The New School

Baruch College International Student Office

HI5

Hi Raise to the power of 5 is a playful experience that gives space for students to interact and communicate to encourage them to understand and embrace diversity.
Role

Interaction Designer
UX Engineer

Tool

Openframeworks
Kinect

Catergory

Interactive Installation
Creative Coding
Projection Mapping

INTRO

MIND THE CULTURE GAP
40% of international students had no close friends amongst their American classmates

- Journal of International and Intercultural Communication

Students travel from all over the world to study in the Philippines, and that number is significantly increasing. They are from different races, religions, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, gender, ideology, and socio-economic status, but most, if not all, have to adapt to their new life in the new country. In the process, many of them may feel isolated.

- LCCB Educational Journal of Multidisciplinary Research

MORE than two-thirds of overseas students in Australia feel lonely and isolated, and universities need to urgently try to address the problem by encouraging more friendships between foreign and domestic students.

- The Australian

Students with migrant backgrounds still isolated

- Deutsche Welle

User Interview

Domestic Student

International Student

-MIND THE LANGUAGE GAP-

“Their English are good, but they always think it is bad”
“They are intimidated when talking to me in English”
“I wish I can speak in their language to communicate”
“They always go in a group”
“Close in their community”
“My English is not good enough. I don’t know what to say”
“I had a hard time expressing my thoughts in English”
“My English is bad, I don’t know what they are talking about”
“It is tired to speak in other language”
“I’m don’t know if they are interested on what I’m trying to say”

-MIND THE EMOTION GAP-

“Close in their community”
“They always go in a group”
“They don't like me”
“I was excited at first I come to New York, but then I feel lonely”
“I cried a lot, I always cry”
“I don’t have friends”
“They don’t welcome me”

-MIND THE CULTURE GAP-

“They should put more effort.
I’m willing to talk to them if
they approach me”
“We are in their culture so we
need to open our mind. But, I
also hope they can also open
their mind”
  

How to remove or reduce the invinsible barriers
and increase the interaction among people from
different cultural background?

Precedences

ORGANIC BORDER(2015)

By: Isabela Cruz Chong

BOUNDARY FUNCTIONS (1998)

By: Scott Snibbe

ROBOTIC VOICE ACTIVATED WORD KICKING MACHINE

By: Neil Mendoza

Prototype

Take active interest in the culture and norms of other person. A willingness to adapt one’s communication and behavior to be compatible with another’s cultural norms. The more you know about a certain culture, the better the chances for effective communication. Besides, openness, caring and mutual respect of the dignity of individuals are essential qualities for intercultural empathy regardless of cultural differences.“

From Intercultural Awareness to Intercultural Empathy
by Honglin Zhu
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1080436.pdf

User Test

"Laughter, Tears, Singing, and Dancing Bring People Together"

By Dr. Robin Dunbar

1. Don’t Let Race/Nation Divide us, Instead Celebrate the Differences of the Culture
2. Remove the invisible barriers Stereotype and Prejudice

Exhibition


MAJOR MAJOR SHOW
International Culture Festival

1. Increase the aWareness of the student and the school in dealing with the culture gap in diversified community.
2. Create an Introduction for different cultures.