interactive objects & spaces 1 - med m/567 - Summer 2007
Philip van Allen - v a n a l l e n @ a r t c e n t e r . e d u
room 227, tue 2:00-6:00pm

NET Connect Website
all materials on this web site © copyright 2007, Philip van Allen
 
week 02a - assignments, how the medium works, influences, widgets

assignments :

Research Project - Critique a Prior Work - Presentation week 04

Form a team of 3 people and research a project in the interactive objects & spaces/physical computing field. You will present this research and a critique of the project in class week 04. These critiques will help establish a foundation for developing your final project proposals. Your presentation should show images/sound of the project, and cover the following topics:

  • description
  • what is the concept behind the project
  • how does the project treat the ideas of object and space
  • where does the project fit in terms of artistic expression vs. functional design
  • what sensors are used
  • what effectors are used
  • how does the interaction work
  • what's interesting about it
  • what doesn't work so well
  • conclusions

Here are some sources to research:


Design Project 1 - Create an information system - Presentation week 06

This project explores the integration of the physical environment with the media environment through the limited palette of one physical sensor and one media effector. Using the concept of information exploration, create a dynamic system where the audience creates an evocotive experience by manipulating a single knob and observing a video display or listening to audio (only one medium is allowed). By interacting, the user should explore a specific information space.

  • form a team of 2 people, ideally where one person has a background in physical design (industrial, product, environmental, etc.), and the other person has a background in media design (graphics, video, interactive, etc.).
  • any kind of media can be displayed/played back (text, video, voices, music, found sounds, etc.), but you must limit it to only visual OR audio, not both.
  • the knob should have a physical attachment made to it, turning it into a physical interface that has an implied affordance to the user (like a round doorknob implies turning). in other words, you need to build the knob into something and can't use the knob as-is.
  • there may not be any screen interface such as menus, pull-downs, etc.
  • choose a specific topic or set of information as your domain

In developing your design, consider the following:

  • how will the content will be cut up, newly created, reorganized, re-written, altered, de-constructed into interactive content - how long, what form, what mediums, etc. One way to consider your project is as a kind of information remixer, where the user is a DJ.

  • how will the content will be combined at play time

  • what is the affordance provided to the audience for manipulating the experience

  • what are the relationship(s) between the designer/author and the audience - Tour guide, facilitator, provocateur, librarian, boss, co-worker, museum docent, dictator, servant, etc.

  • consider designing the project to run continuously rather than waiting for the user's actions. for example, the user could intervene at anytime to alter the presentation, but the display changes on its own otherwise.

  • remember that the sensor data can be interpreted in more than one way at a time, so multiple, different things can happen in response to the single knob sensor data stream

  • what is the arc of the user experience? Is there an introduction? Is there a summary? How long does the experience last? What control does the user have over the arc? Typically, good communication (especially knowlege vs. data) is created with change and tempo in this medium. So you should consider making your project have different levels of stillness/action, simplicity/complexity, order/chaos, etc., and with this, explicitly design the system so that this variation expresses or causes a range of responses.

    Think of how a pop song works, there are different sections, intro, verse, chorus, break, and ending, all of which create a motion to the experience that creates interest and thoughfulness. If a typical pop song was the same the entire way through, it would be very boring. The same is true with your projects. Create a degree of change that the user participates in creating.

  • what are the benefits of the interactions in the work? I.e. what does the audience get out of interacting, and how is this better or different from traditional media?

pictures of a few of the summer '03 IOS emotion projects
pictures of the spring '04 IOS emotion projects
summer '06 projects Interactive Swing This is Not A Knob


Final Project - Begin developing concepts - Brainstorming week 05

In week 05, be prepared to discuss concepts, ideas, and show sketches for final projects in a brainstorming session. Many projects will be group based, though individual projects are allowed. The project may be an interactive object or an environment. If the projects develop well, we'll put together an end-of-term installation showcasing the course projects.


Readings:

 

all materials on this web site © copyright 2007, Philip van Allen

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