Toi Rangatahi!

Spark NZ Speculative Group Project

Toi Rangatahi is a speculative interactive promotion that celebrates the transformative power of 5G Technology in everyday life, focusing on rangatahi. Rangatahi are the dynamic youth and future leaders of Māori communities. The goal was to inspire rangatahi to recognise the potential of creative tech and empower them to become trailblazers, decision-makers, and eventual guardians of tomorrow.

The concept is simple: connect rangatahi through digital art by using tukutuku patterns to showcase how they can be part of the creative tech industry. By using tukutuku patterns, we can literally and digitally weave together the narratives of thousands of young aspiring rangatahi into one giant story that unfolds over time.

The Process

Ideation & Research

At the start of this project, our group conducted comprehensive research on 5G technologies and the creative tech industry, focusing particularly on rangatahi Māori. Each of us conducted our own research, after which we came together and collaboratively brainstormed potential solutions to our problem.
Tukutuku Ideation/Exploration

As part of this project, one of the key areas I was in charge of was the ideation and conception of the tukutuku patterns we would use. Each tukutuku pattern reflected a different theme or aspect of Māori culture. One of them was a traditional poutama pattern but the other two were created by me to represent connection both literally (wireless connection) and metaphorically.
Mobile & Desktop Web Development

The other key role for me in this project was creating web prototypes and acting as the lead UX/UI designer. This part of the project was littered with back-and-forth communication between Spark NZ, my group, and mentors to ensure the website felt connected to and in line with the project as a whole.
Group Collaboration

I had my roles and tasks within this project but it was not possible without the participation of the other members of the group. Each of us had different strengths and weaknesses that we were able to balance. A lot of the work we created was super collaborative and although one person may have been leading the task, we all worked together to achieve a greater goal.