In a large survey in the netherlands, 50% of young people reported having experienced street harassment in 2020/’21. And while interventions in the Netherlands aim to address the problem, they fail to effectively involve youth. This graduation project has contributed to a better understanding of how youth (12-17 year old) perceive street harassment and created a design intervention in the context of Rotterdam.

The project used a Research through Design approach, with participatory design moments and feminist theory, including the matrix of domination to analyse and evaluate power dynamics in street harassment and interventions.

Initial research and literature revealed that street harassment is influenced by a complex interplay of numerous contextual factors. Street harassment cannot be solved through a "single solution" but requires systemic change across all domains of society. The criminalization of street harassment in July 2024 opens up new opportunities for interventions and norm change, but will in itself not change the problem.

Collaborations with a youth hub in Rotterdam and a school in Delft facilitated engagement with potential harassers. The focus was on group dynamics rather than individual experiences, due to the fluidity of roles in different contexts. From these creative sessions, the research shows how street harassment among youth is intertwined with their search for identity and belonging. Between ages 12 and 17, youth take up different roles, testing boundaries and identities in public spaces. The street serves as an important space for independent identity formation, both free from expectations but also with potential dangers.

The final design of this project is an interactive installation: Street Exploration. This public intervention invites youth to explore the impact of their voice through mirrors and a projection on a wall. The installation captures your comments and the projection changes in size and colour accordingly: positive statements make your shape grow, while negative remarks make the projection shrink. This dynamic experience makes youths' input visible, encourages reflection on your projection bias, and promotes positive public interactions. The installation also incorporates mirrors designed by youth, showcasing examples of street harassment, thus fostering a public dialogue between youth and society. This intervention can be used on events and leaves a lasting mark on the neighbourhood.

Furthermore, this research highlights the challenges of youth participation in design research. Their perspectives do not always align with what researchers want to know, and barriers exist in collaborating with youth hubs and schools. Researchers must adopt mindful, adaptable approaches to effectively engage young participants.

Ultimately, Street Exploration contributes to street harassment prevention by visualizing the impacts of your words, it empowers youth to explore social identity, without harming others, bridging the gap between youth and society.

More and more smart doorbells (SDBs) are making their way to the front doors in the Netherlands. Equipped with camera and microphone, owners experience the benefit of convenience and feeling safe. However, due to its big field of view, those living around the smart doorbell can be captured too. This might lead to many issues, including social tensions in the neighbourhood. Little research has been conducted about lived experiences around smart doorbells.

This project aimed to explore social dynamics around smart doorbells in the neighbourhood. Inspired by a research-through-design approach, an interview study and scenario-based roleplaying provided insights about current critical awareness, tensions experienced, how these are dealt with and barriers and drivers to dialogue. There is little knowledge and critical awareness about SDBs, both from owners and neighbours. When they are aware of the doorbells, neighbours experience discomfort due to now knowing about, having no access to and no control over smart doorbell footage. There are many factors that lead them to avoid the SDB and related issues. However, people don’t just ‘talk to their neighbours’, as they experience many barriers to dialogue. A set of speculative doorbells was designed with the aim to encourage dialogue.

Four concepts were iteratively prototyped and tested, from which two were combined into the final speculation: ‘the___doorbell’. The adjective ‘smart’ has been removed, inviting people to question what ‘smartness’ means in relation to the doorbell. This speculative doorbell consists of one body and three different lenses, each their own character and expressiveness.
Imagined in an alternative present, the___doorbell and it’s owners are shown in a concept video. Through watching this video, the social, honest and curious doorbell aim to encourage a rich critical reflection, covering multiple of the identified social tensions in the neighbourhood. The video is presented with an ‘instruction manual’, carefully guiding the reflection and dialogue when used in a group setting.

The concept was evaluated in groups and by individuals. With its light-hearted presentation, the__doorbell invited to talk about smart doorbells related to social dynamics in a nuanced yet critical way.

This project presented dialogue as a short-term intervention on a neighbourhood level, but might also stimulate dialogue with the other actors involved, including policy-makers.