I was sent an interesting video yesterday that made me think about how much people are intrigued by things that are out of the ordinary, and how design serves to create that excitement.
In the first part of the video, they filmed how most people exiting the subway take the escalator out instead of the stairway. Then the second part showed the creators of the video making real the idea of designing the stairways to look like a piano, so that each step was a key on the piano, making it the more appealing route for people to take. The best part of their plan was that when a person steps on a stair, it will actually play a note. Their theory was that if they could add an element of fun, they could change people's behaviors. The video then showed the group of experimenters working late at night placing strands of wire on the steps for the sound, and laying sheets on top to represent keys of a piano.
I absolutely love the idea of a gigantic working piano. It can brighten a person's day while they are out and about on their usual routine trip on the subway. It's also amazing how the image of short black rectangles on larger white rectangles immediately registers in our minds as a piano, even when it is on an incline instead of flat.
In my opinion, the design was incredibly successful, as it certainly grabbed attention and people immediately knew how to interact with it. Unfortunately, it seems the piano stairs was a temporary design for the sake of experimentation.
Luckily, for some similar fun you can visit New York's FAO Schwarz store where they have the famous giant floor piano, which was featured in the film Big starring Tom Hanks.
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