12 Way Mirror: Reflecting on Window Displays.

Shop windows are the paradigmatic design environment for attracting and holding people's attention. They also provide a handy mirror in which people can check their appearance. The 12-way mirror project plays with this duality by building and testing an interactive installation that tracks people's reflections as they look into a shop window. Three versions of the installation are compared, one with static mirrors, one with moving mirrors and one with face-tracking mirrors. These were tested over a 5 day period in the window display of an Eyewear shop on a busy commercial road in East London. Data were collected on how many people looked in the window, for how long and what they did while looking. The results show that while movement attracts people's attention and stops them, their own reflection is most effective in keeping their interest.