Digital design considerations in urban nature

Urban nature institutions increasingly integrate digital technologies such as interactive screens, audio tours, and visitor apps to enhance public engagement with nature. This paper explores digital technologies in human-nature interactions within urban settings, examining how visitors and institutions interact with and perceive these technologies. We report field visits to 11 urban nature sites across Asia, Europe, and Oceania, interviews with 30 nature visitors and insights from ongoing research collaborations with 2 urban nature sites. We provide 3 preliminary design considerations drawn from our initial analysis involving: (1) balancing the designed and natural worlds, (2) designing for conflicting motivations of visitors and nature institutions, and (3) surviving the fallibility of technology, to inform future design efforts and responsible integration of technology in urban nature.