NYCxDesign - Provocation as Invitation: The UX of Street Culture

​In a city like New York, the street is more than a backdrop—it’s an interface. This talk explores how spontaneous urban provocations through low-fi analog installations like sidewalk chalk scribbles or Tiktok street interviews—act as invitations to engage in public discourse that quickly migrates online. By tracing their digital afterlives, we unpack how they earn virality, build cross-cultural fandoms, and ride waves of algorithmic popularity.

​The talk highlights New York City’s prominent role in shaping global digital culture, often seeded by such guerrilla, street-level activations. Together, the case studies presented reveal what street culture can teach us about UX, participation, designing for human curiosity—and multiplayer mischief.

​The event features a 40-minute presentation by design practitioner and researcher Hamza Iqbal, followed by a post-talk social with craft ciders, curated bites, and the chance to mingle with some of the artists whose work is featured in the talk.