+Andscape — AR sandbox and zones of participation

+Andscape is an AR sandbox designed for young children. Children can shape the surface that is then colored with a projected image. The sand in +Andscape is colored with rainbow colors depending on the height of the landscape (Image 1). The order of the colors follows that of a rainbow, from red in the deepest hole in the sand to violet on the highest pile of sand. With this projected mapping of rainbow colors on the contours of sand, the AR sandbox is transformed into a canvas for paintings with shapes. In addition to the projected colors, +Andscape comes with sound. A small, projected light dot circulates in the sandbox, controlled by a computer software written for the installation.

The participatory design process of the +Andscape with children was studied by conducting Grounded Theory analysis of the activities. We found out different roles of the participants as prominent indicators of the interaction in and quality of participatory process. These roles were further elaborated as Zones of participation (ZoP) that constituted of the Zone of audience, Zone of whisperer, Zone of actor and Zone of director. The analysis shows that there are significant co-occurrences between participant groups accessing different zones. We suggest that the quality of participation in the design process can be investigated by identifying participants’ access to different ZoP. Movement between the zones indicates that there is no one-sided control over actions and dialogue between the participants is prominent.