The Wishing Tree Project is a design intervention, created in the Richardson Plaza in Northeastern University. Inspired by Japanese wish trees, our intervention aimed to brighten the space, as well as invite mindful interaction from strangers who transited through the Plaza. Since the Plaza is created with a brutalist, concrete-based style of architecture, we wanted to balance the environment out by drawing attention to the natural elements of the space, and add a splash of colour. Users were invited towards the "Wishing Tree" via chalk markings and signage that asked them to Make a wish at the wishing tree.
Designed for my Experience and Interaction class at Northeastern University (FA22). Created under the mentorship of Professor Bolor Amgalan.
Wishing Trees are an integral part of Japanese culture, specifically in the
Tanabata Star Festival. According to the
Halifax Tree Project:
"During the Tanabata festival, wishes are written on pieces of coloured paper and hung on bamboo stalks and sometimes trees. These Wish Trees are then floated on a river or along the ocean and may be burned as offerings. Celebrations can also include parades, decorations, and fireworks. Although some areas in Japan recognize August 7th to be Tanabata (by way of the older Chinese calendar), many regions celebrate this event on July 7th, in accordance with the modern calendar. Similar traditions with Wish Trees are found across Asia."
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[Image from the Halifax Tree Project]
This inspired my group and I to create a Wishing Tree on campus and help passersby connect with nature, themselves and the campus community through simple wishes. We chose the Richardson Plaza as our site because it was a unique space on campus that didn't get much interaction with students.
Richardson Plaza, named after former trustee Frank L. Richardson, was designed in the early 1980s and is situated on the roof of Cargill Hall. It was designed in the era of Brutalist architecture, identified by its hard and cold concrete design, that although well-made, is quite unappealing.
The plaza was transformed in 2019 as part of the public art initiative by President Joseph Aoun in an effort to make Richardson Plaza a more active and vibrant space on campus. Berlin artist duo Quintessenz created a colorful public art installation to spearhead the beautification campaign and in 2021, Brooklyn Duo Adam Frezza and Terri Chiao installed their colorful exhibit “Lumpy Notes.”
In the University’s master campus plan, there are discussions about tearing down this massive concrete plaza as it is generally considered an unsuccessful space on campus.
We started our observation process by talking to the individuals who passed through the Richardson Plaza. From a sample of 10 individuals, we learnt that:
70% of the users were utilising the space
30% of the users were simply walking through the space
- Most of the users utilising the space enjoyed the plaza for its quiet ambience and thought of it as a pleasant location
- The individuals walking through the space thought that it was a convenient and easy way to get to other prominent places on campus (Snell library, Centennial Commons, etc.)
- A large majority of students occupying this space were older students/upperclassmen, most likely due to its proximity to the law school
- While there were a decent number of passersby, it did not compare to other outdoor locations in terms of volume (likely because it is a raised platform with stairs, making it a little more inconvenient for passersby)
I also documented the space by taking photographs and making a note of everything that could be observed in the Plaza:
- Most people like sitting on the traditional chairs and tables, than the round abstract seating spots
- There are a few distinct trees, especially near the area near the Lumpy Nodes installation and the central opening of Cargill Hall. The main species found are Japanese Red Maple and Swedish Birch (Reference: Northeastern Arboretum’s interactive tree map)
- The colorful blobs of the Lumpy Nodes installation are visually distinct because they are super bright against the natural and concrete tones of the rest of the plaza.
- The Richardson Plaza lies at the intersection of 4 buildings: Dockser Hall, Kariotis Hall, the Stearns Center and Knowles Center. You can also see the lower floor of Cargill Hall through the opening in the center.
- There is grati artwork of a sad boy sitting near the stairs around Kariotis Hall :( Why is he sad???
We decided to build an installation that would enhance both the beauty of the plaza, as well as keep the quiet, tranquil ambience unperturbed. We wanted to create an experience that helped people interact with each other in a passive way, but ultimately something that created a larger sense of connection.
The following images detail iterations of our project, with a sampling of the 250+ wishes we received at the end of the project, from strangers who participated in the activity. In newer iterations of the project, we increased stranger interaction by adding a new aspect of making a wish and starring a wish that had been hung up on the tree. We also created an Instagram page for our project where we featured the top starred wishes of the week.
- We decided to use brightly coloured pieces of paper to make the wish tags, so that they could serve as the cue and trigger of a feedback mechanism; users would be visually attracted to the colours, and this would result in increasing the odds of an interaction
- Chalk markings were made all over the plaza to direct passersby to the tree in the centre of the Plaza, without being obtrusive
- Markers were provided at the tree so that users could participate easily
- The intimate act of writing down an anonymous wish was an experience that was unique, and the interaction with the installation coexisted within the quiet ambience of the space
To further analyse the way users interacted with the Wishing Tree, we prepared a variation that would help us document and observe what times of the day users were most active with the project. We made an archive of wishes by placing out different colours of paper at different time intervals, and this in turn helped us gauge when the Plaza was the most and least populated.
This was a very different project as compared to the usual Figma prototypes and wireframes that I was used to working with for a UI/UX project. But in the end, creating a physical installation and observing the way strangers interacted with it made me see the impact of design in every day life. This project will always be very close to my heart, and I hope I'll get to make many more Wishing Trees in the future!
The bright colours were a highly successful trigger that caught the attention of about 70% of the passersby (especially as the tree started to fill up)
The directions for participating were intuitive and most users did not spend much time trying to figure out what to do
The tree became a site of excitement and curiosity, with many participants taking pictures of it, and even getting a mention on the official Northeastern Instagram account!
