Broadcast
The intersection of strangers, music and place
We're accustomed to the generic sounds of city - the din of traffic, muffled conversations between friends, wind russling the trees, birds chirping. But what are the individual sounds of a place heard by those who occupy it? Broadcast is a GPS-based music sharing app that captures these hidden layers of sound and prompts spontaneous interaction between strangers.
Contingent on proximity, people temporarily swap music, getting an immediate glimpse into the headphones of those around them. Without having to speak, strangers have an ephemeral connection in a specific place. Overtime, people build up an aural history of places they frequent, revealing patterns in their own behaviour and musical trends of the area.
Independent Project, 2015
Role: user flows, wireframes, prototyping, mockups, animation, interface design
Connection
Connections are contingent on proximity: when two users' broadcasting zones overlap they switch songs. The connection is logged, documenting the users, place, time and shared songs. Beyond the digital connection, the social interaction between the strangers is unknown. Perhaps they introduce themselves. Or maybe they add the swapped song to their personal music collection and continue listening after the encounter is over.
History
A history of shared listening accumlates, revealing patterns within the city. Users can see patterns of behaviour - where do most of their connections occur, how long are the connections, what type of music do people around them listen to? Do they avoid areas that don't coincide with their musical taste? Or do they take alternative routes in the hopes of having a Broadcast encounter?
Next project: