Sensor Walk - HW

Date: Saturday, 07/11/2026

Class: Interface Lab (IMALR-GT 104)

Section: 002

Name: Janice Vuong

Week: Week 1

Take a walk around your neighborhood, or a different one, or imagine a walk you’ve done routinely. Take a count of every interaction with a sensor you see or experience. Sensors might include: pushbuttons, motion sensors, floor mats, cameras, smart device

I currently live on the UES (Upper East Side), more specially Yorkville. However, with the Legionnaires' outbreak, to be cautious (and on the safe side). I really do not want to walk around and linger in my neighborhood too long 😢

However! I have not always lived on the UES, I lived on the UWS for a year, so I decided to do my sensor walk on the UWS, around W 86th & Broadway → W 86th St & Riverside Dr. And then, I got more empowered to document sensors on my bus ride back to the UES (which was insightful!)

My Sensor “Walk” Route

I put “walk” in quotes, because I took a variety of modes on my route.

🚇 W 86th St & Broadway (Uptown 1 Subway Train from 79th)

🚶🏻‍♀️ W 86th St & Broadway → W 86th St & West End → W 86th St & Riverside Dr

🚌 M86-SBS Bus UWS → UES/Yorkville (home!)

In the🚇 W 86th St & Broadway (1) Subway Station

I started my journey in the subway station of W 86th St (coming from W 79th St post-ANHM visit)

• OMNY / Tap Card Reader
• Red Emergency Button from the MTA Help Point Kiosk
• Emergency Exit Door

OMNY / Tap Card Reader and Red Emergency Button (MTA Help Point Kiosk) make it known by using lights (bright blue led) and also flashes. Well at least I know the OMNY / Tap Card reader flashes when you tap your card in the card reader. I have not had to use the Red Emergency Button (MTA Help Point Kiosk) luckily, but I do know that it connects you with the police probably when you press the red button (the picture isn’t super clear, but there is text above the red button) displayed.

Emergency Exit Door → single interaction, when you open the emergency exit door it will make alarm noises.

Walking above🚶🏻‍♀️ W 86th St & Broadway

• Push Button for crossing the street
• Traffic Light

For the Push Button (to cross the street), I recall some buttons, respond audibly to the user when pressed. “Please Wait” = when it is not cross-walk time. “Cross Sign On!” when it is safe to cross the street. When pressed, on W 86th St & Broadway, this button did not make any audible declaration.

Traffic Lights definitely have sensors. They sense cars, and send a signal to the traffic light! From my own experience at empty street intersections, when I am driving a car. After I pull up (to an empty intersection), the light for my direction changes relatively quickly.

Continuing on🚶🏻‍♀️ W 86th St & West End

Lots of security cameras here on the UWS! Well maybe there are just as many on UES, but I didn’t do my sensor walk there so 🤷🏻‍♀️

• Security Cameras → one stage of interaction
• Pull to Talk/Call Buttons → multiple stages (only if you have a conversation back-and-forth), if not, just one stage

Security cameras, they move or have a light-up ring when they sense you (or is actively monitoring, I think?). Pull to Talk/Call Buttons on the intercoms have text/signage. This one had “call” indicated above the white push button.

Reaching to🚶🏻‍♀️ W 86th St & Riverside Dr

• NYC Fire Alarm Call Box → single interaction (possibly multiple?)
• a Pay Phone → multiple interactions

Again, luckily never had to use a NYC Fire Alarm Call Box, but I have seen one activated. When pushed(?) for “Fire” or “Police” it connects you to the (I am assuming) to the local Fire Department or Police Station in the neighborhood. I remember awhile ago, walking past one that was activated and it kept audibly saying “Calling” or “Contacting” over and over.

A pay phone has multiple interactions. You pressing the numbers to call a phone number. Connecting you to the receiver. Or audible dial tones, if that number is no longer in service.

Going on the 🚌 M86-SBS Bus UWS → UES/Yorkville (home!)

Okay! So this was *actually fun*, because I unintentionally did not plan on taking the bus. I mean I have taken this route on the bus multiple times, but my original idea for the sensor walk, was actually to walk in Nolita/Chinatown (the very first neighborhood I lived in). But I’m really happy I ended up on the UWS on Saturday, and it was a beautiful day outside (not hot) to walk around.

• Yellow Cord to request a stop
• Multiple display / interfaces for bus riders
• Red button (in pole) to request a stop
• Push Yellow Tape (on rear bus door) to open door
• “Please Move Away from the doors” when someone is standing to close to the door!

So many sensors!! And more, but I will focus on the listed above. I think majority if not all these sensors, make themselves very well known, with clear signage and bold text/colors. This is because, as a bus rider, you are expected to interact with these sensors. When you need to request a stop, maybe you are sitting by the window, so you need to pull the cord to let the bus driver know to stop at the next bus stop. Vice versa, if you are sitting in the aisle, and near the pole, and press the red “stop” button.

When exiting the bus in the rear, you need to push on the yellow tape, to open the door. Usually the pressure sensors on the rear bus doors are really sensitive and open. However, there are times it has not been the case and you must shout “BACK DOOR!” to the bus driver, or if you have really nice other passengers that see and shout for you (I <3 NYC!).

Lastly, “Please Move Away from the doors” . This is triggered, often, when the bus is really packed and there is no where to stand on the bus, except for the squared shaped area, by the rear bus door. The sensor picks you up, standing in that area, and will audibly shout “Please Move Away from the doors” over and over, until you leave the square shaped area.