This document discusses design criteria and problems for representing a "Life Path" without figurative images or video. It aims to be 3D, interactive, for multiple users, and help people interact with their environment and each other. Some ideas considered are footprints, souvenirs, signatures, rubbish, and traces, but each faces problems like low identification, being too personal, or not making sense over long periods for multiple users. The document explores balancing the design criteria and resolving conflicts among the criteria.

1. Life Path
Design problems and thinking

2. Design Criterions
• Represent to Life Path
• High identification (otherwise make no sense to users)
• No figurative image or video (no screen)
• No installations
• 3D
• Interactive
• Multi-users
• Help people interaction with environment
• Help people interaction with people

3. Design Problems
• Do we have to meets all these criterions?
• If we have to, which is the most important
criterion for this design?
• If there are conflicts among these
criterions, how can we balance?

4. Abstract Images
• Problem 1: 2D
• Problem 2: Low identification

5. Footprint-as a shape
• Problem 1: Low identification
• Problem 2: Hard to keep in a relative long
period of time, especially in a multi-user
interactive environment
• Problem 3: If the time is not long enough, it
makes no sense to people

6. Footprint-as a symbol
• What people leave in the environment?
• What people take from the environment?

7. Take-Souvenirs
• Problem 1: Too personal
• Problem 2: One way behavior
• Problem 3: What is that souvenir (or
carrier of the souvenir) in our design?
Paper? Metal?

8. Leave
• Signature
• Rubbish
• Trace

9. Signature
• Problem 1: Too personal
• Problem 2: Too figurative
• Problem 3: Hard to keep in an multi-user
interactive environment

10. Rubbish
• Problem 1: Low identification
• Problem 2: Make no sense to people

11. Design Criterions
• Represent to Life Path
• High identification (otherwise make no sense to users)
• No figurative image or video (no screen)
• No installations
• 3D
• Interactive
• Multi-users
• Help people interaction with environment
• Help people interaction with people

12. Trace
• Color
• Shape