Mosaic Milan is an interactive citywide display that invites people to engage in events celebrating Milan’s cultural diversity, fostering connection and unity.
Project
Collaborative Workshop Design Sprint
Context and Problem
Milan has Italy’s highest population of immigrants, along with a large percentage of older residents. This unique reality creates opportunities and challenges in regards to culture, integration, and social wellbeing of citizens and immigrants.
Solution
Interactive displays throughout the city promotes culture sharing from both Italian-locals and foreign-born residents, while breaking down barriers of perception and access to technology.
My Role
UI/UX
Research
Team
Sarah Rath
Adiva Ahmad
Emily Harris
Richard Wu
Ziyun Wang
Timeline
4 weeks (October 2024)
Tools
Figma, Figjam
SOLUTION
Whether events are hosted by the city or an individual, find them while exploring the events catalog or through the map view.
Close by or somewhere new.
Have the option to pick an event down the street or to make an excursion to visit a part of the city you’ve been meaning to visit.
Whether you’re a planner or spontaneous, Mosaic Milan is built for you. Have the ability to see events weeks or months in advance, or what's happening in the city right now.
Get an idea of the activities that are planned, or go in blind with an open mind to have a good time.
ADAPTABLE
Made to fit your lifestyle.
Book an available event space by selecting one of many public spaces that Milan has to offer. Have the option to make events open or private, depending on your needs.
Screens built for you.
Secure QR code scanning allows you to fill in private information regarding your event on your mobile device.
Customize the height of your tool bar by quickly dragging it to a comfortable height.
CONVENIENT AND FLEXIBLE
Find events across the city.
CUSTOMIZABLE
Make your own events.
ENGAGING AND RELEVANT
Seasonal display themes.
Mosaic Milan’s interactive displays feature changing visual themes, keeping the experience fresh and engaging. These dynamic designs attract new visitors while offering loyal participants something new to explore with each event.
PROBLEM SPACE
Why this problem is important and solvable…
Although creating a solution that overcomes personal perception and already-existing stereotypes is challenging, additional research helped us uncover root pain points along with opportunities.
Reporters like Alexandra Serbana are digging deeper into negative perceptions. When asked about neighborhoods with higher percentages of immigrant populations, people often associated them with danger and crime.
How can we help break down these negative barriers?
1) People don’t feel safe.
Through the organization of anti-discrimination rallies, Milan has formed a front against acts of hate.
The “People First” rally is just one example of Milan coming together to spread awareness about growing social issues and concerns.
2) Milan wants change.
In comparison to other cities, Milan loves to walk. Why don’t we leverage the outdoors to help bring the community together?
This visualization by Transform Transport helps show how many unused public spaces there are throughout Milan, along with the diversity in types of spaces there are.
3) Leveraging public spaces.
RESEARCH
HMW Statement
How might we celebrate intercultural exchange and empower foreign-born residents in Milan to integrate into the community?
**with a focus on urban renewal + community and breaking down perception through empathy.
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
In preparation for conducting user-testing of our product, I developed mid-fidelity wireframes of our primary user-flows. This included our home navigation, events catalog, calendar and map view.
Our first iteration was designed considering the brand identity of the city of Milan, featuring Milan’s crest and color scheme throughout the design.
We also created a series of space-booking forums that could take users through the process of creating an event, selecting a space and time, and inputting all of the event details and requirements.
These insights were pivotable for our design and improving our product, helping propel our project forward.
Enhance Engagement & User Experience
User-Test Feedback
After receiving feedback on our prototype, we had many important takeaways which we turned into actionable steps to improve our product. To summarize, we needed to focus primarily on:
Navigation elements need better hierarchy, clearer icons, and reduced redundancy to enhance usability. Features like QR codes should indicate their purpose, and additional home button options can simplify movement within the interface.
Improve Clarity & Navigation
Events should feel more interactive and exciting, with filters that promote social connections (e.g., food, music). Map functionality needs improvements for better usability, including real-time location, event distance, and search options, while also considering user empathy and vandalism concerns.