FMP — Testing Punkscape tour (Part 7)
Prototype and test
After the first testing of the punkscape tour, I refined the existing audio and designs for the tour and presented the following audio mixtape
Audio
I designed the supporting materials like envelopes, postcards, flyers, cassette covers etc., along with the cover for the punkscape tour. Besides this, I wrote about the location. I annotated the postcards and included extra souvenirs that made the hidden envelopes more meaningful and relevant to the place.
For example, I designed and placed a beermat along with the postcard of The Cambridge pub for the users to know its history and why it became famous. Since all the locations had some variables, I added audio cues to let the users know where they could find the next clue.
Final testing
I realised I had only tested with designers from different courses as my participants. Therefore, I invited three friends from non-design backgrounds for the final testing. I gave them similar instructions as the first group. In addition, I showed them how to use the cassette player and asked them to navigate independently. The first tour for the final day testing was done by Paul(28) and Supriya(25), who were from India and had recently moved to London for work. They had no prior knowledge about the punk subculture, so they were the perfect candidates for this tour. The third participant for the tour was Richard(27), from Devon, who moved to London a few years ago. He had prior knowledge about punk subculture but wasn’t aware of Soho’s punk history in London.
Challenges
The three loved the concept of exploring the city on their own thoroughly. They said they’ll be interested in trying this in different cities to learn about other subcultures. However, they pointed out a few essential things that I hadn’t taken into consideration
The audio quality
Since I had only tested the audio indoors, I forgot to consider the outside noise because the tape wasn’t audible. Also, since the low-quality cassette player, a loud static noise in the background interrupted the experience in a few locations. The volume of the speakers telling the story also varied in the cassette player, making it hard for them to listen in crowded areas like Oxford street and Charing Cross road
Limitations of the device
Since only wired earphones were compatible with the device, one of them could not use his earphones because he had to borrow mine.
Instructions
Two of three felt that the instructions weren’t clear when they were supposed to stand in a place and when they had to walk. They also wished there were more precise instructions to find the envelopes as they couldn’t figure it out on their own and often walked past them. They felt having an instruction manual with steps, and a map might help them figure out the experience better when they are on their own.
Learnings
In conclusion, I think punkscape was a great learning experience. Despite the challenges, I enjoyed learning about the different subcultures. In the future, I would consider designing two separate tours (analogue and digital) if I were to expand the punkscape tour. This approach would be more user-friendly and accessible to multiple people simultaneously. Furthermore, if I had more time and resources, I would like to expand further on the different fields of punk subculture. Also, I would like to create more minor routes related to fashion and the art history of punk as well for the users to go down mini trails. Furthermore, I’d be interested in expanding the tour to other subcultures like mods, rave and grime if I had the opportunity. I believe discovering the city through its music and psychography is an excellent way to learn new things about different subcultures.
