UNBALANCED
Interactive Design
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Installation
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UX & UI
UNBALANCED makes the environmental crisis tangible by showing how small human actions accumulate into systemic strain.
Through an interactive interface, generative visuals, and infographics, the project lets visitors experiment with the balance between human activity and Earth’s spheres — and see how quickly stability can shift.
How Much Can Humanity Take Before the Balance Tips?
UNBALANCED explores this question by offering a tangible interface between human action and planetary response. The project transforms abstract data about human impact into an emotional, interactive experience that makes systemic damage visible and audible. Visitors engage physically with 8 human activities which have a major impact on the environment, and experience how increasing human influence erodes natural systems. The installation bridges the gap between cognitive awareness and visceral understanding.
Research & Foundation
finding design's blind-spot when it comes to addressing the environmental crisis.
and environmental research, of course.
The research for the project began in the previous semester as part of my seminar paper. I researched how speculative design can better communicate the anthropogenic envirnmental crisis — beyond the scope of climate change.
The project itself is grounded in environmental and ecological research, combining sources such as the IPCC, Our World in Data, and the Planetary Boundaries framework. This data informed both the installation’s visual language and the design of a companion infographic wall, providing context and scale to the interactive experience.
The research phase was very extensive and included textual, data and visual research — references and also early sketches.
Motivation & Core Concept
Exploring the Tension Between What Seems Harmless, and What is Actually Catastrophic.
A Reflection on Control, Awareness and Consequence.
We live increasingly disconnected from nature: aware of the crisis, yet continuing habits that quietly erode the systems that sustain us. Because the damage is slow and often invisible, many have grown desensitized or doubtful of their own impact. UNBALANCED transforms this gap between awareness and behavior into a tangible experience. Giving participants direct control over the balance between human action and environmental consequence.
Design Approach
Designing a dual experience.
one part interactive play, one part analytical clarity. The interactive installation invites exploration and makes participants complicit in the system; the infographic anchors that experience in fact-based context. Visually, I merged organic, microscopic textures with sharp, technological elements to reflect the tension between nature’s harmony and mechanical humanity.
Interaction & Experience
Giving Visitors Direct Responsibility for Environmental Outcomes.
At the heart of the installation is a custom made iPad-app interface, designed to act as a real-time controller of the system. The app features 8 faders, one for each of the human activities the project focuses on, and 4 "focus" buttons, where a user can zoom-in into each of Earths spheres. The more human interference the user introduces into the system, the more the visuals degrade. The app sends data in real-time to a generative visuals engine and a sound engine, creating feedback loops of control and collapse.
Infographic Design
Turning Complex Environmental Systems Into Clear, Actionable Insight.
Process
I translated extensive environmental research into a clear visual structure, mapping eight human impact sectors onto Earth’s four spheres. Early sketches explored how to balance complexity and readability, eventually combining system diagrams, data points and a historical timeline into one cohesive layout.
Concept
The infographic is built on the idea that everything is interconnected. Its structure moves from planetary systems to human activities and finally to personal impact, reflecting how small choices accumulate into global consequences. The visual language blends organic textures with precise grids to echo the tension between nature and human systems.
Execution
Designed at a 2.4×1.9m scale, the final piece combines three storytelling layers:
a systems map showing how human activity affects each sphere, a central circular diagram illustrating interconnectedness, and a “problem–solution” narrative tied to a historical timeline. The result grounds the interactive installation in scientific clarity while remaining visually engaging and easy to navigate.
Technical Setup
Structuring a Responsive System Across Video, Sound, and Touch.
The installation connects sound, visuals and interaction through a real-time system built in TouchDesigner and Ableton Live. A custom SwiftUI iPad app sends MIDI and OSC data over Wi-Fi, controlling the generative visuals and sound layers with minimal latency. The setup includes the iPad controller, a projection system for large-scale visuals and a multi-channel audio system.
UNBALANCED makes the environmental crisis tangible by showing how small human actions accumulate into systemic strain.
Through an interactive interface, generative visuals, and infographics, the project lets visitors experiment with the balance between human activity and Earth’s spheres — and see how quickly stability can shift.