Do Play Play

“Do Play Play” is an interactive data visualisation exhibition which explores the power of play. This project conveys the long-term benefits of play, and allows adults and children the opportunity to understand how play can look very different as they grow up.

This project was completed in partnership with Playeum for their EverydayCreativity Festival 2022.

Working on a limited budget and hoping to generate less waste, we sought to incorporate as many recyclable materials as possible. For example, our interactive "Play O' Clock" element was made out of a recycled cardboard sheet. We then glued chopsticks onto the board to create a clock that people could tie yarn around in order to track how much time they spent on work, sleep, and play.

We pulled together this exhibition over the course of two weeks, which meant that we had to be realistic about its scale and our capacity. Using a mix of printed materials and DIY elements, the team created an exhibition that involved a novel way of crowdsourcing data from the public and presenting it through a low-effort yet visually striking manner.

We wanted the exhibition to be equally appealing to both adults and children. As such, we ensured that our interactive elements served as an interesting medium for adults while also being accessible and enjoyable for kids. We also included informative boards about the inspiration behind our exhibition, the different categories of play, and the benefits it provides.

In order to present our findings in a more organised manner, we framed our exhibition using three questions:

“How do you play?

“When do you play”

“Why do you play?” 

Our first interactive data viz element invited participants to highlight what play looks like to them, as well as how they define it. We wanted to understand how play changes for people across different age groups. Participants would take a post-it note and write their responses on them. They would also label their post-it note with colour-coded stickers which highlighted features of their playtime, specifically whether it involved physical, social, creative, or cognitively complex activities. By highlighting these different features, we were able to better understand what different age groups look for in their playtime.

Our second interactive data viz element was "Play O'Clock", a huge, interactive clock that invited participants to track their day using yarn, which was colour-coded to correspond with their age group. It consisted of three concentric circles, one for each category of (Work, Play, and Sleep. Using this clock, participants were able to get a quick glimpse at how they typically spend their 24 hours and how much (or little!) time they spend on play. 

Lastly, we did a printed data viz element that highlighted "The Case for Play", spotlighting the different short-term and long-term benefits one could get from play. Short-term benefits were more straightforward, including amusement, stress reduction, and feeling a sense of acceptance. Long-term benefits included personal discovery, effective communication skills, and improved relationships. Through “The Case for Play”, we wanted our participants—especially adults—to have a more expansive view of play, and understand why it is a critical and very necessary part of our lives even beyond childhood.