Brand
The University of Washington
Project
Amplifying the Public Imagination of the Central District, Seattle
Overview
Through exploring design methodologies that the Central District utilizes, I was able to craft an idea of using Artificial Intelligence to revitalize Black history and representation. This AI allows users to explore the area by holding their smart phone to a historical landmark and visually learning the history and culture it signifies.
Disciplines
Program Manager
User Research
UX Designer
Prototyping
Duration
10 weeks
Project Background
The Central District is known as being a diverse residential area rich of African American history. Through the recent gentrification of the residential and business clusters, it has pushed Black families out while suppressing the Black culture and history. In order to revitalize the culture and historical significance of the Central District amongst the urban development, this AI technology was created.
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Understanding the Opportunity Space
I began by conducting a user research on the Central District area as well as its population. This was done by analyzing existing data and interviews in order to ideate which design methodology I wanted to utilize to revitalize Black history.
I found that AfricaTown is the epicenter of this community that provides residents with Black owned businesses, volunteer efforts to reverse gentrify the area, and community led events.
After decades of gentrification, the number of Black individuals in the Central District decreased from 75% in 1970 to 15% in 2018 while the White residents increased in nearly inverse proportions.
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Design Opportunities
From my research, I came up with various design opportunities to highlight areas I wanted to investigate and design for.
1. Use Artificial Intelligence to reinvigorate Black History
2. Easy to use technology
3. Showcase past and present historical events of this area
4. Creating a logo that once a camera is pointed to it, visually displays content to the user
Creating a Logo
The design inspiration for creating a marker came from the kente cloth which is a popular Ghanian textile worn by royalty to signify wealth, high social status, and cultural sophistication.
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Another aspect of the design inspiration came from wanting to incorporate buildings in the logo because in AfricaTown, the buildings are a glue to this community. They hold historical significance and amongst decades of gentrification, they still stand and serve the residents of this community.
Final Logo
The final logo incorporates the colors of the kente cloth as well as buildings of various sizes to allow users to feel connected to it.
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Final Prototype
Based off the information and data gathered, I managed and designed the development of a program that allows users to point their smart phones at a unique logo. These logos would be placed on historical buildings and businesses so the footage would showcase information significant to building. The goal being, to revitalize Black culture in this gentrified area.
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Project Overview
The project focused on amplifying the public’s knowledge of Seattle's Central District, a diverse area with a rich African American history, through the use of Artificial Intelligence. The Central District faced challenges due to gentrification, displacing Black families and suppressing the cultural and historical significance. Over 10 weeks, the goal was to revitalize Black history and representation by developing a program that enables users to explore historical landmarks using their smartphones, visually learning about the area's history and culture
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Disciplines:
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Program Manager
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User Research
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UX Designer
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Prototyping
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Outcomes:
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Understanding the Opportunity Space:
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User research was conducted to analyze the Central District and its population. AfricaTown emerged as a community epicenter, fostering Black-owned businesses and community-led efforts against gentrification. The research highlighted a significant decline in the Black population over decades.
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Design Opportunities:
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Leveraging AI for Black history revitalization, creating user-friendly technology, showcasing historical events, and developing a logo that, when captured by a camera, visually displays content to users.
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Creating a Logo:
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The logo drew inspiration from the kente cloth and incorporated buildings to symbolize the community's resilience.
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The final design incorporated vibrant colors and various building sizes, fostering a sense of connection.
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Final Prototype:
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A program was developed, allowing users to point their smartphones at unique logos on historical buildings, revealing information significant to each location. The objective was to revitalize Black culture in the gentrified area, using technology to address social issues.
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Future Considerations:
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Test the final prototype as well as the logo with diverse user groups to evaluate its effectiveness
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Explore additional features, such as user content sharing, saving, and organization
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Perform ethical testing as a result of incorporating AI
Credits
Niat Emnetu (UX Designer and UX Researcher)
Khyree Watson (UX Designer and UX Research)
Rafael Silva (Software Engineer)
Daniela Rosner (Associate Professor)