Project team: Nikki Bulalacao, Kylon Chiang, Eipleen Kaur, Jeff Liu, Avery Yoon
Course: Critical Practices, fall 2016
Harnessing the power of cuteness and curiosity, Ellie the Jellyfish lowers the barrier to starting conversations with new people. Noticing the challenges and discomfort associated with initiating conversation, even on a campus with thousands of students, the project team aimed to create a standalone object that could encourage conversations and create shared rules for engagement. They used LEDs to mimic a jellyfish’s warm bioluminescent glow, and added “jellyphones,” through which users would talk, to add a playful, childlike element. Equipping Ellie with a sturdy wood frame, along with a set of lighthearted question prompts and “sentence stem” suggestions to help facilitate discussions, the team brought the project to Berkeley’s busy Sproul Plaza — prompting new connections in the process.
Want to learn more about Ellie the Jellyfish and its designers? Check out: