ChalkBot
ChalkBot is an interactive chalk-drawing robot that encourages older adults and retirees to rediscover movement, creativity, and social connection outdoors. Developed at the University of Michigan, ChalkBot showcases how tangible interaction and low-cost robotics can make public spaces more engaging and accessible.
Physical + Digital Product Design
Project Type: Cross-functional, end-to-end app and looks like model
Role: User Researcher and Designer
Tools: Fusion, Figma, Adobe Suite
Timeline: 12 weeks (Fall Semester 2024)
Project Overview
Developed within the cross-disciplinary Integrated Product Development studio at the University of Michigan, ChalkBot responds to this challenge by exploring how daily routines shift after retirement, often resulting in fewer built-in moments for activity, connection, and spontaneity. As structured schedules dissolve, many individuals experience reduced movement and limited social engagement in public spaces. The project investigates how accessible, low-pressure outdoor activities can gently reintroduce physical activity and community interaction without relying on traditional fitness-centered approaches, reframing outdoor engagement as playful, inviting, and socially meaningful.
Older adults often lose consistent opportunities for movement, social interaction, and playful expression outside.
How might we create a simple, playful outdoor activity that invites movement, creativity, and social connection, without requiring structure, or pressure?
Many community environments unintentionally prioritize structured fitness or youth-oriented recreation, creating subtle barriers for older adults seeking accessible, judgment-free ways to stay active and connected.
As responsibilities shift, opportunities for spontaneous creativity and expression in public spaces diminish, leaving fewer invitations for lighthearted engagement in daily life.
Without shared routines like commuting or workplace interaction, daily movement often becomes solitary — making physical activity feel like a task rather than a joyful, communal experience.
Outdoor spaces lack low-pressure entry points
Play disappears from everyday environments
Movement becomes less social after retirement
ChalkBot is an interactive chalk-drawing robot designed to bring playful, customizable sidewalk art to public and community spaces. The project explored how low-cost robotics and tangible interaction can create moments of joy, engagement, and accessibility in shared environments. ChalkBot was awarded 1st place overall at the course’s simulated trade show.
Design Solution
Design a low-pressure way for older adults to re-engage with public spaces through movement and creativity, without requiring structure, skill, or performance.
Design Challenge
Grounded in the Double Diamond framework, the process began with secondary research on post-retirement lifestyle shifts, followed by primary observations and conversations to understand lived experiences of movement and outdoor engagement. These findings were synthesized into key insights that guided ideation around low-pressure, playful interaction in public space. Early concepts were explored through rapid prototyping and tested in context, with feedback informing iterative refinement toward an accessible solution that supports movement, creativity, and social connection.
Methods
The final concept was communicated through a high-fidelity “looks-like” render of ChalkBot, alongside a companion mobile app wireframe that illustrates how users can extend engagement beyond the physical interaction.
Outcomes
I led early-stage user research and helped define the design problem, translating insights into experience principles and scenarios that guided prototyping and key decisions around form, interaction, and system design. I also developed visual storytelling to communicate the final concept, collaborating closely with teammates across Design, Engineering, and Business. Through this work, the project demonstrated how interactive technology can enable inclusive, low-pressure outdoor play, highlighted the value of designing for movement, creativity, and connection beyond traditional exercise, and reinforced the impact of interdisciplinary collaboration in shaping meaningful solutions.
Roles & Takeaways