Searching for Sorry

In the early stage of the project, I conducted observations, surveys, and interviews with the aim of improving the usability of theatre seating and audience behaviour. I examined how disruptive actions – kicking, noise, chatting, and phone use – break immersion, and created several artefacts as design intervention tools to explore possible solutions.

This week, based on previous findings, I identified the core issue as a matter of ‘absence of apology’ and ‘degrees of apology’ and explored two potential design directions. I focused particularly on how the level of one’s apology could be made tangible and sharable.

While prototyping, I revisited the act of apologising. I wondered whether discourteous behaviour in public spaces might stem from simply not knowing how to feel sorry. This led to the question: How can we gently signal someone who may not recognise their own impact? And what kinds of cues could evoke a sense of social guilt within shared environments?

To explore this, I drafted a workshop concept: a card game presenting everyday scenarios where the person who never apologises ultimately wins. I thought this test could help reveal how people negotiate social face and the psychology behind apologising.

Are the apologies we offer truly sincere? A hollow apology can feel even more discouraging than no apology at all. This pushed me to consider how the ‘degree’ of an apology might be experienced sensorially. I began exploring materials like sand and water to visualise or physically represent the weight or intensity of one’s remorse.

Although I briefly explored alternative directions, the feedback strongly encouraged returning to the theatre as a real, tangible context. The theatre is a space rich with shared understanding and collective experience. While the card game and sand-based metaphors were interesting, they risked weakening the project’s persuasiveness. The feedback reaffirmed that, from a UX perspective, analysing real human behaviour occurring inside the theatre holds far greater value.

The card game or creative toolkit may still serve as useful warm-up or awareness tools. However, the project would benefit from shifting towards real-world applications, such as warning cards, social intervention devices, or behaviour-shaping mechanisms that could be used in situ.

Ultimately, the project must clarify whether it aims for an educational approach (raising awareness) or a real-time social intervention (shaping behaviour). Given the strength of the theatre context, this should not be overlooked.

This feedback made it clear that the project must be approached through methods that genuinely support its purpose. I had assumed that metaphorical approaches would naturally aid understanding and expansion, but in this case, they could instead dilute the project’s impact. Moving forward, I plan to develop the work by fully utilising the narrative strength and contextual richness of real situations within the theatre.