Fiat lux - Interactive urban lights for combining positive emotion and efficiency

We fuse science and design thinking to create a novel, IoT interactive urban lights system focused on increasing positive affect among pedestrians. Our contributions are three-fold. First, the design, construction, and evaluation of an efficient interactive lighting system focused on wellbeing, as opposed to systems focused on utility or landscaping. Second, we used scientific methods to discover basic design parameters for affective outcomes. Third, we optimized user experiences for low energy profiles, positive affect, and interactivity. Tested interactions show positive and some unexpected negative responses. Optimal interactive designs cut energy consumption by 75% while maintaining positive affect. Furthermore, card sorting design exercises revealed an inverse relationship between perceived pleasant feelings and interactivity. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research for the design of coherent, attractive, and efficient urban lighting.