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Windows of Scent is a portal that shares the feeling of a place through scent. Step close, and Los Angeles drifts toward you—heat, flowers, asphalt, and air. A fragrance is released, and visuals bloom inside a translucent circle, letting you experience the city in an entirely new way.
"This is LA, caught in a breath."
ROLE
Concept Design
Scent Composition
Physical Computing
Visual Programming (TD)
Installation Design
TEAMMATE
Individual
TOOL
TouchDesigner
Arduino IDE
Premiere Pro
After Effect
TIMELINE
2025 — 7 weeks
IDEATION
The Body as Sensor,
the Air as Memory
Scent is intimate—it clings to the skin, lingers in the air, and often speaks louder than words. In this project, I explored two modes of interaction: on-skin application and off-skin scent sampling.
"How does scent influence memory, emotion, and behavior?"
RESEARCH
What Makes Group Planning So Hard
I interviewed families and friends of different ages to understand how they currently plan trips together and where things break down.
“If I could see where we’re going on a map, that’d help a lot.”
“It’s not really exciting until we actually go.”
“I just wait for someone to tell me what we’re doing.”
“My mom gets confused by all the apps. She prefers using a paper map.”
🤷♀️
Planning feels
one-sided
Most groups rely on one person to lead the planning, which makes others feel excluded.
🧩
Tools are too
complex
Many tools are complex and not designed to be intuitive or accessible for all age groups.
😐
Planning feels
one-sided
The process feels like a task, not something fun, shared, or easy for all to engage.
👀
Lack of shared
visibility
People want to see and understand plans, not just read through links, lists, or plain text updates.
Learning From
Hands-on Planning
Interviews showed older users prefer printed maps. I observed families using physical maps, noting gestures like pointing and circling—revealing that tangible tools better support shared decisions than digital apps.
✅ Pointing to locations
✅ Circling or placing objects to mark places
✅ Eye contact and gestures to discuss options
User Needs by
Planning Stage
After interviews and map interaction research, I visualized key findings to understand user needs and design for collaborative, multigenerational trip planning.
Trip Idea
Research
Choosing Places
Finalizing Plan
Sharing Details
A way to collect ideas easily
Tangible visuals, easy language
A visual, quick way to share ideas
Tools to compare options
Physical map or visual aids
Clear prioritizing system
Easy-to-use system to mark
A visual, quick way to share ideas
Confidence that everyone agrees
Summary or interactive map
Share itinerary and bookings
Mobile-friendly, visual recap
Make the starting point visible and shared by using a physical AR map as a conversation spark.
Create a low-effort, visual way for everyone to explore points of interest together.
Use tokens, gestures, or simple tools to make preferences visible without complex tools.
Build a shared map that reflects group decisions in real time so no one feels left out or uncertain.
Offer a mobile version of the itinerary so all generations can access and understand it.
DESIGN SOLUTION
Spaces for Play, Touch,
and Togetherness
Based on user insights and behavior patterns, I identified key design opportunities to improve the group trip planning experience. From these, I began ideating features and flows.
Trip Idea
Research
Choosing Places
Finalizing Plan
Sharing Details
Each group selects a printed map of a specific city (e.g. LA) that aligns with their shared travel dream. The map acts as a physical starting point and planning hub.
Families and friends physically gather around the map. Scanning it with AR glasses reveals interactive layers like local tips, hidden spots, and points of interest.
Each person contributes by placing tokens on the map, pointing at areas, or circling favorites. These physical gestures trigger AR overlays showing details.
As the group interacts, the system collects preferences and helps shape an itinerary that reflects everyone's input.
Once the plan is set, the updated itinerary can be saved digitally.