Summerboy: Heat, Water, and Relief in NYC

THIS PROJECT WAS DEVELOPED AS THE MIDTERM AND FINAL ASSIGNMENT FOR ECE371: DATA VISUALIZATION AND ALIGNS WITH THE DATA THROUGH DESIGN (DXD) 2026 OPEN CALL. THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO CREATE AN INTERACTIVE, DATA-DRIVEN EXPERIENCE EXPLORING THEMES OF GROWTH, DECAY, RENEWAL, AND TRANSFORMATION, AS WELL AS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN ENVIRONMENTS. THE PROJECT CENTERS ON AN INTERACTIVE GAME FEATURING SUMMERBOY, A CHARACTER NAVIGATING NEW YORK CITY DURING PEAK SUMMER HEAT. THROUGH GAMEPLAY, THE EXPERIENCE VISUALIZES INEQUALITIES IN URBAN HEAT EXPOSURE AND ACCESS TO COOLING RESOURCES. DEVELOPMENT INCLUDED UX WIREFRAMING, DATA FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS IN R, AN INTRODUCTORY WEBSITE DESIGNED IN READYMAG, AND THE GAME ITSELF BUILT IN SHINY. THE FINAL WORK WAS PRESENTED AS PART OF AN EXHIBITION, WHERE VISITORS EXPERIENCED THE GAMEPLAY WITHIN A SIMULATED SUMMER ENVIRONMENT.