Coral Reef – Making a Touchable Experience is an interactive digital project that translates the abstract issue of coral reef bleaching into a tangible, sensory encounter. Developed as part of an introduction to programming, the project uses Processing to visualise the gradual degradation of a coral reef ecosystem through touch-based interaction.
The experience works by allowing the user to touch the screen, triggering a visible bleaching effect across the coral reef. With each interaction, the colours fade and the reef loses its vitality, mirroring the real-world process of coral bleaching. This interaction is designed as a metaphor for the ecological tipping point faced by coral reefs, where continued stress leads to irreversible damage.
The project is aimed at a general audience, particularly those who may be unfamiliar with climate science or the urgency of coral reef decline. By making the issue interactive rather than purely informational, the project encourages users to engage emotionally as well as intellectually with the problem.
The main learning from this project was how code can be used as a storytelling tool to represent complex global problems. Through this process, the team learned how programming can move beyond technical functionality to communicate meaning, evoke empathy, and create awareness around environmental issues.
