The heirloom project
The idea:
Time with the family is important and should remain in memory. These product will help capture family data: like conversations and photos to store them in a physical object. After a certain period of time it can be open and the content can be viewed on the home computer.
The heirloom will be passond on from generation to generation.
A intuitive navigation makes it easy to browse through images in oreder to find family members and conversation snippets.
Managing Goals and Tasks
During the meetings goals, task and sharing (with friends, family etc.) were determined as focus areas. The concept map shows key entities and relationships between the areas.
Next balance as a keyword between the focus areas was detected.
1. Protorype: the limbs on this bracelet are standing for the different tasks. All task belong to different goals in life and the face of the bracelet is showing these goals. The face also shows the balance between the goals (through the tasks that has been fulfilled).
2. Prototype: The second prototype is divided into two objects. The stand represents the goals and can be laid on the table, the other object, representing the task, is portable. By putting the two together, the portable object will show the user his/her balance in life. It bends towards the most achieved goals.
Second Prototype: Portable RSS Feed Reader
The second prototype still has the theme of the RSS Feed reader. But I reduced the function of the alarm clock, because the alarm clock was not essential for the object. Moreover my goal was to create a more intuitive object to present individual rss feeds.
In every object is a little speaker, that reads the news. The objects are connecting wireless to the computer and can download the latest feeds. As a feedback the object is vibrating if a new feed is uploaded.
The objects are magnetic and hold together as a whole. Every object is one RSS Feed and can be taken or traded. By putting two ore more objects together and shake them the feeds getting mixed up, so that feeds from other user can be taken. By only shake one object the next Feed will be read.
The idea was a shape that can be put together to one entire object as well as into individual objects.
First Prototype: Alarm Clock
The idea of the first prototype was a alarm clock that would read rss feeds in the morning. By providing personal rss feeds it should be easier and more interesting for the user to wake up. The user starts also informed into his/her day.
This object would read to the user in the morning the latest rss feeds. With the buttons the user could go forward and backwards in the list of rss feeds. It also can be turned in order to switch off. Problems: This object looks more like a alarm clock than a feed reader, it is not very easy to carry around and the shape is not explaining its content.
This paper prototype can be turned in order to not face the user. The object would then be turned off.
The InterFace
The goal fo this project is capturing the complexity of mood, see the users mood in relationship to others in the group and communicate mood in a engaging way. In order to get information,we needed an active mood submission from class and faculty. With this information we wanted to visualize the groups mood.
First Prototype
In this prototype the user can choose with one potentiometer a question about mood and with the other potentiometer he can display the mood with a smiley face.
Second Prototype
The second Prototype uses a more engaging input, by using the metaphor of a face. We also kept the input simple and fast for the participant by using agree or disagree questions.
Third Prototype
After testing the second prototype we recognized problems with the mapping of our InterFace. We did more tests to find out how we can change t led the user to the right input.
In our third prototype we change the aesthetic of the interface in order to communicate in a better way what can be controlled by the user and what is the systems output. We added helpful directions and created a system of actions with an define ending.
Lab-Wireless
I solder regular 0.1″ spaced male headers on my basic XBee breakout board and two strips of female 2 mm-spaced sockets onto the opposite side of the breakout board.
I worked with Katie in this lab to build a wireless a doorbell. One of the board is the button and the other one is the bell.
Lab-Serial
I attached a potentiometer to a Arduino board and send serial output of the values as bytes out to the computer. I used Processing to access the serial port as input to show a graph. With the potentiometer I can “draw” the graph.
Midterm Project: RecycleBin
In this project we want to encourage people to recycle in their home by creating an emotional and interactive experience that rewards good recycling habits.
By recycling the tee will grow and birds can be heard.
Recycling is the law in New York City. While most business, corporate, and residential buildings comply by dedicating space and bins to recycling, many residents and workers do not comply. Often times, recyclables and waste are mixed together undermining the city’s recycling efforts. We feel that there is a disconnect between people and recycling because the “act of recycling” lacks immediate feedback and satisfaction. We are are proposing a product that will encourage users to recycle by creating an underlying emotional interaction that develops by actively recycling.
First Prototype:
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