London 2036

– with Future Cities Catapult –

Digital installation commissioned for the London Control Room in the Big Bang Data exhibition currently running at Somerset House.

Three analogue control units with an overhead projection invite the audience to take charge of future London.

A gamified data model asks quick-fire questions around civic problems, policies and personal preferences. It then predicts how these choices might impact the social, environmental and economic state of the city in 2036.

Visitors can then compare their London 2036 vision to the city they live in today, and explore the model of the future London predicted by the aggregated choices of exhibition visitors.

(Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for Somerset House)

(Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for Somerset House)

first visualisation

first visualisation

One of the unexpected challenges of the project was determining the data stories that were to feed into the underlying data model. Whilst there are many data sets available these days few are interlinked with each other and therefore couldn’t support the necessary preference based outcomes.

defining the data stories

Creating the physical interaction

Our aim was to create a tactile and playful interface that took inspiration from control rooms. Sketching and prototyping of the physical control units and their interaction furniture was an important part of the development process.

drawing the physical

drawing the physical

Marking out the physical dimension with masking tape

Marking out the physical dimension with masking tape

Binary and variable input mechanisms such as toggle switches, sliders and dials then had to be linked to the questions matrix of the model.

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The interface mood mirrors the stripped back aesthetic of 1940s control rooms.

Attractor

Attractor

Visitors are challenged by a gamified sequence of questions around civic problems, policies and personal preferences.

question screen

question screen


Outcome screen

Outcome screen


To make the data results understandable and compelling a rigorous process of simplification was required to uncover and communicate the true meaning behind each data story.
Outcome screen

Outcome screen


A playful icon set was created to enrich the content experience and to complement the monoline typeface.
Bespoke icon set

Bespoke icon set

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Behind the scenes of the London 2036 exhibit