I first explored the pod’s form and determined the pentagonal shape to create angled views. Visitors do not need to look at the other person directly, so the angled views make the conversations nonconfrontational. The seating was influenced by folding a piece of paper with slits to create positive and negative spaces.

Meanwhile, I tested perforated patterns and their sizes with laser-cut plywood. The most appealing were Kumiko patterns. The patterns are from a traditional Japanese woodcraft, where thin pieces of wood are carefully cut and fitted without glue. Laser-cutting different types of Kumiko patterns revealed a meandering quality. Pattern changes could encourage a person to take a mental derive and process their wandering thoughts.

The 1:1 screen prototype shows the adjusted perforation sizes that are wide enough for someone to look outside but small enough to cover a person’s face. Patterns prepared for laser cutting started with precise, clean geometry but evolved into abstract forms with imperfect, soft edges. Abstracting the perforated patterns also could conceal areas of the body that do not need to be exposed, such as the visitors’ legs.

Testing the form and perforated pattern determined the final 1:10 prototype of the perforated pod.