agorae
academic client project for SONY (2025)
Problem:
Isolation in the UK: Over 3.8 million people in Great Britain experience chronic loneliness, with 270,000 individuals going an entire week without speaking to a friend or family member.
Global Health Risks: Social isolation is a critical public health issue, resulting in a 26% increased risk of mortality globally.
Solution:
Immersive Art Experience: Designed a collaborative digital experience to foster genuine human connection among isolated individuals through shared storytelling
AI Generated Frameworks: Built an interactive activity that enables users to draw from personal anecdotes to co-create custom AI-generated characters and spatial backdrops.
Community Projection: Merged multiple user storylines into collective, interconnected environments projected around the participants to establish an immersive artistic community hub.
Primary Research & Target User Experiences
Focus Group Insights: Conducted a series of targeted focus groups and secondary research to map the cognitive and emotional triggers of isolated members in the charity Capable Communities
Memory Recall: Designed prompts to stimulate personal memory and reduce cognitive decline
Emotional Connection: Low-pressure anecdotal prompts encourage sharing and deepen connection between group members
Team Building: Collective group world-building creates respectful conversation and collaboration
Creative Outlet: The activity gives participants a sense of shared achievement and a new creative experience
User Experience Flow
Pair Onboarding: Users load the interface in pairs, reducing solo anxiety and establishing immediate peer connection
Anecdotal Prompts: Personal life-history questions appear on screen users discuss and respond via voice or text
AI Generation: The interface generates 3 images from user responses; pairs select their favorite and submit to a shared group forum
Group Scribe: The wider group reviews all submitted assets, appoints a scribe, and speaks their collective story into the device
Spatial Projection: The final AI-generated story is projected around the room, turning the tablet activity into a shared immersive experience
Accessible UI
4-Button Maximum: Every screen is capped at four interactive buttons to minimize cognitive load and keep users focused on the activity
Voice Activation: High-contrast red bubbles signal voice input, allowing users who struggle with typing reading, or various eyesight conditions to participate fully
Spatial Projection: The final AI-generated story is projected around the room, turning a tablet interaction into a shared, room-scale experience