E Studio 8.30.18 Reflection

Mimi Jiao
Mimi Jiao
Sep 4, 2018 · 2 min read

As the prevalence of digital media in our physical environments increases daily, what is the role and/or responsibility of designers in shaping our environments?

As digital and physical environments become more integrated, the designer’s role is to make these environments seamless, easily accessible, and intuitive. However, as these hybrid environments become introduced to everyday life, there is another more important responsibility that designers must take into consideration. The designer should always design taking consideration the user’s safety and their awareness towards their physical environments. For example, when Pokemon GO was introduced in 2016, the initial wave of popularity brought about a lot of accidents and deaths. News stories of kids getting involved in car accidents popped up all over the internet and it’s estimated that about 10,000 people were injured as a result of the game, the majority of which were young adults. Designers may not have fully taken consideration the dangers that come from using the app, especially with the target population.
Pokemon GO was one of the first games that really introduced the general public to immersive augmented reality mobile gaming, and since then, more similar apps have been developed. However, the problem is not only relevant in the realm of mobile gaming; it has been present ever since the existence of technology. Issues like texting and driving and using the phone while crossing roads all show that there is a mental gravitation towards the digital environment, which jeopardizes the user’s safety. It is the designer’s responsibility to make sure that users are not completely focused in the digital world where they lose their perception of the physical reality. Without the user, designers have no one to design for.

    Mimi Jiao

    Written by

    Mimi Jiao

    CMU Design 2021. Communications/Environments Design + HCI