Dahoon Lee

Invisible Suite

Date

27 SEP 2024 03 OCT 2024 (1 Week)

Wearable

In visually oversaturated environments, other people’s gaze can sometimes feel like physical pressure. Starting from on-site observations at Leake Street Tunnel, our group designed a wearable self-defence mechanism that helps protect individuals from cameras and unwanted attention.

A Place That Looks Back

By sensorially exploring the character of the place, we aimed to translate our insights into an wearable design. Our intent was to create a psychological wearable that supports personal comfort and boundaries in spaces where visual stimuli — and other people’s gaze — can become overwhelming.

From Observation to Mechanism

Through field observation at Leake Street Tunnel, we categorised visitor behaviours by sense and extracted actionable design cues. We also researched scopaesthesia (the sensation of being watched) to better understand the psychological operation of “the gaze”.

We discovered mirror vinyl — a material that allows the wearer to see out while making it difficult for others to see in — and used this as material evidence for a self-defence mechanism.

The gaze can turn a spatial experience into pressure, and that a “visible yet not visible” material property is central to designing a protective mechanism.

Wearable Refuge

A wearable that helps users “hide within the space” when they feel discomfort from other people’s gaze.

We built small paper-based low-fidelity models to quickly test structural possibilities. We then developed a wearable prototype using materials such as cardboard and mirror vinyl. By leveraging the asymmetry between inside/outside visibility when worn, we created a self-defence experience that offers a sense of refuge — a way to be present in the space while feeling protected.

What It Changed

This project was a memorable opportunity to learn how to perceive a space anew through the five human senses. As my first project in the MA programme, it was particularly meaningful to move beyond observation into making — producing a tangible prototype that could be tested and iterated. The experience clarified how quickly physical prototyping can turn an abstract insight into a sharable, evaluable UX concept.

Credits

UX Design

Dahoon Lee
Jeanne Marie-france Miguel Piffaut
Ojaswi Kejriwal
Priyanka Goel
Sakshi
Yanshan Wu

Location

Leake St, London SE1 7NN

Mentored by

Alaistair Steele
Tonicha Child
John Fass

Project Journals

UX of Human Senses Watching and Being Watched
03 OCT 2024