Photo Scrabbler

artefact · 2016 · 2013-2017
Associated with
Microsoft-funded PhD at Northumbria University
Notes

Photo-Scrabble is an interactive system developed to support moments of connection for people with dementia in care settings. The artefact presents a slowly changing slideshow of photographs sourced from online image repositories, including Flickr and Geograph. The slideshow responds to words formed using bespoke Scrabble tiles placed on a dedicated tile holder. Interaction is deliberately exploratory and tactile, drawing on familiar materials and actions. There is no prescribed way to engage with the system: tiles can be placed in any orientation, automatically aligning when positioned on the holder, while the slideshow continues regardless of the combinations formed. This lack of right or wrong interaction, combined with an element of randomness in the images presented, was intended to encourage open-ended engagement and connection with a wide range of visual content.

Additional dissemination
Featured on Wired.com
Assets