-01 FMP: early prototyping

In the early stages of decision-making for our project, my project partner and I shared a clear interest in urban exploration. As we embarked on brainstorming sessions, our goal was to define the tools and research questions that would drive our exploration.

My particular focus was on uncovering novel ways of wayfinding within a new space, challenging the conventional top-down mapping systems like GMAPS and Waze. An existing tool that caught my attention was Randonautica, discovered through social media due to its controversial random allocation of geographical points. Testing the updated version yielded inconclusive results, prompting a realization about the importance of documentation. In response, we shifted to a more quantitative approach for our research findings.

In the course of our research, we stumbled upon a valuable resource: oldmapsonline.org, which presented maps across time. Generating a layered map for Elephant and Castle, we observed intriguing elements of the neighborhood that remained unchanged, providing a fascinating perspective on the area's evolution over time. We contemplated the potential of using a 19th-century map to navigate present-day spaces.

Our attempt to materialize changes in the neighborhood by overlaying four maps of the Elephant and Castle area proved challenging and messy. This experiment emphasized our dissatisfaction with top-down mapping as an exploration tool, as it often lacks a meaningful connection to our actual spatial experiences. This sentiment echoed in our Randonautica experience, where predetermined GPS coordinates felt too restrictive, eroding the serendipitous discovery we sought to preserve in our design.

Presenting these prototypes garnered constructive feedback:

1. Exploring Psychogeography Resources: We were directed to key resources in London, particularly the work of Iain Sinclair, to ground our interest in psychogeography.

2. Embracing a Non-Traditional Mapping Approach: The instinct to eschew top-down and GPS maps resonated as a useful tool for shaping our design approach.

3. Considering Psychological Spatial Navigation: The suggestion to explore both psychological and physical spatial navigation opened avenues for a taxonomy of wayfinding approaches, providing a framework for formalizing our design direction.

As we progressed, this feedback became a compass guiding our design evolution, emphasizing the importance of a nuanced and unconventional approach to urban exploration and wayfinding.