by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

Pitch

Here you can watch my elevator pitch for my app for reporting light pollution, with a transcript below.

Have you ever been on holiday and there is a beautiful landscape, but it is polluted by a lot of garbage lying around and you feel really sad and powerless because there is nothing you can do about it? Well, that is how I feel about the night sky when I look at it and it is all orange.

This happens due to light pollution. Many people do not know that light pollution is harmful to the ecosystem, to a lot of animals and to our health. They also do not know what to do about it.

I believe that the first step is reporting it. I plan to design an app where this can be done in an easy way, so that researchers and authorities can access data.

I plan to make it fun by combining education and some fun facts with challenges to encourage its usage.

I feel like I need to do something about light pollution because it makes me angry and I think that through interaction design I can engage more people and raise more awareness.

by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

Three prototypes

After a semester of research, I started prototyping. I thought of three possible solutions for light pollution in the interaction design field.

The first prototype I created is a reporting app for the Globe at Night project. It blends the form with a star map, allowing users to learn about the sky and contribute to the monitoring of light pollution. By adding an educational and interactive layer to the form I tested in a previous article, I want to increase its usage.

The star map works with GPS, the compass sensor and AR on your phone and is inspired by the app Stellarium. At the beginning, you are asked to find a constellation. Once you move your phone to the right position and find it on the sky (in this case a black sheet with white dots drawn on it), you can learn about the constellation or report light pollution starting from it. To report pollution, you simply have to tap on the stars you see, which change colour when selected, and then tap on “submit data”.

The second prototype is an app or web app that serves as an aid to the installation of outdoor fixtures in a way that is dark sky friendly. It has 5 steps inspired by the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting by DarkSky:

Image by DarkSky

Some of them require the usage of the phone camera to check if the actions are performed correctly (direction, brightness, temperature), another one allows you to set timers and motion sensors for the smart fixture.

The third prototype is a game that shows the consequences of light pollution from the perspective of moths. Their sense of orientation relies on the moon, the only natural light source. When they see artificial light, they are trapped in atypical flight patterns, which are exhausting and often lead to death.

In this game, the player puts on AR glasses in a dark room and tries to find the moon, while avoiding artificial lights. They would be distributed in different locations in a dark room. The AR device mymics the vision of moths, so distinguishing natural and artificial light becomes a challenge. After getting too close to a certain amount of artificial lights, the player “dies”.

A bicycle light seen through the goggles.

In this first prototype, the device is a cardboard box that I cut in a way that allows the player to place it in front of their eyes and see through a plastic bag attached on the other side. I used various lights I had at home to represent different light sources. My version is done with “Wizard-of-Oz” prototyping, so at the beginning I play an introductory audio by National Geographic that explains why moths are attracted by lamps. After that, the player can start their mission of finding the moon and every time they reach a light source, I tell them what it is. After reaching three lamps, the game is over.

I chose the first prototype (light pollution reporting app) for a speed prototype reviewing we did in class to gather feedback. Someone asked how the app knows that you are looking at the right constellation and thought that there is not enough feedback telling you if your performed action is right or wrong. The app works with GPS and the compass sensor so it detects when you are pointing your phone in the right direction. Regarding feedback, I could integrate a vibration or sound feedback or a bright coloured outline when the right constellation is being looked at.

Other people suggested me to state clearly at the beginning that data is going to be submitted. While this is mentioned in the introductory paragraph of the first screen, I could make the information shorter and more immediate.

One persone said that if the app had a Tinder profile, its description would be “learn about astronomy and relax“. Someone else appreciated the combination of gaming and science.

Another person argued that the app only is for people interested in astronomy. This might be true, therefore I shall think of ways to make it attractive for a broader audience, in order to draw more attention on the issue.

by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

Product/Business idea

After creating value proposition map and business model canvas of the app to report light pollution, I wrote a product idea.

Light pollution is not talked about a lot. In addition, there is not a central platform to report it, and the ones that exist are difficult to use. With this product, I want to make light pollution reporting and research easy and accessible for normal citizens and scientists. This way, I aim to raise awareness on the cause and inform people, in order to fight the issue collectively.

We should care about light pollution and take action against it because it brightens the night sky, it harms nocturnal animals and disrupts biological cycles. By reporting it, we allow biologists to track data and solutions can be suggested to authorities.

The solution I offer is an app that merges reporting and instruction: users can fill out a simple form about the condition of the sky they see, see their contributions, sign petitions, but also navigate a light pollution map and discover the sky thanks to augmented reality. There is also a social media function to let people connect.

The target audience includes nature lovers, astronomers, people living in big cities, people with sleep issues, biologists and ecologists. The first ones can use the app to report and learn, while the other ones can analyse data for research.

With this product, attention can be drawn to the issue, changes in light pollution can be studied, solutions can be found and suggested to authorities. Other than that, users can find like-minded people, learn something new and feel like they made a difference.

The app can make money by selling a premium version with advanced features, like more details on the light pollution map and on the AR version of the sky. Other than that, it would rely on government or charity funds.

by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

Value Proposition Map

I created two value proposition maps for my app, one per customer. The first one is for nature lovers and aims to give them a tool to actively protect the environment.

The second one is for biologists and wants to give them a tool to access, filter, organise and export data about light pollution.

I also created a business model canvas to explain the idea.

by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

ClimaSynth: Enhancing Environmental Perception through Climate Change Sonic Interaction

In this entry I will be reviewing a NIME (New Interfaces for Musical Expression) paper I read, ClimaSynth: Enhancing Environmental Perception through Climate Change Sonic Interaction. The authors are Eleni-Ira Panourgia and Angela Brennecke from Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and Bela Usabaev from the Cologne Academy of Media Arts. The paper was published in 2024 from the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression.

The document describes ClimaSynth, an interactive application that aims to communicate climate change through sound, using interaction as a means to raise awareness about the changing environment. ClimaSynth explores the relationship between acoustic and climatic effects by allowing users to manipulate sound through an interface.

I believe it is relevant for New Interfaces for Musical Expression because it explores how we can use simple sonic parameters to communicate big issues. At the same time, it is relevant for my research because it shows a way to draw attention to an environmental cause.

The web-based application developed wishes to enhance environmental perception and explore how sound can express aridity and drought. It achieves this through contrast and familiar sounds, which are associated with climate conditions. The aim is also to investigate the issue through non-human perspectives.

The sonic experience wants to be accessible, with a blurred distinction between content and interface. The authors wanted to create a minimal UI that united sound and vision. Other applications in this format already exist, such as Sound Canvas, Lines and GrainTrain. Riverssounds, another one, allows users to navigate river ecosystems with mouse interaction.

Climate change also means that environments sound differently. This interactive application tries to communicate this using a sound design technique called granular synthesis. It transforms audio by breaking it down into microscopic fragments called “grains”. In this case, granular synthesis is used to manipulate recordings. 

The user can select a soundscape from a drop-down menu: “birds near water”, “river water” and “tree bark”. Each of these corresponds to a field recording. They can then adjust two parameters with sliders, “areas” and “spread”, which are then translated visually and sonically. By modifying these parameters, it is possible to transition between two extremes: the birds singing alone or accompanied by insects, the river becoming dryer and the tree bark readjusting its flexibility, all changes caused by drought. 

The “spread” value is visually translated as a purple area around the mouse, that can be more or less dense. With zero spread the grains are sampled from the same point, while a higher value allows for a broader selection of grains.

The “area” value shows the number of black dots around the mouse. Lower values allow the sounds to be individually perceived, while higher values make us perceive them as connected.

The conceptual originality of ClimaSynth is using parameters to communicate climate change and identifying which ones convey the idea the best. The non-human perspective of the applications makes the user almost feel like they are a fish in the river or the tree itself.

The idea of melting interface and content is coherent and shows that sound and visual elements can also communicate greater problems without needing any words.

The paper is missing information about target audience, testing and participants.

I also think that it is not very accessible to someone not from the field because the way the parameters work is not intuitive. Their visual translation is clear, but I found the sonic changes difficult to grasp. Before reading the paper, I was not sure of what the interactions meant. I would have wished for clearer naming of the parameters or labels on the two ends of the sliders, as a sort of cue of their effect on the sound. 

With the climate changes not being too evident on screen or sonically, I think the result is limited, although after playing with it for a while it is possible to perceive the changes.

As a consequence, I believe that the mapping could be more thoughtful, but the instrument is still performable beyond the lab. It explores musical expression in a way that is closer to nature and it surely conveys a message.
I agree with what is stated in the conclusion of the paper: “This approach offers a promising direction for conveying the complexity of climate change through rich sonic encounters with changing environmental states.” 

The conclusion also mentions the possibility to integrate more parameters and environmental or location-specific data in the UI, and I can imagine the interface changing for each recording, to make the experience more immersive.

I reckon the application could be displayed in exhibitions about environmental issues, but it could also be used to promote behavioural change in interactive ads.

The method explored has potential to communicate the complex issue that is climate change, and it was of great inspiration for my research theme, as I am interested in how interaction can raise awareness about light pollution. Using parameters, whether visual or sonic and analysing them is a way to communicate environmental changes and I will take it into consideration when working on my light pollution project.

by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

Inclusion and Accessibility

The third step in analising my project’s users was inclusion and accessibility. This happened in two phases, where I asked myself some questions.

For whom is the experience accessible? What is needed for the full experience?

  • A mobile phone with GPS
  • An Internet connection
  • Vision, actually also a good eyesight
  • Basic knowledge about light pollution

What are the barriers? How do we make the product accessible?

  • Vision: for blind people, there could be an audio guide working with GPS that describes what is visible in the sky; the phone camera pointed at the sky could help reporting data about light pollution;
  • Myopia: the experience should be AR, so if someone does not see well from afar, they can still see the stars on their phone thanks to the camera; the phone camera could help reporting data about light pollution;
  • Hyperopia: When using AR and reading words on the screen, there should be an option to zoom in; text size changes and speech-to-text features should be supported;
  • Internet connection: there should be an option to save a report even when you are offline, then the data is sent as soon as Internet connection is reestablished; written feedback and progress about this should be shown;
  • Basic knowledge about light pollution: the app could have brief explanations or information buttons beside some sections, as well as explanations about the issue and its importance in general;
by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

Discovering influence and impact

The second step to visualise who is involved in my project was to create various “before” and “after” scenarios, which I summarise below.

Before

  1. Scientists wonder about light pollution in a certain area
  2. Sleep experts wonder if there is a correlation between some sleep patterns and the light pollution of a certain area
  3. The government or the European Union do not direct their funds towards this problem due to lack of awareness
  4. Citizens feel helpless in front of environmental issues

After

  1. Nature lovers submit data about the night sky during their outdoor adventures
  2. Thanks to data collected by the Globe at Night Project, universities can research correlation between some sleep patterns and the light pollution of a certain area
  3. Thanks to collected data and awareness, young people concerned about the environment raise their voice and draw the institutions’ attention
  4. Thanks to a easy reporting feature, citizens can help scientists with small actions
by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

System map

For my idea of a system to report light pollution and learn about the night sky I created a system map. It is used to visalise direct users, indirect users and influencers of the project. After filling out the map, I drew connections between the people and institutions involved.

by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

The niche of light pollution games

Let’s take a look at how to raise awareness on light pollution through gamification.

people gathered at night to install new lights
The installation of new lighting by the DARKER SKY Project, photo: Burmann/NPorts

Nienke Aal, wildlife management student at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences did an internship at the DARKER SKY Project. It is an Interreg North Sea project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, which aims at reducing light pollution and increasing biodiversity and ecological connectivity. In her report about the experience, Nienke describes the creative and collaborative approach of the project. In fact, it involved designers, ecologists, and storytellers, who all contributed to create a nature-friendly night.

Students of the minor Design for Complex Problems from NHL Stenden, the Netherlands developed interactive sessions with stakeholders to inform and encourage reflection and behavioural change. They showed them different pictures of artificial lighting and asked them to rate them as either “good” or “bad”. They approached the activity with an open mind and showed that listening is equally important as designing.

Students from the course Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD) also from NHL Stenden created a board game and an animation to raise awareness about light pollution. The game took players through four different habitats, each with a different light. Light was the villain in the game, causing difficulties to players and ultimately leading them to lose. The animation on the other hand showed the effects of light pollution on animals, but translated to humans. With light, the character felt more and more exhausted. At the end, the curtains close and the relief can be felt with the help of music. After watching the animation, five out of nine people who had not worried about light pollution before admitted that they felt concerned about the future of biodiversity.

people looking at computer screens, and talking. On the background, a big whiteboard with many sticky notes
man playing a board game
a final concept presentation

These photos were all taken by Nienke Aal for DARKER SKY. Unfortunately I could not find any close-up pictures. Nevertheless, reading about them was inspiring and made me realise that design, interdisciplinarity and non-formal education can really tackle complex issues.

Another example of interaction design for awareness I found is the videogame Lux, developed at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi in Canada. It is designed to promote better lighting practices among the population and show the impact light pollution has on animals. Although games about light pollution are not very common, they are usually educative and serious, while this one wants to give a playful twist to the issue.

The story is set in a North American city plagued by light pollution. In the game, the player is Lux, a cat that has the mission to save small animals incapacitated by the dazzle. Lux performs different tasks, including replacing blue light bulbs with warmer ones and correcting their orientation. A drone, which represents the enemy, emits a light that disorients the protagonist.

cute calico cat with hoodie and backpack, seen from the front and from the back
Lux, the protagonist, Lux
game loop with tasks for Lux the cat
The game loop, Lux

The description gives us detailed information about the UI, the design method used and character design. The UI introduces icons and bold words in the text bubbles to help the player skim through the speech bubbles. The Lux game was developed using a user-centered design approach and the Agile method, where playtesting had an essential part. 

All animals are native to the northern American environment and are named after light or energy references, such as Candela, Joule, Étincelle and Lumen.

Candela the barn owl says: Good start. Now, to replace a blue light, you first need to find an orange light.
Candela, the barn owl, gives instructions to the player. The UI introduces icons and bold words in the text bubbles to help fast reading and improve accessibility, Lux
Final concept art of Joule the bird, Étincelle the opossum, Lumen the moth and the surveillance drone
Some of the characters with light and energy inspired names, Lux
screenshot of the mission "separated family": find the three baby opossums and bring them back to their mother.
In level 2 the player has to locate and bring back three opossum babies, after their mother almost gets hit by a truck with blinding headlights and loses them, Lux

Lux wants to play with contrast: light seems necessary for humans, but it can be harmful for animals. Through this game, players can easily learn good practices that are friendly to fauna and can recognise problematic lighting in their environment.

I really recommend you to read the whole game description, I think it is a masterpiece because every detail is carefully selected, plus the characters are adorable.

videogame with pixelated night sky and speech bubble at the bottom
The game Growing Light by Space Owl

I also found a short game that depicts a quiet moment, Growing Light by Space Owl. In it, some campers observe the stars at night. The player can use arrow keys or the touch screen to search the night sky with the telescope and follow the campers’ conversation. The author’s motivation behind this minigame is showing that we are missing out on a chunk of the human experience if we’re deprived of our view of the night sky. It is very short and simple: as a player, you only move the telescope and make the characters speak. Still, the simplicity of the plot, the minimal interaction and the dark colours were able to transmit me serenity.

board game
The printable “board” of Journey through a Bright Night

I am ending this article about gamification with an analogue example called Journey through a Bright Night. It is a board game developed by a mother and her two children, who wanted to educate their classmates about light pollution. It is an open source game that can be downloaded, printed on a sheet of paper and played with just a dice and playing pieces. While moving forward on the path, players face the same challenges that animals of different species encounter due to light pollution. The game’s format already exists, but it is educational thanks to detailed explanations.

Researching games about light pollution has been fascinating. I discovered a whole genre that I did not know existed. Unfortunately they are not very popular because environmental causes rarely are a reason for profit and this one is still a niche. I hope some day light pollution will get as much attention as plastic in the oceans, fast fashion, greenhouse emissions and deforestation, and maybe design can help make that happen.

by Indigo Tschurtschenthaler -

Circadian lights for better sleep quality

a man looking at his phone in bed
Using your phone at night disturbs the sleep cycle, Harvard Health publishing

Artificial light, especially from lightbulbs and smartphones, disrupts our sleep cycle and suppresses the production of melatonin. The aspects that disturb us are primarily brightness, temperature and prolonged use during evening hours. This happens because the sun naturally emits intense blue light during peak hours and as smart devices mimic these conditions, our mood is boosted and our body becomes alert. 

the sun's temperature during the day. 9AM high awareness, 3PM drop in awareness.
Different light temperatures and their effect on humans, Flexfire
circadian rhytm with times, colours and what they mean for the human body
The cricadian rhytm, Lighting Research Center, Mariana Figueiro, Kassandra Gonzales, and David Pedler. Designing with Circadian Stimulus, October 2016 

Calm tells us that a common best-practice for better sleep quality is avoiding screens 1–2 hours before bed, but if this is not possible, there are other solutions:

  • Using dark mode, to shift screen colors to warmer tones (yellow/orange) 
  • Using blue-blocking glasses, to filter out blue lights
  • Lowering brightness
  • Choosing calm, low-stimulation content 
  • Exposing yourself to lots of bright light during the day, which improves mood and ability to sleep (Harvard Health Publishing)
  • Using dim, indirect lighting in your room, so your eyes are not adjusting between two extremes.
  • Creating rituals to wind down, like sipping tea, stretching gently, dimming lights or playing ambient sounds or calming music

The less your nervous system has to process, the easier it is to relax. Therefore, when using your phone in the evening, you should:

  • Avoid fast-cut editing, suspenseful storylines, or emotionally charged posts that can keep your brain alert long after putting down the phone
  • Avoid answering e-mails, playing games or watching engaging shows
  • Consume slower, more predictable content, like a familiar show or nature documentaries
  • Avoid social media or curate your feed towards slower content
  • Use apps that guide meditation, breathing, or visualization 
  • Listen to white noise, gentle music, or ASMR, with the “Do Not Disturb” mode on and the phone slightly out of reach
  • If you doom scroll, set a timer, a sleep reminder or keep the phone away from you when you are ready to sleep

Calm is an app with bedtime stories, guided meditations, relaxing music, soundscapes and the function to track your sleep.

UI of the Calm app
Calm’s library of meditations, Sleep Stories, music, and more, Calm

According to Calm, different light colours can affect the sleep cycle differently:

  • Blue light helps you stay focused but wakes you up in the evening
  • White light supports alert and clarity
  • Yellow and amber light mimics sunset colours and relax the body, telling it to wind down
  • Red light is the least likely to interfere with sleep thanks to its long wavelengths
sunset seen from FH Joanneum rooftop
Red light tells us that the day is ending and has a relaxing effect on us

A polysomnographic (PSG) and electroencephalographic (EEG) study published in Sleep Medicine Volume 14, Supplement 1 showed that sleeping with a bedside light on not only causes change in sleep quality , but also has a persistent effect on brain oscillations.

Many companies, such as Ge Lighting are designing Circadian Lighting products. According to their website, Circadian Lighting is a concept that can help support the internal biological clock and sleep. With light the human cycle can be synchronised with the natural cycle of the world. Circadian Lighting does not only improve health, but also reduces fatigue and improves productivity, concentration, cognitive health and physical and emotional wellness. 

Circadian Lighting considers color temperature, time, duration, and angle of light. The methods used are intensity tuning, colour tuning and Correlated color temperature (CCT). Intensity tuning is a controlled dimming system that sets the light’s intensity to match the brightness of the sun. Colour tuning and correlated colour temperature match the light’s temperature to match the colour of the sun. Values range between 1000K and 10000K. The lower, the warmer and the higher, the cooler. 

woman interacting with a Circadian Lighting interface installed beside her bed
Circadian Light system that allows personalisation on a small interface on the side of the bed, Interact Lighting

Below you can find some Circadian Lights. These products are connected to the Internet and allow a schedule and settings personalisation through an app or other interface.

lightbulb
CYNC Soft White LED Light Bulbs allow you to set schedules, control away from home, control with your voice, save preferences and dim/brighten lights. You can connect them to your smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and they work with Alexa and Hey Google. In addition, you can use the Cync App to create custom scenes, set schedules, and control multiple bulbs at once, even remotely.
lightbulb with cardboard box
TUO Circadian Smart Bulb allows customized schedules with fade to wake you up in the most natural way. It works with the TUO Life App, compatible with iOS and Android. It features three modes: wake, active and calm.
a modern-looking beside light with a calming hue
The Loftie Lamp features sunrise wake ups, bedsignal bedtime reminders, sunset dimming, custom colours and gradients, night light mode, reading light mode and adjustable brightness. It can be connected to the Internet, pairs with the Loftie Clock (Optional) and can be controlled with the Loftie App. Functionality is combined with a modern design and intuitive physical buttons.

Philips has developed a lighting management platform called Dynalyte. It allows users to create different lighting scenes to suit a variety of tasks and occasions, schedule scenes according to sunrise and sunset, seasonal changes and and public holidays and also the function to group luminaires. To manage their space, users can choose between browser-based software and mobile apps. The system includes user profiles and access control.

home screen of Dynalite
The interface is customisable in terms of language and iconography and allows easy scene selection, Dynalite