2:25:44 PM
Good Afternoon, I’m Vaishnavi Mehta. I’m glad to share this window into my practice and thoughts!
People-First Crosswalks
Designing for Trust and Engagement in Public Places
overview
This project explores the trust gap in public infrastructure by rethinking crosswalk systems as adaptable, user-focused points of engagement. Current designs often prioritize hyper-efficiency or rely on outdated technology, creating a disconnect that discourages public interaction. Through the deliberate integration of controlled inefficiencies and meaningful ambiguity, this work reimagines crosswalks as dynamic interfaces that empower users and foster trust over time, addressing the broader challenge of public disengagement in shared spaces.
Duration
6 weeks
Team
Henry Spuria
Vaishnavi Mehta
Graphic Designer
Industrial Designer
My role centered on field research, observing pedestrian behavior and identifying systemic barriers that hinder usability and safety. Together in the Urban Interactions studio at RISD, we presented our findings to Sidewalk Labs, D-Ford, and the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, incorporating their feedback to refine the design framework. I focused on developing flexible design strategies that addressed immediate safety concerns and enhanced user interaction, creating crosswalks that adapt to the shifting needs of urban environments.
Focus Areas
Systems Design
Adaptive Interaction Design
3D Modeling & Prototyping
callout
Public spaces, built for efficiency, rely on punitive, complex cues that limit meaningful engagement. This disconnect between user actions and infrastructure responses erodes trust, leaving people disconnected from their surroundings.
Key Questions
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How do public spaces balance surveillance and autonomy, and how does this affect user behavior?
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What factors influence individuals' ability to engage with or opt out of communal systems?
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How do public environments shape emotional responses and decision-making in shared spaces?
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Why do users prioritize speed over safety, and what drives rule-breaking behavior in urban settings?
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Where can public systems be flexible, and where are they inherently rigid?
intial research
Our research examined how ambiguous design in public spaces influences behavior, trust, and usability, focusing on user-infrastructure interactions. Crosswalks, with their universal use and role as functional and transitional spaces, emerged as an ideal study site for examining how design shapes decision-making and coordinated interactions. By analyzing inconsistencies in crosswalk design, signal reliability, and social behaviors, we uncovered systemic gaps affecting trust and usability, revealing opportunities to improve public infrastructure.
key observations
Navigating Without Clear Guidance
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When infrastructure like crosswalk markings or traffic lights failed, pedestrians turned to informal cues: eye contact, observing others’ movements, or assessing traffic flow for when and how to cross.
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The absence of reliable guidance often led pedestrians to disregard formal rules, prioritizing efficiency and safety through ad hoc strategies.
Expert Perspectives on Public Infrastructure
"Public infrastructure assumes ideal behavior, but people rarely behave ideally—that’s why things like buttons or signs get ignored, even by RIDOT engineers." - Principle Civil Engineer
"If infrastructure doesn’t adapt to its users, they’ll adapt to it—and not always in predictable ways. There’s no opting out of public spaces." - Nigel Jacob, New Urban Mechanics
"Rules can be effective, but they often exist to serve the rule-maker’s interests. Designing for cities means balancing the big picture of an interconnected system with the specific challenges of individual elements." - Max Stearns, Democratic Society
Trust Breakdowns in Shared Spaces
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Drivers frequently acted inconsistently, hesitating or proceeding through crosswalks even when pedestrians were visible, creating uncertainty in shared spaces.
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These unpredictable actions left pedestrians relying on their own judgement, forcing them to adapt and remain vigilant to avoid conflict.
Strategic Workarounds by Pedestrians
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Pedestrians developed adaptive strategies, grouping together at unsignalized crossings to increase their visibility and signal their intent to drivers.
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Jaywalking emerges as a practical solution, with pedestrians timing crossings based on gaps in traffic or patterns in the light changes.
prototyping
pedestrian
engagement
To build on these observations, we deployed targeted tools for 2 weeks —cameras to capture movement patterns, sonic devices to test attention, and retrofitted buttons to evaluate usability. These interventions were designed to uncover actionable insights that could inform designs to better align with real-world pedestrian behaviors.
key insights
Finding
Insight
Mistrust in Static Infrastructure
Retrofitted buttons across urban and suburban locations were often ignored or misused. Pedestrians either pressed buttons out of habit, with no trust in their functionality, or bypassed them entirely in favor of convenience.
This behavior highlighted a lack of trust in existing infrastructure and the need for clearer feedback mechanisms to make interactions feel purposeful and reliable.
Adaptation to Context Drives Behavior
Time-lapse cameras captured frequent jaywalking and crossing outside designated crosswalks, especially at urban intersections. In suburban or quieter intersections, pedestrians followed crosswalks more closely but still avoided engaging with infrastructure if it felt unnecessary.
Pedestrians prioritize convenience and perceived safety over adherence to designed pathways, showing that infrastructure must adapt to real-world behaviors rather than enforcing rigid rules.
Sensory Triggers Influence Interaction
Sonic devices emitting proximity-based sounds drew immediate attention in high-traffic areas, prompting pedestrians to pause or investigate. However, in suburban locations, these same devices were seen as intrusive and unnecessary.
Sound is a powerful engagement tool in busy, chaotic environments but must be calibrated for subtlety in quieter contexts to avoid overwhelming users.
outcomes
The final product line comprises three interconnected solutions designed to enhance pedestrian interaction at various stages of the crossing experience. Each product functions effectively on its own and integrates seamlessly into a cohesive system, emphasising practicality, innovative design, and improved engagement to transform public infrastructure into tools for safer, more livable cities.
Interactive Button
Purpose
Enhances sensory engagement to rebalance the power dynamic between pedestrians and drivers.
Challenges Addressed
Resolves the lack of feedback and clarity in current buttons, ensuring they are engaging and ADA compliant.
Crossing Pad
Purpose
Provides hands-free interaction with intuitive color and sound cues, improving accessibility and pedestrian safety.
Challenges Addressed
Simplifies stop/go signals, improves visibility for distracted pedestrians, and withstands constant foot traffic.
Freestanding Signage
Purpose
Creates a sustainable, highly visible display for areas with inadequate or outdated signage.
Challenges Addressed
Fixes poor messaging, durability issues, and lack of engagement in current systems.
lessons learned
and future directions
Refining Multimodal Feedback Systems
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While multimodal cues (visual, auditory, and tactile) showed promise, their specific execution—such as optimal sound frequencies, cue durations, and color transition timing—remains untested. The effectiveness of these systems for users with diverse sensory needs also needs validation.
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Next Steps: Conduct controlled usability tests to fine-tune these cues, ensuring they work seamlessly in diverse environments, including high-noise urban areas and low-light suburban crossings.
Addressing Scalability and Infrastructure Integration
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While modularity was prioritized, its application to existing infrastructure and scalability for large-scale deployment were not explored. Questions around retrofitting compatibility, cost efficiency, and long-term maintenance remain.
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Next Steps: Perform system integration simulations and cost-benefit analyses to evaluate the feasibility of large-scale deployment in urban and rural contexts.
Strategic Workarounds by Pedestrians
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Pedestrian behaviors, such as jaywalking, ignoring signals, or interacting simultaneously with the system, revealed gaps in accommodating habitual and situational actions. Features like locking buttons require further evaluation to ensure they build trust and prevent misuse.
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Next Steps: Implement real-world behavioral studies across diverse populations to refine system interactions, focusing on edge cases and atypical behaviors to improve system reliability.
Adapting Feedback to Environmental Contexts
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The designs did not fully account for how feedback systems (e.g., sound and visual cues) need to adjust dynamically for urban versus suburban settings. High-traffic intersections require faster, more prominent responses, while quieter areas benefit from subtler signals to avoid overstimulation.
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Next Steps: Develop adaptive algorithms to calibrate feedback intensity and timing based on environmental factors such as traffic flow, noise levels, and time of day.