Local Format : A Gesturally Activated Story Sharing Map
Final Design
A Little About The Process :
Brainstorming, Ideation & the Participation Design Workshop
The final design for this story sharing map began with a 'mind map,' a stream of consciousness, about my life. As I examined the different concepts that had come to mind, i found a common thread in the concept of time. From this point, I began searching for images, taking photographs, reading, and sketching about the concept of time. After producing 30 sketches of objects that people could use to explore the concept of time, I narrowed down my ideations to two. These two sketches explored how location and gestures relate to time.
Next, I formed a participation design workshop. Together with the participants, I walked through activities by which each was able to share the experiences they connected to different places before we moved on to explore the semiotics of time. Using abstractions - like primary shapes and picto-mash-ups drawn together from random images - we created our own mood boards to discuss the notions of time.
Finally, we each pinned our memories on a map of the world, demonstrating how we connected our memories with locations. This was activity ended up being a form driver for my final design.
Brainstorming, Ideation & the Participation Design Workshop
The final design for this story sharing map began with a 'mind map,' a stream of consciousness, about my life. As I examined the different concepts that had come to mind, i found a common thread in the concept of time. From this point, I began searching for images, taking photographs, reading, and sketching about the concept of time. After producing 30 sketches of objects that people could use to explore the concept of time, I narrowed down my ideations to two. These two sketches explored how location and gestures relate to time.
Next, I formed a participation design workshop. Together with the participants, I walked through activities by which each was able to share the experiences they connected to different places before we moved on to explore the semiotics of time. Using abstractions - like primary shapes and picto-mash-ups drawn together from random images - we created our own mood boards to discuss the notions of time.
Finally, we each pinned our memories on a map of the world, demonstrating how we connected our memories with locations. This was activity ended up being a form driver for my final design.
Process Cont... :
Prototyping With Vinyl, LEDs, and Arduino
Pinning paper on corkboard is easy, but I wanted to take that experience and make it dynamic. I wanted people to be able to move their hand across the map, find a memory connected to a location, and be able to hear someone speak about their experience.
To create this, I worked with Arduino board. I tested PIR motion sensors, Sharp IR sensors, and photocells, finding photocells most suitable for my prototype since the motion and infrared sensors did not work through the translucent surface of arcrylic.
I traced a world map in Illustrator and had it cut into vinyl which I then transferred to a piece of acrylic. The negative spaces of the vinyl cut made up the landmass on the map of the world which, when stuck onto the piece of acrylic, became a translucent map of the globe. I bored holes into the back of the acrylic and embedded the photocells. I then placed the LEDs on another piece of translucent plastic 1 inch below the surface of the acrylic.
Prototyping With Vinyl, LEDs, and Arduino
Pinning paper on corkboard is easy, but I wanted to take that experience and make it dynamic. I wanted people to be able to move their hand across the map, find a memory connected to a location, and be able to hear someone speak about their experience.
To create this, I worked with Arduino board. I tested PIR motion sensors, Sharp IR sensors, and photocells, finding photocells most suitable for my prototype since the motion and infrared sensors did not work through the translucent surface of arcrylic.
I traced a world map in Illustrator and had it cut into vinyl which I then transferred to a piece of acrylic. The negative spaces of the vinyl cut made up the landmass on the map of the world which, when stuck onto the piece of acrylic, became a translucent map of the globe. I bored holes into the back of the acrylic and embedded the photocells. I then placed the LEDs on another piece of translucent plastic 1 inch below the surface of the acrylic.
Process Cont... :
User - Testing
With all of these things in place, the user could then move his or her hand over the surface of the map and activate the LEDs.
User - Testing
With all of these things in place, the user could then move his or her hand over the surface of the map and activate the LEDs.
Process Cont... :
User - Experience
The user could look up Twitter feeds based on a particular location or see who's 'online' and have a cross-cultural video chat. In the process, stories are shared. Community is formed.
User - Experience
The user could look up Twitter feeds based on a particular location or see who's 'online' and have a cross-cultural video chat. In the process, stories are shared. Community is formed.
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