Selected Works

The Burger Workshop
The Burger Workshop
explore data & AI ethics thru eviction data
The Burger Workshop
explore data & AI ethics thru eviction data
explore data & AI ethics thru eviction data
The Burger Workshop
explore data & AI ethics thru eviction data
The Burger Workshop
explore data & AI ethics thru eviction data

Building Interactive Signages for the new BRT

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is a vital public transit system serving the metropolitan Atlanta area. As part of MARTA 2040, Summerhill Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) started construction in the summer of 2023. Summerhill BRT is a 5-mile dedicated bus route which will establish a transit link, connecting Downtown Atlanta to the Capitol Gateway, Summerhill, Peoplestown, and the Atlanta BeltLine. In the pursuit of improving customer experience, MARTA envisions the deployment of digital signage at Summerhill BRT encompassing functions such as ticket vending, digital screens displaying service alerts, bus schedules, and route maps.

How might we foster diverse ways of engaging with public data for professionals with different expertise?

How might we foster diverse ways of engaging with public data for professionals with different expertise?

How might we foster diverse ways of engaging with public data for professionals with different expertise?

Building Interactive Signages for the new BRT

In fall 2023, the first writer recruited five first-year master’s students in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to form a research team. Their task was to investigate the datafication of public records, focusing specifically on eviction records, with the goal of creating a participatory speculation design workshop planned for spring 2024.

Students reviewed critical literature, such as Nelson’s comparative analysis, Porton’s writings on inaccuracies in eviction records, and Raymond’s studies on corporate landlords. These works introduced critical perspectives on eviction data and helped contextualize the topic.

To deepen understanding, the team analyzed sample legal documents and court records from Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton counties. This exercise exposed the unstandardized and messy nature of eviction datasets. The first writer’s extensive experience in eviction defense, courtroom fieldwork, and eviction data analysis further informed the team's perspective.

Building Interactive Signages for the new BRT

The team curated visual references on a moodboard, including themes such as datafication, credit scores, eviction notices, and photographs of tenants’ daily lives. The objective was to identify appropriate media and metaphors to set the tone and context for the workshop.

Two materials were developed: a 24-inch by 36-inch poster and a 4-inch by 6-inch postcard. While the poster depicted the exterior of a high-rise apartment known for mass evictions and the postcard featured two residents watching TV on a couch, both were overlaid with a rust-maroon hue reminiscent of faded mid-20th-century photographs documenting social disparities. A dense but lightweight grid, evocative of halftone printing techniques, added another layer to these materials.

The Burger Metaphor

The team curated visual references on a moodboard, including themes such as datafication, credit scores, eviction notices, and photographs of tenants’ daily lives. The objective was to identify appropriate media and metaphors to set the tone and context for the workshop.

Two materials were developed: a 24-inch by 36-inch poster and a 4-inch by 6-inch postcard. While the poster depicted the exterior of a high-rise apartment known for mass evictions and the postcard featured two residents watching TV on a couch, both were overlaid with a rust-maroon hue reminiscent of faded mid-20th-century photographs documenting social disparities. A dense but lightweight grid, evocative of halftone printing techniques, added another layer to these materials.

Guerrilla Installation

Two materials were developed: a 24-inch by 36-inch poster and a 4-inch by 6-inch postcard. While the poster depicted the exterior of a high-rise apartment known for mass evictions and the postcard featured two residents watching TV on a couch, both were overlaid with a rust-maroon hue reminiscent of faded mid-20th-century photographs documenting social disparities. A dense but lightweight grid, evocative of halftone printing techniques, added another layer to these materials.

Two materials were developed: a 24-inch by 36-inch poster and a 4-inch by 6-inch postcard. While the poster depicted the exterior of a high-rise apartment known for mass evictions and the postcard featured two residents watching TV on a couch, both were overlaid with a rust-maroon hue reminiscent of faded mid-20th-century photographs documenting social disparities. A dense but lightweight grid, evocative of halftone printing techniques, added another layer to these materials.

Guerrilla Installation

Two materials were developed: a 24-inch by 36-inch poster and a 4-inch by 6-inch postcard. While the poster depicted the exterior of a high-rise apartment known for mass evictions and the postcard featured two residents watching TV on a couch, both were overlaid with a rust-maroon hue reminiscent of faded mid-20th-century photographs documenting social disparities. A dense but lightweight grid, evocative of halftone printing techniques, added another layer to these materials.

Two materials were developed: a 24-inch by 36-inch poster and a 4-inch by 6-inch postcard. While the poster depicted the exterior of a high-rise apartment known for mass evictions and the postcard featured two residents watching TV on a couch, both were overlaid with a rust-maroon hue reminiscent of faded mid-20th-century photographs documenting social disparities. A dense but lightweight grid, evocative of halftone printing techniques, added another layer to these materials.

© 2014-2023 Yijiang Xu

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