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Tweetingseat: Interactive Park Bench For Tweeters

April 30, 2011

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LONDON (RPRN) 04/30/11 — TWITTER BENCH CONNECTS THE PHYSICAL TO DIGITAL

Product Designer Chris McNicholl has created a modern application for a traditional object with
TweetingSeat; an interactive park bench with an online presence. The bench is designed to
explore the potential for connecting physical and digital communities by logging its usage through
uploading images of its users and environment to a live Twitter feed.

This project stemmed from an investigation of communities, and focuses on the idea of creating
an object that people may interact with on both a physical and digital level.

“TweetingSeat has been created in order to explore the environments in which it is placed and
look at the people whom it encounters”, explains Chris. “The way in which the bench should
be used has purposely been left open, allowing people and communities to build their own
relationship with it.”

Each time someone sits down, TweetingSeat uploads an image from two cameras to the Twitter
feed. One camera is located on the bench looking at the surrounding space, and another is
located nearby looking at the people who use it. Whilst emphasising the features that distinguish
it from traditional park benches, the object has been designed with this aesthetic in mind.
-ENDSNote

to editor:
Chris is a young and insightful designer, with great enthusiasm for creating exciting new products. Throughconsidered investigation, development, conceptualisation and realisation he strives to produce meaningful designs,with a clear consideration of social and ethical issues that will benefit those who use them.

About Product Design at the University of Dundee;

Product Design at the University of Dundee has established an international reputation across industry, research and teaching. We believe that the evolution of existing and emergence of new technologies has profound implications for products, the people who use them and the cultures in which they are placed.
Our philosophy is simple, we aim to make products that work.

Products that work:
- socially, through deep understanding of people and society.
- technically, through embedding cutting-edge technology into our products.
- economically, through working closely with global industries to ensure a market readiness and entrepreneurship at
the highest level.

Our teaching informs and is informed by our research studio where we explore how digital technology can change the world – in the digital economy, through connected communities and by industrial sponsorship.

Our sponsors include Microsoft Research, NCR, Novalia Ltd., and the Research Councils UK.
For more information about our research and teaching please contact: Pete Thomas. Lecturer: Product Design

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