Philip Polotsky
Willson Lee
Sandy Shee
Kevin Lam
Danger Zone Design Document
IAT 431
The rationale to the Danger Zone app is that it does not become a
technology that is the “solution to every problem” (Dunne & Raby, 2001); it does
not help the user find emergency services or offer help. Instead, the app
congratulates the person on being daring, and being in a dangerous place.
When the user is in a safe location (ie: a clear, sunny day in North Van), the app
tells the person to go out and explore a little more and encourages a bit of
recklessness.
Since the Danger Zone app gives people a positive response for being in a
dangerous area, there is chance for reflection as people begin to rethink how
they are living their lives. Are they being reclusive, always staying within the
boundaries of stability and order? Or, could they be experiencing so much more
excitement in situations where there is less control? The app “acknowledges a
far more complicated and realistic view of human drives...” (Dunne & Raby) by
playing on the person’s fear, letting them know that they are in fact creating
experiences and narratives for themselves.
The Danger Zone app would synchronize with other apps on a smartphone, such
as weather and GPS, and the phone’s clock. Using this information as input, the
Danger Zone would then use an algorithm to calculate the chances of dying in
that location. Other visual cues include the app changing from light to dark
colors, if there is a high chance of death. All this would be done automatically,
based on feedback from the low-fi prototype. The participant interacts with the
app by physically moving to a location, in order to get a response from it.
Dunne, A. & Raby, F. (2001) Design Noir, Chapters 1 & 3.
Figure 1: Medium-Fi prototype image.
Figure 2: Low-fi prototype image.