusive Design Challenge, Seoul 2009
Jamsil Sports Complex, Seoul
12-14 October 2009
Sponsored and and co-organised by the British Council as part of their Creative Cities project and the Seoul Metropolitan Government
Team leader: Hazel Macmillan
Design partner: Chung-Kyung Jo
The issue
Even in a global recession the leisure industry is growing. In Korea recreation, entertainment and hospitality services are vital but many older and disabled people are excluded.
Team Bee worked with their design partner Chung Kyoung-Jo, who is partially sighted with a degenerative eye condition. His visual impairment prevents him from enjoying many leisure activities. Chung Seol Kyoung is his energetic sighted six year-old daughter. They have a great relationship; talking a lot, reading stories and going out together. But going to unfamiliar places and discovering new things is difficult, as is acting spontaneously. Everything must be planned days ahead to places already familiar to Chung Kyoung-Jo.
Chung Kyoung-Jo says “Getting to a location is straightforward, with public transport or a driver, but once we arrive at somewhere new it's difficult to know what to do next."
How does it work?
The team worked closely with Chung Kyoung-Jo to develop Pluto, an innovative and simple way to discover new places verbally. A small, lightweight and portable device, Pluto plays sound files and displays text, enabling people to access the information - where to go, and what to look out for and so on.
The device is GPRS enabled. As the user travels they are alerted to pick up additional relevant information to enhance their experience. Sound is transmitted to headphones via Bluetooth. Pluto is also a two-way device making it easy for people record their experiences verbally. It encourages users to consider all their senses - sound, colour, smell, touch, taste and memory and categorise their stories in this way when they are uploaded.
Pluto creates layers of sensory maps that enable people to try new things they have never done before. Everyone can contribute and share. Designed with the excluded in mind, Pluto enhances the leisure experience, making it more pleasurable for all.
