StandBy | Gamified Interaction in Public Spaces

September 2024 - December 2024

UX/UI Designer
User Researcher

Public waiting spaces are often dull and isolating, leaving individuals to pass time with passive distractions like scrolling through phones or watching repetitive screens.

StandBy turns transition & waiting times spent alone in public spaces into engaging social experiences and conversation starters.

What we built:

An interactive public kiosk placed near elevators that offers collaborative mini-games like crosswords and hangman to turn idle wait time into playful, social micro-moments.

Why it mattered:

Waiting in public spaces is often boring and isolating. StandBy reimagines transitional moments—like waiting for an elevator—as opportunities for meaningful interaction and engagement.

Who it was for:

Primarily college students in UCSD residence halls, but scalable to hospitals, malls, and corporate buildings.

Biggest win:

After our second prototype session, strangers who began alone eagerly joined unfamiliar groups to play together—proving StandBy’s power to spark connection.

The Situation

Public lobbies like elevator areas are high-traffic but socially disconnected.

Most people fill the time by staring at their phones, avoiding eye contact, or attempting small talk. We saw this as a missed opportunity to transform a passive, often isolating experience into one that fosters spontaneous interaction and shared fun.

Inspired by collaborative games and the growing use of kiosks in public spaces, our team set out to design something playful, social, and highly accessible.

Our Challenge

Design an interactive interface for shared public spaces that could turn brief, idle waiting periods into social engagement opportunities, particularly for strangers.

The solution had to:

  1. Attract attention without intruding
  2. Encourage both synchronous and asynchronous play
  3. Be quick, inclusive, and intuitive for a diverse audience
  4. Fit naturally within real-world public spaces

An example of these "socially awkward" situations represented by Spiderman.

Research

We started with a survey (n = 35 UCSD students, aged 19–22) exploring elevator behavior.

Key findings:

  • 54.3% said they feel “bored” while waiting
  • 82.9% immediately check their phones‍
  • 48.6% would likely join a kiosk game with others

We also conducted:

  • Competitive analysis of Wordle, NYT Mini Games, and public kiosks
  • Literature review on social computing and waiting-room design:
    • Visual stimuli reduce stress (Corsano et al.)
    • Color and ambient sound improve perceived comfort (Noble & Devlin)

Ideation & Design

Early ideas focused on:

  • Familiar mini-games (Crossword, Hangman, Wordle)
  • A kiosk interface that feels approachable and playful
  • Leaderboards to encourage return visits and team-building

We prioritized cooperative play, drop-in/drop-out flexibility, and low cognitive load so strangers could join without pressure.

User Testing

Two rounds of prototyping and user testing were conducted to evaluate a collaborative waiting experience using interactive kiosks in an elevator lobby, moving from a friends-only group context to one with strangers and expanded game offerings.

Session 1

  • Groups of 4 familiar students

  • Played a crossword while waiting for a “mock” elevator

  • Noticed high engagement but limited stranger interaction

Session 2

  • Mixed groups of unfamiliar participants

  • Added more game types, including asynchronous options

  • Observed increased social bonding and spontaneous collaboration

Increasing both game variety and unfamiliar group combinations created a more realistic and engaging social waiting experience, showing that even among strangers, thoughtful interaction design can overcome initial awkwardness and support collaboration.

Iteration

  • Added multiple kiosks for scalability and flexible group sizes
  • Introduced a team leaderboard with:
    • Time efficiency scoring
    • Accuracy and contribution-based rewards
  • Expanded game variety for different levels of participation and social comfort
  • Refined visual and sound design for welcoming presence

Result

What happened:

  • Participants in mixed groups began engaging even with strangers
  • Users expressed interest in continuing playing on personal devices after the session
  • Some users needed reminders that the “elevator had arrived” — they didn’t want to stop playing

Validated insights:

  • Small, low-stakes games create meaningful micro-interactions
  • Variety and visibility matter: people are more likely to engage when they can “jump in” easily
  • Shared short-term goals (e.g., team leaderboard) foster instant community even among strangers
“I like the collaboration between groups, and the option to do something fun and creative during a moment of downtime!”
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