Animal Interaction Design
As part of the Physical Interaction Design module at the National University of Singapore, I was part of a multi-disciplinary team that created an enrichment system for the orangutans at the Singapore Zoo. In a semester, we built an Arduino-powered system to promote social and physical activity in orangutans. This project was presented at the Singapore Zoo in April 2018. We were mentored by the amazing digital naturalist Dr. Andrew Quitmeyer.
These devices add crucial complexity to captive orangutans by providing a system that rewards physical activity and social cooperation.
The Orangutan Enrichment System
THE CHALLENGE
We were designing for two user groups with distinct needs, behaviours and goals - the Singapore Zoo’s twenty-orangutans, and their keepers. The overall goal was to improve the orangutan’s quality of life in captivity. A secondary goal was empowering zookeepers by improving the effectiveness of day-to-day animal upkeep tasks.
THE PROCESS
We used the Design Thinking framework by the Interaction Design Foundation (“5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process”).
Other deliverables
We also produced a documentation manual for the Singapore Zoo and an instructable.
Documentation for Zookeepers
We also created a manual on our processes and how to build this system yourself. Download it here.
An excerpt from the Orangutan Enrichment Manual.
Thoughts
While disheartening at times (like when a keeper tells you an initial prototype will be destroyed in two seconds by even a juvenile orangutan), this project was ultimately extremely rewarding, and worth it just to interact with these magnificent creatures.
If you have an animal-related project with design needs, count me in!