COMMON SKY 


Educational Product | Participatory Design | Sustainability & Biodiversity  
Individual Project (Dec. 2024 - May. 2025)

Centred on bird-human coexistence, I use interactive, participatory design to raise public awareness on how urban planning impacts biodiversity. Through an introductory tablet, an interactive building board, and a takeaway folder, participants move from understanding to action — engaging in playful yet informed decisions. In collaboration with the London Wildlife Trust, I hosted the workshop at Walthamstow Wetlands (London) in May and June 2025.

Though the main problem this design addresses is on birds in an urban context, the outcome system and framework is universal that could be applied in other educational environmental contexts.







(sound available)


Rationale:


The design of urban environments has long prioritised human convenience, often overlooking the ecological impact on non-human inhabitants, particularly birds. Many city landscapes contribute to bird fatalities due to glass collisions, artificial lighting, and habitat destruction that resulting in millions of fatalities annually.

From my secondary research, I discovered that there are already many effective solutions—ranging from architecture and products to legal regulations—that address the problem of bird collisions. However, the primary challenge lies in the lack of public awareness, as many people do not realize the significance of bird collisions or how deeply connected birds are to human life.
Design Inspiration

 Pollinator Pathmaker (Ginsberg, 2021) Sketch Town (teamLab, 2014)

A key reference is Pollinator Pathmaker, an interactive platform generate and design gardens for pollinators based on user’s input. It is algorithm-based and this participatory aspect inspired my project’s engagement-driven approach, where participants actively contribute to shaping an environment that benefits both birds and humans, instead of shaming them for what has been done to the environment (climate-positive design). Sketch Town is a virtual town that evolves based on children’s 2D drawings, which are scanned and transformed into 3D components within a digital townscape. Its effectiveness to engage users proved that the interactivity of physical making combined with an immersive space cannot be replaced by digital games or physical toys alone. 




Design Aim:


To raise public awareness about the importance of coexistence between birds and humans through partcipatory, climate-positive design.

Research question:


  1. How can interactive participatory engagement effectively challenge and transform preconceived notions or behaviours to encourage biodiversity and sustainable actions?
  2. How could participatory design be enhanced through tangible interaction and multi-sensory exploration to create empathy in the users?


Collaborative Brainstorm


Mapping Workshop 
Aim: Find out the community’s attitude toward the theme and what best engages them to make positive changes.




I designed and hosted several quick activities, involving participants of age 18 to 45, to map and brainstorm a friendly immigration path for birds.

As the result, I collected 10 collective maps and conducted interview with each participants to gain . 

Insights



Prototype 1.0





User Testing (Prototype 1.0)




Refined Workshop Process:




User Tests in the Process:

In the process of refinning the workshop process, I consistently conduct user tests and receive feedback from my target users and professionals from LWT and London Bird Club.



Visual Language:



Introductory Application:





Mechanical Development




Game Design and Develoment










Program Tests and Fabrication








Final Outcomes





Building Board





Game Design 


Screenshot of the game process


Take-away Folder and Booklet

Book-binding





Workshop - Making Real Influence (Walthamstow Wetlands, London)

 


Feedback from Lora Todorova, Visitor Engagement Officer, London Wildlife Trust