ZooJamming: Designing Beyond Human Experience
Fiona French
School of Computing & Digital Media
London Metropolitan University
166-220 Holloway Road
London, UK
44 7989142822
f.french@londonmet.ac.uk
Sofya Baskin
Department of Evolutionary &
Environmental Biology
University of Haifa
Abba Khoushy Ave 199
Haifa, 3498838, Israel
sfbskn@gmail.com
Reinhard Gupfinger
Tangible Music Lab
Institute of Media Studies
University of Art & Design Linz
Domgasse 1, 4010 Linz
Austria
reinhard.gupfinger@ufg.at
Sarah Webber
School of Computing & Information
Systems
Faculty of Engineering
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010 Australia
61 404 537 819
s.webber@unimelb.edu.au
Anna Zamansky
Department of Information Systems
University of Haifa
Abba Khoushy Ave 199
Haifa, 3498838, Israel
annazam@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
This is a report of three ZooJams that have taken place at the
annual Animal-Computer Interaction conference. The ZooJam is
a type of workshop whose aim is to extend the reach of UX design
beyond human experience in order to become inclusive of other
species and their interactions with technology. As organisers, our
attempts have knitted together colleagues from a range of
disciplines, all focused on developing practical solutions to
different environmental enrichment challenges.
We describe the format of the event, explaining the rationale
for this approach, and showcase some of the crafted design
outcomes.
CCS Concepts
• Interaction devices, Interaction design
Keywords
Animal-Computer Interaction; UX design; game jam; ZooJam;
inclusivity; crafting; making; Research through Design
1 INTRODUCTION
At the annual ACI (Animal-Computer Interaction) conference, we
have been running a ZooJam workshop each year for the past
three years, aimed at developing new “zoological” interactive
experiences: interactive technologies for non-human animals.
During the event, we try to imagine how to design systems that
interface with noses, paws and beaks, and explore how to use a
range of sensory modalities for providing feedback.
The aim is to become inclusive of other species that may need
to interact with technology - examples include assistance dogs
that can raise alarm calls and perform simple tasks for their
handlers [17] [18]; intensively farmed animals that navigate
various mechanical devices [21]; pets sharing our technology-
laden domestic environments [23]; zoo-housed and lab-housed
animals - in other words, non-human animals that are both in our
care and in captivity.
ZooJam participants are a diverse and passionate bunch, and
over the years have included zoo keepers, representatives from the
RSPCA [27] and from Shape of Enrichment [28], engineers,
computer scientists, game developers, dog trainers, animal welfare
experts, UX practitioners and networking specialists. While this
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2
melting pot of interests promises an exciting and productive event,
it has been important to structure the sessions to facilitate creative
expression, skills-sharing and goal-oriented outcomes.
The ZooJam concept was inspired by years of organising and
participating in game jams, where the output is focused and
design-complete - participants are required to design and develop
a game within a limited timeframe. In jams such as GGJ (Global
Game Jam [11]) and Brains Eden [1], teams rise to the challenge
of working together to meet a specific brief. Creative exploration
is a highlight of the experience and there is a strong sense of
achievement at the end, with a tangible product, albeit in a
prototype state. Many jammers (game jam participants) continue
to refine their games after the event.
We wanted our workshop participants to have a similar
experience during the ZooJam events, but instead of making a
game, the focus would be on finding a playful solution to an
enrichment goal provided by an animal welfare specialist.
Previous attempts to use a game jam format to stimulate ideas for
enrichment include “Orangujam”, devised by Wirman [20], and
“Design Challenges with Ants” by Westerlaken and Gualeni [30].
These jams, aimed at enrichment for orangutans and ants
respectively, were successful in that they produced relevant
concepts which were then developed and tested.
Animals in zoos (and other captive environments such as
sanctuaries and laboratories) are typically provided with
environmental enrichment aimed at enhancing their welfare by
offering stimulation within several broad categories – social,
cognitive, physical, sensory and food. The defining aspect of an
enrichment plan is that it should promote natural behaviour and
therefore every enrichment device must have a species-specific
behaviour as its goal [32]. Captive animals are typically housed
in enclosures with limited space and they have a highly managed
lifestyle since keepers need to maintain regular schedules. As a
result of these limitations, captive animals often lack opportunities
to perform highly motivated natural behaviours. This can result in
poor welfare states which can be described as “frustration” or
“boredom”, as well as having negative outcomes for health, and
for cognitive and social functioning [5]. It was important that the
ZooJam would produce useful outcomes – meaning that
colleagues who work professionally with animals would be able
to leave with appropriate, practical solutions for their enrichment
goals, while ACI colleagues with computing backgrounds would
gain deeper understanding of their potential users. In addition, a
key aim of the event was to create space and time for participants
to work in teams, sharing common themes and constraints in order
to draw together expertise from different disciplines.
Moreover, regardless of participants’ backgrounds, learning to
appreciate some of the motivations and unique behavioural
characteristics of non-human animals can offer fresh insights into
how different users might benefit from novel designs - for
example, some of the bubble toys aimed specifically at
Magellanic penguins would not be out of place in a large leisure
pool during the school holidays.
Each year, the ZooJam has explored a different theme. Every
new enrichment goal is an unsolved problem waiting for
colleagues to brainstorm ideas and develop solutions. In 2016, the
inaugural ZooJam responded to briefs that required hunting
behaviour to be stimulated in specific zoo-housed animals [8] (sea
lions, penguins and big cats). In 2017, the FarmJam focused on
environmental enrichment for intensively farmed animals [7]
(pigs, goats and chickens) and the associated challenges. In 2018,
the SoundJam addressed opportunities for auditory enrichment for
animals in a range of captive contexts [9] (chimpanzees, parrots,
servals and elephants).
In this paper we discuss the methods used to stimulate fruitful
collaboration and report on some of the outcomes as Case Studies
- highlighting just how effective the cross-disciplinary synergy
has been.
2 JAM METHODOLOGY
2.1 Themes and briefs
The organizing committees for each event comprised experts in
animal behavior, technology, design and animal-computer
interaction. To ensure that the design experience was grounded in
real-life challenges, we asked participants who were animal
experts to offer us briefs for the events. However, in keeping with
the tradition of game jams, we withheld these briefs from
participants until the event took place. One of the reasons for this
was so that participants could engage spontaneously with the
briefs during the brainstorming stage, working with fellow team
members. Had people known too much information in advance,
there would have been a temptation to come with pre-formed
concepts; the jam would have then become a forum for
exchanging existing ideas, rather than a fluid and evolving
platform for collaborative engagement. We hoped that participants
would be inspired and provoked by each other’s creative outputs,
would listen and be responsive “in the moment”, thereby
immersing themselves in the experience of the game jam.
Similarly, we hoped to collect outputs that were generated during
the event, rather than compile a set of contributions that were
determined beforehand.
The briefs were succinct – each defined an enrichment goal
for a specific animal and described or depicted the typical
environmental context for that species in its captive context.
2.2 Brainstorming
On the day of the workshop, we cut to the chase, surmising that
introductions would take place informally during the sessions.
After the briefs were explained to the participants by the animal
experts, the next stage for all jammers was to brainstorm as many
ideas as possible for each brief. The animal experts were involved
in this process as game jam participants, and we pre-selected
groups so that people with different skills and knowledge were
mixed as much as possible, making sure that each team had at
least one animal expert participant who could provide inputs
during brainstorming. There was time to network and reflect and
make contributions, but the sessions were tightly managed so that
people were required to focus on their tasks (See Figures 1 and 2).
3
In 2018, we used 20 minute pomodoros [22] for timing – a
technique used for serial time management.
Figure 1: Participants in FarmJam 2017 - designing
enrichment for pigs, poultry and goats.
Figure 2: Participants in ZooJam 2016 - designing hunting
experiences for zoo-housed carnivores - big cats, sea lions and
penguins.
2.3 Creative sharing
The next stage involved sharing the concepts with the larger
group, answering questions and receiving feedback. The animal
experts who provided the original pitches each moderated a short
session during which initial ideas were presented, thus facilitating
a filtering process based on early feedback. This corresponds to a
“pitching” process often happening at game jams, when people
who have ideas try to collect team members who have the skills
and enthusiasm to help develop those ideas into working games.
In order to do present their ideas at the ZooJam, teams
spontaneously used sketching and/or modelling – making very
rough designs in order to communicate their thoughts more easily.
We supplied a range of materials to facilitate this process. Key to
this stage of the workshop was the imprecise and incomplete
nature of the ideas, emphasizing that they were questions opening
a discourse with other participants; no-one in the room knew the
“correct” answers but we were all motivated to explore
possibilities. At this stage, concepts could easily be adapted so
that people could invest their own creativity into the designs,
enhancing and refining them. This aspect of the design process is
an important characteristic of a Research through Design
approach [10].
During this session, participants were expected to be critical
and start to make selections, based on various factors – feedback
from animal experts (meeting enrichment goals), feasibility
(technical considerations, expense, available skills and resources,
potential for success), educational and research considerations.
2.4 Concept development and crafting
Figure 3: Crafting a musical toy for parrots, 2018.
After lunch, participants at the ZooJams were encouraged to re-
form teams based on the animal enrichment device that they were
most interested in developing to a higher level of detail.
Participants were under pressure to develop an idea with the
potential to be successful as a future full-size prototype and
research project, and the limited time factor was a motivator that
also aided clarity of thought. It is a common experience of
jammers that they can achieve tremendous creative outputs in a
concentrated period of time, because they are working with no
distractions in a supportive atmosphere with other focused people
[13] [4].
.
4
Figure 4: Big cat hunting device to promote stalking, 2016.
A key aspect of the ZooJam is the opportunity for participants
to be in the same physical space, interacting with physical tools to
conceptualise and demonstrate physical objects. One of the most
useful and productive activities was the crafting and construction
session, when colleagues were tasked with building a model of the
device they had imagined, using a variety of making materials -
cardboard, popsicle sticks, glue, pipe-cleaners, balsa wood, felt,
modelling clay etc. (See Figures 3, 4, 5.)
Crafting models is an activity we have experienced during our
youth, but this mode of expression is often ignored in favour of
sketches, which require fewer resources. However, not only does
2D visual representation put the final design in the hands of those
who are confident artists, but a mark on paper becomes a kind of
signature for its author – it can be erased or written over, but that
is a deliberate and destructive act. Collaborative drawing can be
fun and productive, as long as participants remain respectful of
each other’s contributions. We argue that crafting is more
inclusive and offers a more flexible, unassuming editing process,
comparable with co-writing documents or code on a shared
platform such as Google Docs or GitHub (but without the version
control).
Physical pieces can be placed here or there until a decision is
reached; paper and card can be lengthened or shortened easily; co-
creation is such a fluid process that it is easy for everyone become
involved [14] [15],
By comparison, in a traditional game jam, there is also a period
when all team members’ contributions are integrated into the final
product. Nonetheless, the components of the game are discreetly
credited to their creators; only the early design stage is sufficiently
mutable in real time to be co-owned.
Sometimes ZooJam groups are tempted to break away from the
shared table to sit at their personal computers in order to work on
a more polished look for their designs – as we noted, in a
traditional game jam this is the usual mode of working after the
concept has been agreed. However, ZooJam facilitators are keen
to maintain group cohesion.
Figure 5: Cooperative ball toy for pigs, 2017.
As well as working very well as a collaborative activity in
which everyone can take part, cooperative making is also an
excellent way to focus participants on practical and structural
aspects such as the dimensions, materials, location and feasibility
of their designs - exploring engineering and manufacturing
constraints. At the same time, technical details and electrical
hazards such as exposed wiring can be considered in relation to
the overall design. Moreover, a physical prototype is ideal for
demonstrating functionality - it is easier for an audience to
comprehend, acts as a showcase piece and facilitates the design
team to appreciate the device from the animals’ perspective.
2.5 Wrapping up
Usually at the end of game jams, the final artifacts from each team
are presented to a wider audience for feedback and to showcase
creative efforts; similarly, we asked participants to present their
work using graphical and physical representations as well as
verbal descriptions. The platform for presentation emphasised
clarity, economy, level of detail and communication skills,
additionally providing an opportunity to answer questions.
Full development of concepts including links to presentations
can be found at the ZooJam website: http://www.zoojam.org.
3 CASE STUDIES
In this section, we describe some of the solutions devised during
the three ZooJam events (ZooJam 2016, FarmJam 2017 and
SoundJam 2018), without explaining details of embedded
technology or engineering, which are beyond the scope of this
paper.
5
Figure 6: Marble run sound synthesiser for chimpanzees,
2018.
3.1 ZooJam 1 (2016): Hunting Experiences
for Zoo Animals
The challenge for designers was to promote a full repertoire of
hunting behaviours in various carnivores. Depending on the
species, this might involve locating, stalking, ambushing,
scavenger hunting, chasing down, working in packs etc. Live
prey is unethical from the perspective of an institution whose
mission is to nurture and protect its animals, as well as a turn-off
for many members of the public. This meant that the designers
had to come up with systems that created the illusion of prey so as
to encourage the predators to engage in natural behaviour patterns.
The final design for big cats was a system that used hidden
sensors to detect movement (a combination of passive infrared
sensors and pressure plates), with environmental lights, sounds
and scents to attract attention to specific areas in the enclosure. If
the cat was successful in negotiating the sensors (by moving very
slowly or by waiting), it could trigger a trapdoor to be released,
giving access to a carcass. (See Figure 4)
Magellanic penguins generated a lot of entertaining ideas for
devices because we were told how much they love to play. The
brief required that the penguin toys should also be capable of
entertaining and educating aquarium visitors, potentially by giving
visitors some control over how or when the toys were activated.
Concepts included devices that emitted lights and bubbles to
simulate moving fish that the penguins would have to chase
before obtaining a food reward.
Ideation of design for sea lions was initiated by showing
participants an existing (empty) sea lion enclosure. This gave
participants an appreciation of the difficulty of providing
sufficient exercise to such active creatures. Sea lions could
benefit from a strong current (lazy river) in their environment, and
teams came up with the idea of a cannon that shot fish so they
would have to move fast to catch it. This would have the added
benefit of making the sea lions less keeper-focused.
3.2 ZooJam 2 (2017 FarmJam): Designing
Enrichment for Farm Animals
The notion of engaging with intensive farming organisations was
an uncomfortable proposition for some ACI colleagues, so we
deliberately avoided discussing ethical questions during the jam in
order to keep our focus on possible enrichment solutions.
There was a lot of interest in pigs, with briefs for big pigs in
Italy, regular pigs in UK and Irish pig production facilities. It was
useful to hear the different perspectives and take financial
considerations into account for the final designs. As wild pigs
spend a lot of time exploring the environment but intensively
farmed pigs often lack substrate or interest in their pens,
enrichment devices should ideally be chewable, edible,
investigable and deformable, while remaining hygienic. Teams
devised a toy that several pigs could play with, enabling them to
root around with their snouts. (See Figure 5)
For goats, the main design idea was a climbing wall
construction to be used inside their sheds, with structures that
measured weight so the animals would have to cooperate by
standing on the same piece of wall in order to trigger a hay drop.
Teams suggested that tags could be useful in order to identify
which goats were most active, and hopefully match meat quality
with enrichment quality as a useful leverage for inducing farmers
to invest in novel welfare systems.
Poultry are kept in dense conditions and would benefit from
interesting foraging devices to distract them. The brief requested
alternatives to rope, which is popular for pecking but bad to
ingest. Two interesting concepts were a robot grain dispenser that
would move slowly around the floor and a low-tech edible
hanging device made from bamboo and cotton with embedded
seeds.
3.3 ZooJam 3 (2018 SoundJam): Acoustic
design for auditory enrichment
Auditory enrichment is an underexplored area of research and can
be both positive and negative – it can entail the provision of a rich
acoustic environment but also the removal or dampening of
unwanted sounds. Designing for sound-based experiences is
problematic because of the pervasive nature of sound and the
individual preferences of animals – how to enable one to enjoy the
jazz while the other has peace and quiet?
The emphasis during this jam was very much on providing
choice and control for the animals. The brief for chimpanzees
required that they should have the opportunity to create their own
sound tracks, and the design evolved from a looping synthesiser
