BLOX - an mp3 player concept
Course: Visualisation and Project Communication
Summary
The aim of the course was to create a concept for an mp3 player and present it using 3D renders, drawings and at the final presentation, an A2 sized poster. I designed an mp3 player made of six small blocks, each functioning as a button. The blocks are connected with small metal cylindrical pegs and can be swapped around and rotated as long as the 2x3 form factor is intact.
Poster
I made an A2 sized poster for the exam presentation: click here for pdf.
Details
All the 3D work is done in Rhino with the V-Ray renderer. Drawings, the poster etc. are made using Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. A display was not allowed on the player and there had to be interaction using physical buttons. I was given the keyword "robust" to centre my design around and was inspired by, among other things, muscularity (hence the similarity to a six pack) and symmetry. The whole thing is wrapped in an elastic band to add robustness both structurally and visually. I also chose to focus on personalization by making the blocks interchangeable, so it's possible to create your own unique music player.
Summary
The aim of the course was to create a concept for an mp3 player and present it using 3D renders, drawings and at the final presentation, an A2 sized poster. I designed an mp3 player made of six small blocks, each functioning as a button. The blocks are connected with small metal cylindrical pegs and can be swapped around and rotated as long as the 2x3 form factor is intact.
Poster
I made an A2 sized poster for the exam presentation: click here for pdf.
Details
All the 3D work is done in Rhino with the V-Ray renderer. Drawings, the poster etc. are made using Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. A display was not allowed on the player and there had to be interaction using physical buttons. I was given the keyword "robust" to centre my design around and was inspired by, among other things, muscularity (hence the similarity to a six pack) and symmetry. The whole thing is wrapped in an elastic band to add robustness both structurally and visually. I also chose to focus on personalization by making the blocks interchangeable, so it's possible to create your own unique music player.
Music Monster - a music player for kids
Course: Physical Design
Summary
A university project to create an IT product involving music for children. I did the project in a group with two others during a seven week course in physical design. The result is a monster with an RFID reader that enables it to play music when fed with RFID tags. Phidgets embedded in the monster allows the user to adjust the volume, pause the song and change the pitch.
Build
The monster itself is made of hard, blue foam-like stuff that took ages to shape using mainly a chisel and sandpaper. I don't know what it's called but apparently architects like it. Oh, and if you ever want to glue that stuff (whatever it is) make sure you use the right kind of glue; acetone messes it up pretty bad. Some cloth was used on the inside to cover up some of the wires. The whole thing was painted green.
Summary
A university project to create an IT product involving music for children. I did the project in a group with two others during a seven week course in physical design. The result is a monster with an RFID reader that enables it to play music when fed with RFID tags. Phidgets embedded in the monster allows the user to adjust the volume, pause the song and change the pitch.
Build
The monster itself is made of hard, blue foam-like stuff that took ages to shape using mainly a chisel and sandpaper. I don't know what it's called but apparently architects like it. Oh, and if you ever want to glue that stuff (whatever it is) make sure you use the right kind of glue; acetone messes it up pretty bad. Some cloth was used on the inside to cover up some of the wires. The whole thing was painted green.
Sensors and controls
Inside the mouth of the monster, there is an RFID reader that registers when an RFID tag is passed into the mouth. Each new tag plays a new song. On the head there is a pressure sensor under a small piece of soft foam. When the child bashes the top of the head the music pauses and when hit again it resumes play. The tooth sits on top of a slider that controls the volume. There is a rubber band attached to the back of the eye. The rubber band is attached to a slider inside the monster, so the eye can be pulled from the socket to change the pitch of the song. When released the rubber band makes the eye fall back into place. All the mentioned functions are programmed using Flash (actionscript 3.0) and Phidgets.
Inside the mouth of the monster, there is an RFID reader that registers when an RFID tag is passed into the mouth. Each new tag plays a new song. On the head there is a pressure sensor under a small piece of soft foam. When the child bashes the top of the head the music pauses and when hit again it resumes play. The tooth sits on top of a slider that controls the volume. There is a rubber band attached to the back of the eye. The rubber band is attached to a slider inside the monster, so the eye can be pulled from the socket to change the pitch of the song. When released the rubber band makes the eye fall back into place. All the mentioned functions are programmed using Flash (actionscript 3.0) and Phidgets.
Concept for interactive floor at a train station
Course: Interaction Design
Summary
A university project to create an IT product for Aarhus Central Station (train station). The project was done in a group of four during a seven week course in interaction design. The result is an interactive touch sensitive floor. When touched the tiles change colour to a slightly darker shade of grey. Over time this creates a pattern on the floor where darker areas indicate more use. Eventually when some time has passed and the floor is getting dark it will automatically fade back to its initial state. The concept was made as a Flash prototype on a touch screen. A short demo video of the idea showing its intended surroundings is included in the Flash prototype.
Prototype: Click here to see the Flash prototype.
Summary
A university project to create an IT product for Aarhus Central Station (train station). The project was done in a group of four during a seven week course in interaction design. The result is an interactive touch sensitive floor. When touched the tiles change colour to a slightly darker shade of grey. Over time this creates a pattern on the floor where darker areas indicate more use. Eventually when some time has passed and the floor is getting dark it will automatically fade back to its initial state. The concept was made as a Flash prototype on a touch screen. A short demo video of the idea showing its intended surroundings is included in the Flash prototype.
Prototype: Click here to see the Flash prototype.
Data collection and challenges
We spent several hours at the train station carrying out interviews and observing people and the surroundings. The final concept was heavily based on the results from this data. The main challenge was to create an interactive product, that would be activated passively and would not disturb the people in the waiting room but at the same time making it a compelling, interactive experience.
Some of the topics covered
Usability, user experience, conceptual model, interface types, interaction types, low- and high-fidelity prototyping, personas, field study, scenarios, story board.
We spent several hours at the train station carrying out interviews and observing people and the surroundings. The final concept was heavily based on the results from this data. The main challenge was to create an interactive product, that would be activated passively and would not disturb the people in the waiting room but at the same time making it a compelling, interactive experience.
Some of the topics covered
Usability, user experience, conceptual model, interface types, interaction types, low- and high-fidelity prototyping, personas, field study, scenarios, story board.
Location-aware mobile game
Courses: Pervasive Computing & Interactive Media
Summary
This university project was done during two seven week courses: Pervasive Computing and Interactive Media. With three other students I made a multiplayer, location-aware mobile game on a Nokia N95 using Python for S60. The task was to create a pervasive game using physical locations in an interactive narrative. Our solution is a game that takes the players to specific locations in Aarhus where they play through a story they are part of. At certain points two players meet and have to cooperate to continue. To present the idea a video prototype was made (see above).
Technology
The following technologies were used:
Summary
This university project was done during two seven week courses: Pervasive Computing and Interactive Media. With three other students I made a multiplayer, location-aware mobile game on a Nokia N95 using Python for S60. The task was to create a pervasive game using physical locations in an interactive narrative. Our solution is a game that takes the players to specific locations in Aarhus where they play through a story they are part of. At certain points two players meet and have to cooperate to continue. To present the idea a video prototype was made (see above).
Technology
The following technologies were used:
- A Nokia N95 with Python was used for the prototype.
- N95 GPS (locations triggered missions).
- N95 Accelerometer (used in game to simulate certain actions).
- XML (used for client-server communication).
- Python (a server for the game was programmed using Python).
MiMo - social interaction with proximity-aware badges
Course: IT Product Design
Summary
My first year final project at uni. With three others I had to create an IT product for social interaction in nightlife. There was an emphasis in getting strangers to meet. We carried out cultural probes and brainstorms before coming up with our final concept. Before the users head out for the evening, they create a profile and add their interests in various categories. When at a night club they carry around a small badge. When they are near someone with a certain number of identical interests both badges vibrate. When the badges are put together, an icon corresponding to their common interest lights up. The whole idea is to give two people an incentive to talk. We do this with the common interest. We named the product MiMo, short for Mingle More.
Links
To gain information about our potential users we handed out disposable cameras to some young partygoers. They were intructed to take pictures of certain things. On top of that we sent challenges to them during their evening out to get a feeling of how far they would go when interacting with strangers.
Summary
My first year final project at uni. With three others I had to create an IT product for social interaction in nightlife. There was an emphasis in getting strangers to meet. We carried out cultural probes and brainstorms before coming up with our final concept. Before the users head out for the evening, they create a profile and add their interests in various categories. When at a night club they carry around a small badge. When they are near someone with a certain number of identical interests both badges vibrate. When the badges are put together, an icon corresponding to their common interest lights up. The whole idea is to give two people an incentive to talk. We do this with the common interest. We named the product MiMo, short for Mingle More.
Links
- Danish blog used during process
- English version of blog (Google translated)
- Photos from exhibition
- Flash profile site (no longer fully functional)
To gain information about our potential users we handed out disposable cameras to some young partygoers. They were intructed to take pictures of certain things. On top of that we sent challenges to them during their evening out to get a feeling of how far they would go when interacting with strangers.
Prototypes
We made several physical prototypes from balsa wood, one of which had a mobile phone vibrator integrated. A functional prototype was made on two Nokia 6131s and some BlueTags. The BlueTags emit a BlueTooth signal that the phones can pick up. To make the proximity aspect work the tags were wrapped in tin foil (high tech!) to weaken the signal. Yea, that actually worked. The website was programmed in Flash and used XML for all the user data. The phones communicated with a Java server to retrieve the information needed to match interests.
Excibition Day
All the first year projects were presented at an open excibition. For this event we programmed some stuff in Flash that showed statistics about all the profiles people made at the excibition in real time and hooked it up to a touch screen. On said screen visitors could look through pictures of our process and try a simple interactive version of the badge.
We made several physical prototypes from balsa wood, one of which had a mobile phone vibrator integrated. A functional prototype was made on two Nokia 6131s and some BlueTags. The BlueTags emit a BlueTooth signal that the phones can pick up. To make the proximity aspect work the tags were wrapped in tin foil (high tech!) to weaken the signal. Yea, that actually worked. The website was programmed in Flash and used XML for all the user data. The phones communicated with a Java server to retrieve the information needed to match interests.
Excibition Day
All the first year projects were presented at an open excibition. For this event we programmed some stuff in Flash that showed statistics about all the profiles people made at the excibition in real time and hooked it up to a touch screen. On said screen visitors could look through pictures of our process and try a simple interactive version of the badge.
3d modelling and animation of an interactive game concept
- Course: 3D Modelling
Summary
A university project I did with two others. The assignment was to model an area or building in Aarhus, and use it to present a concept for an interactive installation. For our concept we chose an area in the city centre and made an interactive game where two teams are tracked by a camera. Their movement is projected onto two big buildings, and to win the game they have to stand in the pattern displayed on the face of the building opposite them.
Details
The modelling work was carried out in 3ds Max using the Mental Ray renderer. In addition to modelling we added textures, based on photos we took of the area, using UVM mapping. Biped animation was used to make characters walk and lightning effects were added.
Bachelor project - interactive museum exhibitions
- Course: Bachelor Project - Topic: Tangible User Interfaces
Summary
In this project two of us explored the use of tangible user interfaces in interactive museum exhibitions. We devised three simple concepts of interactivity, and for each concept we made a prototype for a specific exhibition. The aim was to present three basic tangible interaction techniques and then apply all three in a specific context.
We made the SheepTag prototype that uses RFID tags to enhance the experience of assembling a sheep skeleton. We explored the use of bodily interaction through Wobbli, an interactive wobble board. Finally we used a book to browse information with our TUIBook prototype. The SheepTag and Wobbli prototypes were made in collaboration with two museums and were set up and tested in the museum setting. TUIBook was set up and tested at the university.
The museums
Two of our prototypes were set up at museums in Aarhus in order to test them in the real context. Wobbli, the interactive wobble board, was set up at The Steno Museum - a science museum that wanted to test ideas for an upcoming exhibition about youths' and their bodies.The SheepTag prototype was made in cooperation with the Natural History Museum who were very interested in embedding technology in physical objects. We added small RFID tags to sheep bones. Touching a bone to a red circle highlights the corresponding bone on a screen and shows the bone in a human aswell. The exhibition was originally meant as a prototype but we worked with the museum staff to create a polished version that is now a permanent part of the museum.
SIDeR conference 2011
Our paper was accepted for the Student Interaction Design Research (SIDeR) conference in Copenhagen, so we went there and presented our ideas. A few of our impressions from the conference can be seen here.
Physical computing - using a microcontroller in an interactive toy city
- Course: Advanced Physical Computing
Summary
We used an ATmega8 microcontroller and a series of sensors to create an interactive prototype with the theme 'play'. We built an interactive toy city with a moving bridge, a working speed trap, petrol station, lamp posts and traffic lights.
Cake Tank - video game in 3d with custom controllers
Course: 3D Interaction
Summary
In group of three I made a video game in the Unity3D engine. The game is meant for two players. One player controls the movement of a tank, while the other controls the crosshair, shoots and chooses weapons. We made two custom controllers using Phidgets. The game was made for a 3d cinema set up at the university.
Keyboard version
I made a version of the game that runs in the Unity web player and uses the keyboard for controls (it's not ideal but it sort of works). Go here to see it.
Summary
In group of three I made a video game in the Unity3D engine. The game is meant for two players. One player controls the movement of a tank, while the other controls the crosshair, shoots and chooses weapons. We made two custom controllers using Phidgets. The game was made for a 3d cinema set up at the university.
Keyboard version
I made a version of the game that runs in the Unity web player and uses the keyboard for controls (it's not ideal but it sort of works). Go here to see it.
Theory and history of design - analysis and redesign
Course: Theory and History of Design
Summary
The task was to analyse an object and redesign it to match the style of a different time period. I chose to take a closer look at an old streamline phone from '47. I redesigned it as an object of the Ulm School of Design with inspiration from work by, among others, Dieter Rams and Hans Gugelot. My focus was on their minimalistic approach to design that can be seen in products such as the Braun SK4 and TP1 from the 50s.
Summary
The task was to analyse an object and redesign it to match the style of a different time period. I chose to take a closer look at an old streamline phone from '47. I redesigned it as an object of the Ulm School of Design with inspiration from work by, among others, Dieter Rams and Hans Gugelot. My focus was on their minimalistic approach to design that can be seen in products such as the Braun SK4 and TP1 from the 50s.
WildEvent Planner - a smartphone app concept
Course: Experience Design
Summary
More to come...
Summary
More to come...