Other areas of inspiration for me would be Japanese Architecture, Scandinavian Design, and certain brands such as Apple. What I like about them and what I would like to bring to my dissertation would be the fact that they are clean, clear, minimalistic, functional, clever, fun, beautiful to not only look at, but to engage with also. I also feel that they blend into my life and enhance it without overpowering it.
What I see as being the common thread between these styles is that they only contain what is necessary, or when things are included that may not be deemed necessary, the user is not frightened by them.
They appear simple, balanced, well designed and most importantly intuitive. For me, the best designs, don’t need a manual to start off using them, but use peoples pre-existing skills to interact and operate.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Dissertation Inspiration Continued... "design doesn't always have to look forward..."
“... design doesn’t always have to look forwards...”
What I mean by this is, my inspiration is not just drawn from all of the amazing technologies that are being worked on at the moment but that much of my inspiration has been drawn from older sources such as twentieth century designs. This is where I started looking at older products or older models of products such as 70’s tvs, gramophones, record players, radios. I also liked the idea of looking at products that maybe we don’t use anymore such as a teasmaids and along those lines.
The images above signify connecting people, using music as an activation key, entertainment - this should be fun, different - that this should be interesting. One of the reasons I picked the teasmaid is because I think it is a really interesting design. The fact that an alarm clock and a kettle were married together I think is really fun and a a really interesting way to solve a problem.
One of the reasons I was interested in looking at furniture or domestic appliances is that generally they apply to the masses. In all homes there will be some sort of seating, lighting or appliance so I really liked the idea of using something like this as it would not be alien concept to people and hopefully they would be more comfortable with it.
What I mean by this is, my inspiration is not just drawn from all of the amazing technologies that are being worked on at the moment but that much of my inspiration has been drawn from older sources such as twentieth century designs. This is where I started looking at older products or older models of products such as 70’s tvs, gramophones, record players, radios. I also liked the idea of looking at products that maybe we don’t use anymore such as a teasmaids and along those lines.
The images above signify connecting people, using music as an activation key, entertainment - this should be fun, different - that this should be interesting. One of the reasons I picked the teasmaid is because I think it is a really interesting design. The fact that an alarm clock and a kettle were married together I think is really fun and a a really interesting way to solve a problem.
One of the reasons I was interested in looking at furniture or domestic appliances is that generally they apply to the masses. In all homes there will be some sort of seating, lighting or appliance so I really liked the idea of using something like this as it would not be alien concept to people and hopefully they would be more comfortable with it.
Dissertation - Interactive Inspiration
Interaction design that has really caught my eyes has been predominantly objects that have used motion / movement, noise / sound, pressure / load sensing or heat detection to trigger off a reaction. I have been particularly interested in light reaction whether it is cause to change intensity, colour etc. We covered some of them already in our discussion this week on Tangible Interfaces.
Dissertation - Origins of Idea
How did the idea come about, why do I want to study this area ?
The idea of this area came from a combination of both personal and professional interests. Before coming to study Interactive Media, I had already completed a degree in Industrial Design. This education not only helped develop my design skills but at the same time feed my passion for product design in particular.
Furthermore it also gave me many of the basic skills that I will be bringing with me in my approach to my dissertation. Not only the technical skills of using computer programs such as Photoshop and Solidworks and being able to build physical models - through my degree I gained much hands on, practical experience through making my own models, stands and exhibitions. I also learned the equally important soft skills of learning to work to tight deadlines, managing time, breaking the project up into different sections of research, conceptualization, sketch modeling, development, final prototyping.
I am not only interested in design from a professional viewpoint, but also as a consumer and as a user of products. I have always been interested in particular with the design of home appliances, furniture and lighting so I decided that if it was possible, that I should try and working within these areas.
Another area I am also interested in is the idea of sustainability, recycling and repurposing . Where possible, I have always tried to incorporate this into my personal life by recycle and repurposing object but now I would like the opportunity to do it in a professional capacity. The combination of all the factors above have lead me to where I am currently at...
Dissertation - What is the Idea Now
‘ ... to create an integrated piece to enhance living spaces ...’
For my Dissertation, I have now decided to investigate the area of Interactive Living for the Domestic Market. I would like to create an integrated and interactive piece for the home, which enhances your time spent there. Nowadays, everyone is busy so I would like to create something that evokes the senses in a natural, seamless way while at the same time ensuring that it is not intrusive or overbearing. Functionality will have a big impact on this design, in that I want the interactivity to create added value, as opposed to taking away from its original function, i.e. if it is a chair, it should function as a chair.
It is also vital for me that what is created is something the user will want to interact with and feel positive in relation to the piece. It is important to that is not just adding to the mass of already excessive products but that it actually adds something positive to peoples lives and that they enjoy using it. Going forward I think it will be very important to ensure that whatever solution I come up with still has its function and that the ‘novelty’ doesn’t wear off.
I would like to design an interactive piece that either incorporates furniture or domestic appliances. Where possible, I would like to use either pre-existing products and adapt them to be twenty first century versions of themselves, or using them for a new purpose / ‘repurposing them’.
Dissertation - From Dissertation to Now...
What changed? How has the idea grown...
Coming from my proposal at Christmas, my scope for my dissertation area has changed considerably. With nearly our second full semester of iMedia under our belts, I really feel that it has given us not only more knowledge of the area, but more importantly, opened up our minds for what can be possible in interaction design. Through modules such as Foundations of Interactive Media and my chosen elective of Programming Languages, it has really given me a greater understanding of the possibilities.
Dissertation - Original Area
Where did I start? Why here...
Originally I had proposed looking at the area of sports tracking and performance. I was interested in the fact it can be quite hard to judge how exercise is actually affecting your body. Are you doing the exercise correctly? Is it putting pressure on certain areas of your body? How can you improve your technique? How have you progressed over time?
Another aspect of health and fitness that I was interested in, was in relation to the actual equipment used. For instance with a treadmill, the information that is give back to the user can sometimes be quite irrelevant or basic. It can be hard to know if you are actually achieving what you set out to do, whether that be specific targeted muscle enhancement, general fitness or even weight loss. People who are participating in sports more seriously ,will generally know the effect it is having on their body more-so than people who are doing as a leisure pastime. It’s possible for many of these sports people to have someone tracking their progress and continually pushing them to achieve their goals. While people who are using sport as a leisure time pursuit, are relying on themselves for this information.
I had been looking into perhaps creating something for runners or team sports such as rowing, especially since the University has such strong clubs and sport science programs. I felt that this would make for strong research and a more well thought out design. Having said all that - I’ve since moved towards another area...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Dissertation - Where to go now...
Since my last posts (which I didn't get to finish anyway!). I have looking to possible go back to one of my original areas but taking it on in the form of interactive furniture, perhaps a coffee table. I like the idea of turning everyday objects that are not traditionally interactive in the media sense into more advanced versions of themselves.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Dissertation - Performance Tracker
Nokia has created a GPS tracker that stores information such as speed, distance and time to do with your exercise.
Dissertation - Music link to exercise
Another option to use music as a motivational tool would be to have it linked up to your heart rate and breathing. This could trigger up tempo music to help you increase your activity.
Dissertation - Music
Since my last post about my dissertation area, I've been looking into the idea of using the movement of your body during exercise to create your own motivational music. Studies have shown (Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology) that music can enhance performance by up to 15% and improve the attitude of the participants. The idea of having sensors in your shoes maybe like insoles that would assess the pressure, frequency etc and if heartrate and breathing were also monitored that were linked to beats to create music that could spur you on / relax you (depending on the stage you're at in your exercise.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Principles of iMedia Class - Week Four Conference
Today, Manu and Fabiano led our group in a discussion about Mobility and its implications. Again this week, the class turned out to be a really positive experience and they did a great job. So first of all, well done guys! This semester we are learning in a very different way - through blogging, Moodle etc and even our ‘reading’ for these weekly conferences have included watching a film, clips from youtube etc. We are learning in a very creative and diverse way and as there are different people leading the discussions each week, i think we will find even more ways to do this. In Manu and Fabianos preparatory paper they had asked some questions such as the pros and cons of being mobile, how is mobile technology changing human behaviour can mobile learning substitute conventional learning and a lot of interesting points were made in response to this.
One of the things I found interesting while we were discussing this topic, was that everyone used personal example to help get their point across. People seemed to be more inclined to use their own personal experiences of topics to help get their point across to others and it helped to ground the topic in a more real life sense.
I don't necessarily think that the innovations in technology will necessarily make our lives more nomadic, I think that people will always find a way to be nomadic if they want to be nomadic. For me, it is not necessarily dependent on technology. People have been nomadic for centuries in both their work lives and other aspects and I don't think it is attributed to one factor, such as technology. I think that technology gives us more options to choose from on how we want to live our lives. There will always be people who will choose to be not tied to a a specific life / place and there will always be people who base themselves in one place as it may suit their lifestyles, personalities and wants.
Personally, I don't feel that mobile learning can ever substitute conventional learning. I think it is a good option as an aid to learning or perhaps for people who do not have access to the resources required for conventional learning. It’s another dimension that can help education but I don't think it can ever replace regular face to face contact. All factors such as eye contact and body language can have a significant impact on whether someone will learn or not. For instance, in a classroom situation where people are physically present, a teacher might be able to spot that a particular student is struggling and be able to address it or students might be able to ask questions that help them relate the information to their own lives thus, helping it to stay in their memories.
I think mobile learning can be very useful in certain situations such as distance learning but in these situations i think teachers become more like facilitators than actual teachers. This can work very well to encourage people to think for themselves and form their own opinions but it is important that the students are given the proper tools and background to help them benefit from this kind of situation.
During the discussion the idea of dead time and being able to turn it into working / learning time came up and the ability to turn any place into a working environment. While I do see the positive in this situation, I also see the negative impact that it can have. I brought up the idea that this dead-time could also be considered as downtime. We are constantly being bombarded with technology etc, sometimes it can be hard to switch off and differentiate between our work life and our personal life. It is important that there is a balance in these and that people create their own area of personal space that is not to be invaded and overcome by the other issues. One of the things that I use to really enjoy about going on holidays was that, it was in fact a holiday - a holiday from everything. You left the name and number of your hotel with people at home so that they could contact you in case of emergency but that was it. You then had solitude for a week or two, you had time to enjoy another culture, relax, catch up on reading or whatever it is you wanted to do on holidays without being pulled back into your life over small things.
Other point that I found interesting was that the technology created might not be used in the initial way it was intended. Sometimes its other uses and functions can prevail when it is actually used by human with practical needs and wants. For instance, the mobile phone was originally invented for the purpose of being able to make phone calls while not being fixed to a specific location. But how many of us actually use our mobile phone for that primary purpose. Personally, I do use my phone for staying in contact with people but i don't use it for phone calls, I use it for text messaging. This would be its primary function for me while I also use it as a day planner, a calender, an address book, a photo album, a calculator etc. I would probably say that only a very small percentage of my time is used on making actual phone calls. Ye mentioned that she uses it as a dictionary and Fabiano mentioned he used it for emails.
Another of the points that was brought up, was the air nonchalance that mobile phone can give. Plans are never quite set in stone and people can break them easily by sending a text . The element of having to deal with the consequences is taken away and people can change their mind at the last second. One of the things I had been thinking about to do with the idea of too much technology is to do with social networking. While it’s great that you can get in contact with friends /acquaintances you haven’t heard from in years or talk to strangers about your shared interests does it not in a way take away from the time you spend talking face to face with your friends etc? There are only so many hours in the day to do all these things and you end up socializing with people you mightn’t necessarily normally do and you miss out on spending time with the people you actually want to talk to.
One of the things I found interesting while we were discussing this topic, was that everyone used personal example to help get their point across. People seemed to be more inclined to use their own personal experiences of topics to help get their point across to others and it helped to ground the topic in a more real life sense.
I don't necessarily think that the innovations in technology will necessarily make our lives more nomadic, I think that people will always find a way to be nomadic if they want to be nomadic. For me, it is not necessarily dependent on technology. People have been nomadic for centuries in both their work lives and other aspects and I don't think it is attributed to one factor, such as technology. I think that technology gives us more options to choose from on how we want to live our lives. There will always be people who will choose to be not tied to a a specific life / place and there will always be people who base themselves in one place as it may suit their lifestyles, personalities and wants.
Personally, I don't feel that mobile learning can ever substitute conventional learning. I think it is a good option as an aid to learning or perhaps for people who do not have access to the resources required for conventional learning. It’s another dimension that can help education but I don't think it can ever replace regular face to face contact. All factors such as eye contact and body language can have a significant impact on whether someone will learn or not. For instance, in a classroom situation where people are physically present, a teacher might be able to spot that a particular student is struggling and be able to address it or students might be able to ask questions that help them relate the information to their own lives thus, helping it to stay in their memories.
I think mobile learning can be very useful in certain situations such as distance learning but in these situations i think teachers become more like facilitators than actual teachers. This can work very well to encourage people to think for themselves and form their own opinions but it is important that the students are given the proper tools and background to help them benefit from this kind of situation.
During the discussion the idea of dead time and being able to turn it into working / learning time came up and the ability to turn any place into a working environment. While I do see the positive in this situation, I also see the negative impact that it can have. I brought up the idea that this dead-time could also be considered as downtime. We are constantly being bombarded with technology etc, sometimes it can be hard to switch off and differentiate between our work life and our personal life. It is important that there is a balance in these and that people create their own area of personal space that is not to be invaded and overcome by the other issues. One of the things that I use to really enjoy about going on holidays was that, it was in fact a holiday - a holiday from everything. You left the name and number of your hotel with people at home so that they could contact you in case of emergency but that was it. You then had solitude for a week or two, you had time to enjoy another culture, relax, catch up on reading or whatever it is you wanted to do on holidays without being pulled back into your life over small things.
Other point that I found interesting was that the technology created might not be used in the initial way it was intended. Sometimes its other uses and functions can prevail when it is actually used by human with practical needs and wants. For instance, the mobile phone was originally invented for the purpose of being able to make phone calls while not being fixed to a specific location. But how many of us actually use our mobile phone for that primary purpose. Personally, I do use my phone for staying in contact with people but i don't use it for phone calls, I use it for text messaging. This would be its primary function for me while I also use it as a day planner, a calender, an address book, a photo album, a calculator etc. I would probably say that only a very small percentage of my time is used on making actual phone calls. Ye mentioned that she uses it as a dictionary and Fabiano mentioned he used it for emails.
Another of the points that was brought up, was the air nonchalance that mobile phone can give. Plans are never quite set in stone and people can break them easily by sending a text . The element of having to deal with the consequences is taken away and people can change their mind at the last second. One of the things I had been thinking about to do with the idea of too much technology is to do with social networking. While it’s great that you can get in contact with friends /acquaintances you haven’t heard from in years or talk to strangers about your shared interests does it not in a way take away from the time you spend talking face to face with your friends etc? There are only so many hours in the day to do all these things and you end up socializing with people you mightn’t necessarily normally do and you miss out on spending time with the people you actually want to talk to.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
