Tag: calmtechnology

Continuing my research on the topic of “Slowness”from last semester, I will be doing further work on this topic as part of the Design & Research II course with Birgit Bachler PhD.

For the final assignment, I will need to record a 2-minute video of the final prototype — in my case, I plan to use prototyping in Figma, which each of you will be able to test. The research will again focus more on contextual analysis, as well as user testing, bibliography, and heuristic evaluation.

Comparing default routes and experience-based routes 🛣️

For this post, I decided to conduct a small practical experiment and compare a standard navigation route with one that more closely resembles the concept behind my future app. I chose the same route: from my current location to Hauptplatz in Graz. It was important to me to look not only at the time and distance, but also at how the walking experience itself changes.

On Google Maps [1], the standard route looks very straightforward and functional. The app suggests the fastest option: 35 minutes, 2.6 km, mostly along Annenstraße. This is convenient if the goal is simply to get to your destination. But with this option, the walk feels more like a task: follow the line, don’t get distracted, and reach your destination.

Then I manually created a second route in Google Maps and added stops: BILLA PLUS, Volksgarten, and Gelateria Italiana by Luis, and only then—Hauptplatz. The time increased to 42 minutes, but the route itself became completely different. It’s no longer just a path from point A to point B, but a little walking itinerary: pop into a store, walk through the park, buy some ice cream, and only then head to the center.

I also ran the comparison on Mapy.cz [2]. The direct route is shown there as 43 minutes, 2.6 km, while the route with additional stops is about 50 minutes, 3 km. What I especially liked about Mapy.cz is that the urban environment itself is much easier to make out. You can see parks, green spaces, paths, the terrain, the river, and the neighborhood’s layout. The map looks more detailed and “outdoor-oriented.” Visually, it’s not as minimalist as Google Maps, but for my purposes, that’s actually a plus because it helps me not just walk, but understand the space around me.

This experiment helped me better understand the concept behind my app. I don’t just want to make routes longer. The idea is for users to be able to choose not only their destination but also the type of route: fast, leisurely, green, adventurous, social, or with short stops.

In the next prototype, I want to develop this logic further. For example, if a user selects a “slow route,” the app could automatically suggest a path through a park, a quiet street, a café, or a spot for a short stop. In other words, the map becomes not just a navigation tool, but also a tool for planning a walk.

This test showed me one simple thing: navigation doesn’t have to be just about the shortest route. Sometimes an extra 5–10 minutes can make a route much more enjoyable, personal, and memorable.

Sources 🛈

[1] Google Maps. Google LLC. Available at: https://www.google.com/maps

[2] Mapy.cz. Seznam.cz, a.s. Available at: https://mapy.cz

Continuing my research on the topic of “Slowness”from last semester, I will be doing further work on this topic as part of the Design & Research II course with Birgit Bachler PhD.

For the final assignment, I will need to record a 2-minute video of the final prototype — in my case, I plan to use prototyping in Figma, which each of you will be able to test. The research will again focus more on contextual analysis, as well as user testing, bibliography, and heuristic evaluation.

Social geography and who the city is for 🤼🏻

The next important question for my project is: who is “slow navigation” actually designed for? At first glance, it might seem that “slow routes” are suitable for everyone: tourists, locals, people who love to walk, or those who want to explore the city. But if we look deeper, the city isn’t the same for everyone. Different people move through it in different ways, and this falls under the umbrella of social geography.

Social geography helps us think of the city not only as a physical space but also as a social experience. The same route can be pleasant for one person and inconvenient or even unsafe for another. For example, a tourist might be looking for beautiful streets and cafes, a local resident might be looking for a peaceful route after work, someone walking a dog might be looking for green spaces, and a person with limited mobility might be looking for a flat route without steep inclines or stairs.

Social geography is a subfield of human geography that examines the relationship between society and space. While there is no universally accepted definition, it is generally understood as the study of societal dynamics from a spatial perspective, exploring how people interact with their environment across time and place. This area of study encompasses various topics, including the differences between locations and their residents, the transformations of places, and the ways individuals perceive and alter landscapes. [1]

The PDF [2] includes an important note that Situationism and similar theories often stemmed from a Western, male, and academic tradition and may not have taken into account the experiences of women, queer people, colonized populations, and people of color. It also states that it is important to consider structural barriers and the fact that not everyone can “wander” through the city with the same degree of freedom.

This is a very important point for my app. If I use the ideas of dérive and free exploration of the city, I can’t simply say, “Let people go wherever they want.” For some, this truly represents freedom, while for others, it means stress, risk, or physical limitations. Therefore, slow navigation must take into account not only mood and interests, but also safety, accessibility, physical exertion, lighting, proximity to public transportation, and the user’s personal boundaries.

Here, I also find the idea from data feminism useful. Authors Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein [3] suggest thinking about data through the lens of power, context, and inequality. For my project, this means that a map shouldn’t pretend to be neutral. If an app shows the “best route,” we need to ask: best for whom? For a young tourist? For an older person? For someone with anxiety? For someone who doesn’t speak the language? For a young woman walking alone at night?

That’s why, in the future prototype, I want to focus more on modes and settings – not just “fast/slow,” but more specifically: quiet, safe, green, accessible, dog-friendly, low-stairs, familiar, and exploratory. This makes the app not just a pretty alternative to Google Maps[4], but a more human-centered system that acknowledges the different ways of experiencing the city.

For me, the main takeaway from this phase is this: slow navigation shouldn’t romanticize walking. It should take into account that a city can be inspiring, but also challenging, noisy, inaccessible, or unsafe. If the app wants to create higher-quality routes, it must consider not only the beauty of the path but also the user’s social context.

Sources 🛈

[1] EBSCO Research Starters. Social Geography. EBSCO Information Services. Available at: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/geography-and-cartography/social-geography

[2] Bachler, B. Intro to Information Design – Session 5: Commuting Cartographies. FH JOANNEUM, 2025.

[3] D’Ignazio, C., & Klein, L. Data Feminism. MIT Press, 2020. Available at: https://data-feminism.mitpress.mit.edu

[4] Google Maps. Google LLC. Available at: https://www.google.com/maps

Continuing my research on the topic of “Slowness”from last semester, I will be doing further work on this topic as part of the Design & Research II course with Birgit Bachler PhD.

For the final assignment, I will need to record a 2-minute video of the final prototype — in my case, I plan to use prototyping in Figma, which each of you will be able to test. The research will again focus more on contextual analysis, as well as user testing, bibliography, and heuristic evaluation.

Psychogeography and Dérive 🧠

One of the ideas that fits my project particularly well is psychogeography. Simply put, psychogeography explores how a city influences our emotions, moods, and behavior. It’s not just about streets and buildings, but about how we experience space as we move through it. In the PDF [1], this topic is introduced through Guy Debord and his work “The Naked City“[2]. It is described as a psychogeographic map that reveals not a conventional map of Paris, but the hidden psychological and emotional connections between urban fragments.

This is a very important shift for my project. Conventional navigation revolves around point A and point B. The user enters an address, the app calculates the route, and that’s it. But psychogeography offers a different way of looking at the city: not as a problem to be solved, but as an environment to be explored.

This is closer to my question: can navigation be not only efficient, but also more mindful, personal, and slow?

This is related to the concept of dérive, or drift [3]. In the presentation, dérive is explained as a method of exploring the city through unplanned, almost aimless wandering. A person does not follow a strictly predetermined route, but instead allows themselves to respond to the atmosphere of the place, random turns, their mood, and unexpected encounters. Debord described dérive as a practice distinct from an ordinary walk because it involves paying attention to the city’s psychogeographical effects and atmospheres.

I don’t want to literally turn the app into a chaotic, aimless wander. But I’m interested in adopting the very principle of dérive: a route can be not only functional but also open-ended. For example, the app could offer not just one “correct” path, but several options: a calm route, a curious route, a green route, or a social route. The user is still moving toward a destination, but the path becomes more flexible and dynamic.

It also helps me take a critical look at modern maps. Many apps try to eliminate uncertainty: turn right, walk 200 meters, and you’ll arrive in 6 minutes. On the one hand, this is convenient. On the other hand, people stop noticing the city around them. They look at the screen instead of their surroundings. In my project, I want to try to bring some of that attention back to the user.

For the prototype, this could take the form of a specific feature. For example, “Explore Mode” might occasionally suggest a slight detour from the route: walking through a park, taking a quieter street, choosing a route with interesting architecture, or making a short stop. It’s important that this isn’t forced, but feels like an invitation.

In this way, psychogeography and dérive help me formulate the foundation of the project: slow navigation isn’t just about “walking longer.” It’s a way to design a route so that a person not only reaches their destination, but also feels, notices, and remembers something along the way.

Sources 🛈

[1] Bachler, B. Intro to Information Design – Session 5: Commuting Cartographies. FH JOANNEUM, 2025.

[2] Debord, G. The Naked City. Psychogeographic Map of Paris, 1957. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Guy-Debord-The-Naked-City-A-Psychogeographical-Guide-to-Paris-1955_fig2_370004669

[3] Debord, G. Theory of the Dérive. Internationale Situationniste, no. 2, 1958. Available at: https://rohandrape.net/ut/rttcc-text/Debord2006e.pdf

Continuing my research on the topic of “Slowness”from last semester, I will be doing further work on this topic as part of the Design & Research II course with Birgit Bachler PhD.

For the final assignment, I will need to record a 2-minute video of the final prototype — in my case, I plan to use prototyping in Figma, which each of you will be able to test. The research will again focus more on contextual analysis, as well as user testing, bibliography, and heuristic evaluation.

Information design, maps and my app 🗺️

In this post, I want to connect my project to the topic of information design and to material from the “Commuting Cartographies” class. I found this PDF [1] very useful because it shows maps not just as a tool for finding your way, but as a way to understand, interpret, and even change our perception of the city. In the presentation, a map is defined as “a spatial representation of reality.” But another idea is particularly important for my project: maps don’t just show the world- they shape it.

This is directly related to my idea for a “slow navigation app.” Usually, a map is perceived as a neutral tool: it shows where we are, where to go, and which route is the fastest. But in reality, a map always chooses what to show and what to hide. For example, a standard 2D map shows streets, buildings, and names. A 3D map adds a sense of scale and space. A bird’s-eye view helps you get a better visual feel for the city. Psychogeographic maps, on the other hand, may not show roads at all, but rather emotions, smells, sounds, or personal impressions of a place. This is clearly illustrated in the PDF using examples of different map types: top-down view, bird’s-eye view, 2D map, and 3D/extruded map.

For my app, this means I don’t have to design the map exactly like Google Maps [3]. I can think of the map as a system of layers. For example, one layer could show the most peaceful route, another could show green spaces, a third could show places to stop, and a fourth could show the emotional or sensory characteristics of the route. This helps shift the focus from “getting there faster” to “experiencing the journey better.”

I also liked the CityMaps [4] example, where logos and place names are used instead of satellite images and building outlines. This shows that a map can be not only geographical but also social: people often navigate not by coordinates, but by cafes, stores, familiar landmarks, parks, or visual cues. This is important for my app because slow navigation should be closer to how people actually experience the city.

Another useful takeaway from the PDF is the importance of visual hierarchy. If everything on a map is equally important, it’s hard for a person to know where to look. In my interface, this means I need to carefully manage text, icons, colors, and layers of information. If I want to create a calm app, it shouldn’t overwhelm the user. On the contrary, it should gently guide their attention.

Thus, this material helped me realize that my project isn’t just a “map with pretty routes.” It’s an attempt to design a different kind of information system for the city. The map in my app should not only guide people but also help them notice, choose, stop, and build a more personal connection with the space.

Sources 🛈

[1] Bachler, B. Intro to Information Design – Session 5: Commuting Cartographies. FH JOANNEUM, 2025.

[2] Wood, D. Rethinking the Power of Maps. Guilford Press, 2010.

[3] Google Maps. Google LLC. Available at: https://www.google.com/maps

[4] Citymaps. Available at: https://citymaps.com