EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Moving Beyond the Flags with Surf Life Saving
Timeline
March 2024 - May 2024
My Role
Design Lead
Background Research
Conceptual Design
Prototyping
Team
Kesnavi Parammanandhan
Jiabao Wang
Siwen Wang
Mengxuan Zhang
Introduction
Unpatrolled beaches in Australia embody a duality, drawing on Surf Life Saving’s challenge, whereby they attract frequent visitors, despite being risky. The tranquility the beach offers conceals potential risks and hazards, creating a dangerous juxtaposition.
Goal
Effectively communicate to beachgoers about the risks and safety practices associated with unpatrolled beaches.
The Challenge
PROBLEM #1
Lack of Effectiveness for Current Signages
More than half of the beachgoers did not notice any beach safety signage, despite the signs being prominent (McCutcheon, 2018).
PROBLEM #2
Disconnect between Perceived Risk and Actual Risk
The beach culture in Australia shapes the way individuals perceive risks, and as they spend more time at the beach, their identity becomes intertwined with the beach environment. Consequently, Australian-born residents are able to recognize the risks at beaches but often fail to attribute those risks to their own behavior. Hence, there is a gap between Australians' perceived risks and the actual risks within unpatrolled locations (Walton, 2014).
Defining the Problem
How can we playfully communicate the risks of unpatrolled beaches to young men in Australia, so they assess the dangers while still feeling empowered and independent?
Design Process
OBSERVATION
Behind-the-Scenes @ Bondi & Tamarama Beach
In our observations, despite the beach being closed due to unsafe conditions, we noticed individuals surfing and swimming in the rough sea. This observation aligns with previous research indicating that some individuals do not heed warnings or safety signs at the beach.
TARGETED USER GROUP
Male Teenagers
The targeted user group was strategically selected to be male teenagers aged 15-19 years. By focusing on this age group, the intervention aims to create a foundational understanding of beach safety so that as they get older, they will have the knowledge to make safer choices. This approach potentially reduces the number of incidents involving young male adults drowning at unpatrolled beaches.
IDENTIFICATION OF VALUES & THEMES
The Notion of Play
By identifying the key stakeholders and the values they hold, playfulness was recognized as a fundamental characteristic of unpatrolled beaches.
At an unpatrolled beach hidden away from the crowds, the characteristic of play is heightened, as it surrounds itself with an air of secrecy. Consequently, the appeal of an unpatrolled beach lies in its inherent characteristic of being hidden away from the crowds and the noise (Walton, 2014).
Ideation
In the brainstorming session, we used the Crazy 8s Method to generate various creative ideas focusing on the theme “playfulness”. Each team member came up with 8 sketches and then we discussed and evaluated these potential ideas, including VR, roleplay experience and card games.
Concept
The mechanic of our chosen idea was based on the traditional board game "Snakes and Ladders." The metaphorical representation of snakes and ladders aligns well with the underlying themes of "safety" and "danger" relevant to beach safety awareness. To iterate on this concept, we looked into several existing games, LEGO and Be Internet Awesome, that were targeted to male teenagers.
COMPETITIVE GAMEPLAY
Rewards
To enhance engagement, the game incorporates a competitive aspect where winners are rewarded. This incentivization motivates players to focus and actively participate, thereby facilitating deeper learning and retention of safety measures.
FEEDBACK MECHANISM
Q&A Sessions
After gameplay, SLS volunteers will engage with players by offering immediate Q&A sessions and reinforcing the educational content. These review sessions ensure that players leave with a clear understanding of beach safety.
Final Concept
The design of 'BEACH EXPLORER' uses a familiar game structure similar to 'Snakes and Ladders' to illustrate the duality of safety and danger in unpatrolled beach environments. In this adaptation, dangerous situations are represented by various beach hazards, while safety symbols replace ladders, offering players safe passage and highlighting the importance of protective measures and safe practices. Additionally, the life-sized game will be installed at the beach entrance, featuring a large board that participants can step on to foster high engagement.
After participants have finished the game, they can enter the beach informed of the risks and safety measures they can take in unpatrolled areas.
Impact
The integration of agency, independence, and playfulness forms the core of our intervention. By employing a playful experience through "Beach Explorer", we believe individuals will be empowered to make informed decisions and exercise their agency in choosing to visit an unpatrolled beach.
Reflection
Before diving into this project, seeking out 'hidden' beaches in Sydney, away from the crowds, was something I looked forward to. As I engage with the project, the duality of unpatrolled beaches becomes apparent—its serene beauty intertwined with inherent risks. The project began with a brief from the client, highlighting the need to use technology to communicate the risks of an unpatrolled beach. In my experience as a designer, this is the first time I received a brief from a client, and challenging the brief was an eye-opening experience.
In the design process, I often felt lost at sea. There were many angles the research could have influenced the design outcome. As I delved deeper into researching the reasons people visit unpatrolled beaches, I recognised playfulness as an inherent characteristic that was missing from today's messaging. I felt connected to the idea of playfulness as it deeply resonated with the reasons why I seek hidden beaches in the first place. By using this value of playfulness and empowering the agency to visit unpatrolled beaches, it allowed us to explore potential solutions.
Throughout the process, I took the initiative to speak to the client, whenever it was possible. By doing so, I was able to proactively ask questions and dive deeper into the client's understanding of the brief and their needs.
However, there were challenges, and designing a playful intervention that appeals to our target group of young men proved to be difficult. We sought various design inspirations and iterated on our design concept. Through this process, I led the conceptual design of 'Beach Explorer,' including the mechanics of how the intervention will take place.
As a designer, identifying the 'why' was the biggest takeaway from this project. There are many ways an outcome could materialise, but identifying the 'why' will influence the approach we take as designers. As I felt lost at sea with the process, anchoring myself to why beachgoers explore these hidden beaches allowed me to reframe the brief. Specifically, it resonated with those beachgoers—the idea of playfulness.
References
McCutcheon, P. (2018, February 22). Dangerous beach named one of Australia’s best, sparking safety concerns. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-22/concerns-after-dreamtime-beach-named-one-of-australias-best/9473244
Surf Life Saving. (2023). National Coastal Safety Report 2023. Issuu. https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/ncsr23?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ
Uebelhoer, L., Koon, W., Harley, M. D., Lawes, J. C., & Brander, R. W. (2022). Characteristics and beach safety knowledge of beachgoers on unpatrolled surf beaches in Australia. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 22(3), 909–926. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-909-2022
Walton, T. (2014). Risky behaviours of beachgoing in Australia (Doctoral dissertation, UNSW Sydney)
