expanded interface design

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Expanded Interface... Introduction to Expanded Interface design: For this project I had to create expanded interface concepts, using existing interfaces and expanding them beyond screen and web based interaction. To start of with I decided to brainstorm some ideas and carry out some research on expanded interface; and created a list within my group of what we thought defines expanded interface. Change Input/Output Unconventional D.I.Y Manipulation Humorous Crazy Human on Human Interaction Disturbing Design Unnecessary Integrating the body into the interaction Imaginitive Narrative Unexpected Narrative Indeterminate Narrative Making explicit what the interaction is Simplicity/Recognition Physical Outputs Play Invention Revelation These are all the ideas we came up with when breaking expanded interfaces down. This enabled me to gain knowledge of what it was that I wanted to incorporate within my own design concept for an expanded interface and the elements it should consist of. Research: As part of some further development for this project I decided to have a look at some different interface designs/concepts which portray the idea of an expanded interface, and came across some examples such as Skaal : Play with media, which caught my attention as I thought it was very interesting. Skaal is a media player designed for the home that lets you interact with digital media using objects consisting of basic shapes, which are placed in a wooden bowl to play back media on the tv. I thought that this idea was very good as it shows simplicity yet creates an output that is fun to interact with. Image taken from: http://mindtomotion.co.uk/wp-content/up- loads/2011/06/skal-concept.jpg I also came across FunTheory during my research which enabled me to gain knowledge of context and critical design ideas for the interaction that I will be creating. I would say that the information gained from this website was very helpful as it consists of what it is that i would like to portray within my final outcome. Here I have taken a quote from The Fun Theory website stating: “This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.” After completing my research I would say that the work from both SKAAL and FunTheory have major influence on my interface design as they show that by making something usually seen as quite boring, interactive and fun to use has major impact on the object and how the user feels when using it. image taken from: http://thefuntheory.com/

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These are my foliosheets for the expanded interface showing the work i have produced

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Expanded Interface...

Introduction to Expanded Interface design:

For this project I had to create expanded interface concepts, using existing interfaces and expanding them beyond screen and web based interaction.

To start of with I decided to brainstorm some ideas and carry out some research on expanded interface; and created a list within my group of what we thought defines expanded interface.

• Change Input/Output• Unconventional• D.I.Y• Manipulation• Humorous• Crazy• Human on Human Interaction• Disturbing Design• Unnecessary• Integrating the body into the interaction• Imaginitive• Narrative• Unexpected Narrative• Indeterminate Narrative• Making explicit what the interaction is • Simplicity/Recognition• Physical Outputs• Play• Invention• Revelation

These are all the ideas we came up with when breaking expanded interfaces down. This enabled me to gain knowledge of what it was that I wanted to incorporate within my own design concept for an expanded interface and the elements it should consist of.

Research:

As part of some further development for this project I decided to have a look at some different interface designs/concepts which portray the idea of an expanded interface, and came across some examples such as Skaal : Play with media, which caught my attention as I thought it was very interesting.

Skaal is a media player designed for the home that lets you interact with digital media using objects consisting of basic shapes, which are placed in a wooden bowl to play back media on the tv.

I thought that this idea was very good as it shows simplicity yet creates an output that is fun to interact with.

Image taken from: http://mindtomotion.co.uk/wp-content/up-loads/2011/06/skal-concept.jpg

I also came across FunTheory during my research which enabled me to gain knowledge of context and critical design ideas for the interaction that I will be creating.

I would say that the information gained from this website was very helpful as it consists of what it is that i would like to portray within my final outcome.

Here I have taken a quote from The Fun Theory website stating:

“This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.”

After completing my research I would say that the work from both SKAAL and FunTheory have major influence on my interface design as they show that by making something usually seen as quite boring, interactive and fun to use has major impact on the object and how the user feels when using it.

image taken from: http://thefuntheory.com/

Design Ideas/Experimentation...

Sketches and Design Ideas:

Here I have decided to put together some sketches and design ideas for my final 3D structure of a Donation Box.

After doing some research on designs of donation boxes that have already been created, I came up with a few sketches and mock up’s that I could incorporate within my own design.

The reason for why I chose to produce these sketches was so that I am able to choose a design from these ideas which I can then further develop and start making 3D mock up’s and examples of.

Design Ideas/Experimentation...

3D Experiments and Design Ideas:

I have started to make 3D models and examples of the Donation Box using cardboard etc.

The reason for why I chose to do this was so that I can get an idea of what the final outcome will look like, enabling me to gain knowledge of the scale, materials and design I will be working with in order for me to create my final piece.

After some further research, and discussing my idea with Ollie, he showed me how I could use the Arduino board to create knock sensors with an output of sound, which I could then use within my donation box structure.

Within the actual 3d structure that I will be making of the donation box I will be placing a piezo electronic sensor inside it in order for me to gain sound as an output when the money is dropped on the sensor or its surrounding surface area.

A piezo is an electronic device that generates a voltage when it’s physically deformed by a vibration, sound wave, or mechanical strain. Similarly, when you put a voltage across a piezo, it vibrates and creates a tone. Piezos can be used both to play tones and to detect tones.

This is an example of a circuit I have made using the arduino board and piezo electronic sensor which will then be connected to a computer, allowing me to programme it using codes in the processing and arduino software; which will then enable me to gain the output I require depending on the code applied.

Processing and Arduino...

Processing/Arduino:

Throughout the course of this project I have learnt how to code in processing and arduino. I have gained knowledge of different coding, which is like another language used to control and give commands, which then creates an output.To begin with I found it quite hard getting to understand the code and inputting the required shortcuts. However as I went on I managed to gain better knowledge of it.

After learning the basics of processing and coding, I was then showed by Ollie how to use Arduino, which required a similar input of code. The code used in arduino and processing is compatible with the arduino board; the arduino board is like a small computer used as a component with arduino and processing sofwares, which is then used to give the required output. To the arduino board components such as led lighting, sound and visualisations can be connected and then controlled by messages sent to it through code.

HTML/CSS...

Html/Css:

As part of this project we also learnt the elements of making a website, which consists of html and css coding. The reason for why we done this was so that we could gain understanding of how to put a website together.

I began learning the basics of html/css coding, starting with using notepad to input code. Coding is a set of commands used to create a webpage, which consists of different codes for each element of a webpage such as text, colour, spacing, design and layout. Overall I would say that learning to code is fairly hard as it is like learning a whole new language, which is not very easily understood and sometimes the smallest error could make a big difference.

Website Development...

Web Development/Experimentation:

To begin with I decided to look at and research different website designs and layouts to give me an idea of what I wanted my website to consist of and look like. I then began experimenting and making layouts on Photoshop to give me an idea of what I wanted each page to look like. However when it came down to coding this layout getting it to look like the Photoshop layout design was not as easy as it required me to input the code for each element of the design. I then decided to further develop my website design and begin coding; background colour, text, headings, images etc. I decided to stick with a slick and professional look, not having too much going on as I felt that it would look to overcrowded and unorganised. I kept the colour scheme, text and overall layout consistent through out each page.

Overall I would say that when making this website I encountered problems such as text and image alignment which I later fixed through trial and error, trying different things and making changes until I gained the outcome I required. I also came across difficulties when coding light boxes to incorporate within my gallery, the problem I had was that it was not consistent throughout each image the alignment was different for each image and consisted of different scale and sizing.

Here I have captured screenshots of what my final website looks like. I have used html and css coding to put my whole website together. I decided to stick with the colour scheme and layout design from my initial design ideas, however making slight changes where necessery, such as the gallery where I have incorporated a lightbox which enlarges the image as you click on it so that you can experience better viewing qualities when going through my gallery.

The Final Piece...

SOUNDBOX:

After researching many different interfaces and design concepts, I came up with an idea of my own for an expanded interface which consists of interactivity within a donation box.

I decided that I would like to create an audio/sound donation box which allows the user to input money and depending on the amount and slot the money is placed in a different tune/instrument is played allowing the user to create and compose as an output. I thought that this would create a sense of appreciation for your donation and allows you to gain something in return for your donation, making you feel to donate more, and would mean more people wanting to donate which means more money for a good cause.

I then began thinking about how I was going to make my final piece using all my development work, sketches, 3d designs etc. and combining it to create the final design. I decided to keep the structure of my donation box fairly basic, because I thought it would make my piece more interesting if it was basic and vibrantly coloured making the interaction with the box more fun, similar to the work of SKAAL and Funtheory which I came across during my research and influenced my design and inspired me to create my piece the way I did. Using wood I made a box which i then sanded down and painted, once this process was complete I then went on to making a sesnor to place within the donatrion box to trigger a sound that will play when the money is dropped in the box; to do this I had to create a knock sensor in arduino and processing using a piezo electronic sensor, which I connected to the arduino board and placed at the bottom of the box; to make this piezo sensor react to the money dropping on it I had to input different codes into processing/arduino which then sends commands through and created the outcome I required, which was for a sound to play when the money is dropped on the sensor or its surrounding area. However when making my final piece I experienced dificulties in putting the correct code together and had to experiment with different coding through trial and error until I gained the right code.

The Final Piece...User Testing:

By this stage my donation box was complete and I was now ready to get some feedback through some user testing and ask what the audience thought about the interaction with my expanded interface design. I decided to video document the user testing and auience response as I thought this would be a good way of documenting each users experience.

The reason for why I chose to use this idea would be due to the fact that a donation box is something that usually comes across as quite boring, a straight forward procedure of placing money into a box; however I thought it would be good if we could gain some kind of output and interaction from this object, after gathering some feedback I feel that more attention can be drawn to donation boxes through the addition of sound, as well as an instant sense of reward and appreciation for a contribution.

Overall I would say that from my user testing I can say that I got a positive response from the audience and the feeling that the interaction with the audio/sound donation box was fun and enjopyable for the users.