Lake Macquarie Speaks
A Mobile Experience for Interactive LED Communication
Designed to transform park visits into poetic moments through interactive light, digital storytelling, and community expression.
Goal
Design an immersive mobile interface that transforms visitors’ messages into poetic light patterns—enhancing nighttime engagement at MAP mima and promoting environmental awareness through creative expression.
My Role
Visual Design | User Research | Usability Testing | Interface Development | Pitch Video Production
Duration
13 weeks
Platform
Mobile-friendly website
Overview
We collaborated with Multi-Arts Pavilion (MAP mima) in Lake Macquarie to develop an interactive mobile experience centred around The Catenary — a dynamic LED light installation connecting visitors with the environment through visual storytelling.
The mobile-friendly website enabled users to:
• Craft personalised messages
• Visualise them in Morse code
• Illuminate the Catenary with light patterns linked to their messages
✨ “Transforming words into light — blending creativity, environmental storytelling, and digital interaction in public space.”
Problem statement
What is going on?
Visitors to Lake Macquarie often pass by the MAP mima pavilion without engaging meaningfully with its message or surroundings. While climate change is a growing concern, traditional communication methods may fail to spark emotional connection or sustained reflection.
The challenge was to rethink how digital experiences could:
• Increase public awareness around climate and environmental issues,
• Amplify community voices through poetic and participatory interaction,
• Transform ordinary park visits into moments of reflection, storytelling, and shared creativity.
How might MAP mima's LED Light Display
Multi-Arts Pavilion (MAP mima) - The Catenary Site
1.
Transform simple park visits into meaningful, light-based experiences.
2.
Foster poetic interactions that deepen environmental awareness.
✨ Design isn’t just about information — it’s about emotional connection. This project reimagines how light and interaction can turn public space into poetic advocacy.
Turning messages into light
A Poetic Digital Experience
To transform the Catenary light installation into an emotionally resonant experience, we designed a mobile-friendly web interface that invites visitors to personalise and project messages as poetic light displays.
Personalise Your Message
In the ‘Send Message’ section, users are guided by the prompt:
“If you could speak to nature, what would you say?”
This opens a creative space where visitors craft a short, reflective message and select a colour to visually express their thoughts—turning words into a personalised visual dialogue.
From Messages to Light
Once a message is sent, users are guided to preview it as a Morse code light display, now part of the illuminated installation.
On the ‘Souvenir’ page, they can download a customised image of the glowing Catenary paired with their message-turned-poem—a personalised memento from MAP mima, perfect for sharing or treasuring beyond the park visit.
Turning research into expressive interactions that connect people, place, and light
From Research Sparks to Illuminated Interaction
Our design process followed a structured approach, moving from research to refinement through four key stages: Discover, Ideation, Iteration, and Define. Each stage contributed to building an experience that was not only visually engaging but grounded in user insights and contextual relevance.
Discover Stage
• User flow mapping to uncover interaction bottlenecks
• Online ethnography and review analysis
• Affinity diagramming to synthesise user needs
Ideation Stage
• Encouraged personal reflection through message creation.
• Enabled smooth user interaction across mobile-friendly web access.
• Amplified emotional connection through light and colour.
Design Iteration
• Simplified the interface layout for easier navigation.
• Enhanced instructions and button clarity.
• Improved visual storytelling with clearer messaging and guided flows.
Define Stage
Design inspirations from local research
Contextual insights that shaped our concept direction
To ensure our design was both locally relevant and emotionally resonant, we drew inspiration from cultural cues, educational engagement, and emerging technologies in the Lake Macquarie region.
Morse Code as Visual Language
The MAP mima building facade integrates Morse code in Awabakal language, symbolising respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This inspired our use of light-coded messages in the Catenary installation.
Educational Trends in Newcastle
Morse code education is gaining popularity through local school tours and exhibitions. Our interactive design builds upon this trend, making it more engaging for families and young audiences.
SmartCity & IoT Possibilities
Local IoT infrastructure enables real-time environmental data input. We envisioned dynamic lighting that responds to weather conditions—blending interaction with ambient context.
One-Line Poetic Expression
Brief, evocative messages offer an accessible way to express environmental emotions. Inspired by local poetry initiatives, this format became the core of our user interaction flow
Personas & journey mapping
Human-Centred Design for Diverse Park Visitors
To ensure the experience resonated with a broad audience, we created five personas based on research. We then focused on two key personas—Melissa and Carlos—for journey mapping to better understand their motivations, pain points, and interaction flows with the installation.
Tracing Moments of Meaning
Mapping Their Experience in Action
We mapped their experiences across three phases—before, during, and after visiting the Catenary installation—to surface unique opportunities and design responses:
Carlos experienced challenges with colour visibility, which made it harder to independently decode Morse Code.
Melissa’s journey was shaped by her daughter’s excitement, showing how shared moments influenced emotional connection.
Both users valued reflection and interaction, though their motivations and needs varied.
Wireframes & prototype
Key usability improvements from rapid testing
To shape a user-friendly experience, we began with quick, low-fidelity paper prototypes to explore layout, interactions, and core flows. While we skipped the traditional mid-fi stage, we used early testing to guide direct refinement into hi-fi mockups—each change informed by observed user behaviour.
🔍 Early Paper Prototype - Usability Challenges Identified
Our first iteration explored the end-to-end journey—from writing a message to creating a digital souvenir. We tested layout clarity, colour selection, and message preview. Key interface ideas were sketched and tested using the think-aloud method.
Initial Paper Wireframe
Annotated Feedback Highlights
User testing surfaced several usability challenges:
Colour slider was unclear to first-time users.
Message purpose and connection to Morse Code were not obvious.
Confirmation/download screens added unnecessary steps.
Users preferred rectangular souvenirs for social sharing.
✅ Design Refinements Based on Feedback
We used these insights to streamline the interface and clarify intent. This led to significant adjustments in our next iteration:
Key Design Refinements:
🧹 Removed extra screens that added friction (e.g. confirmation step).
🪄 Added labels and preview hints to guide action.
🧭 Introduced ‘Guide’ and ‘About’ screens to support orientation.
🖼️ Refined souvenir screen with rectangular layout and better text cues.
✨ Digital Prototype – Refined Through Feedback
After validating core interaction concepts with paper prototypes, we translated key improvements into a high-fidelity digital experience. This stage focused on clarity, guidance, and intentional refinement based on observed usability breakdowns.
System flow & interaction logic
How real-time messages became light at the Catenary
We developed a working prototype using real-time MQTT communication to connect user messages with the Catenary light installation. Built with p5.js and Processing, this system transforms text into animated Morse-coded light shows.
System Overview
A lightweight system using MQTT enables real-time interaction between users and the Catenary installation. Each component plays a unique role in crafting and displaying Morse-coded messages through light.
• Client (p5.js)
Users interact through a mobile-friendly interface, selecting a colour and crafting a message.
🔹 Inputs: Text, Colour
🔹 Output: Message preview & souvenir download
• MQTT (Broker)
A lightweight messaging protocol ensures fast, reliable data transfer between client and server.
• Server (Processing)
The server processes the incoming data and translates it into dynamic lighting effects on the Catenary.
🔹 Inputs: Colour, Text, Weather, Poem
🔹 Output: Animated light show in Morse code
Live Demo: Real-Time Interaction on Smartphone
This GIF showcases the web-based prototype in action, demonstrating how users send personalised messages and colours to the Catenary installation via real-time MQTT communication.
🎥 Watch the Concept Pitch
Experience how the project was presented—highlighting user insights, interaction logic, and the emotional impact of the design.
🖱️ Explore the Interactive UI
Walk through the full interface in Figma—from input to light show.
Reflection
Designing for Meaning, Memory & Connection
This project challenged me to translate personal messages into a shared light experience that bridging emotion, technology, and public space. Designing for the Catenary installation pushed me to think beyond the screen and consider how users intuitively connect with cultural narratives through light and interaction.
