Cultivating environmental awareness: Modeling air quality data via augmented reality miniature trees

Abstract

The relationship between poor air quality and ill health concerns citizens and health practitioners the world over. An increasing number of Air Quality Data (AQD) apps quantify air quality numerically, yet many of us remain confused about the ‘real’ extent of air pollution, in part because we tend to ignore imperceptible pollution despite data alerting us to its danger. Further, even if we understand it, data about air quality alone does not sustain citizens’ interest in environmental issues. We report on our use of Augmented Reality (AR) to create an app that visualizes AQD as an affective miniature tree whose health corresponds to live AQD. We argue that AR is polyaesthetic, demanding a more embodied engagement from its users which deepens their understanding of AQD. Our participatory design study with 60 users shows the salience of using locally relevant imagery and working with users as co-designers to add features that support social interaction to design an app that gamifies citizens’ interactions with AQD.