Feedback & Iteration from User Testing:
1. Sensors are not responding.
The sensor did not respond in class, and Tom recommended that it may be because the ambient light had changed and that I attempt the calibration code to fix it. The unfortunate thing is that the sensor started working again once I brought it home, and it worked in both conditions where I switched on the brightest lamp and pointed it at the sensor, and when I shut off the lights and it was reasonably dark. I’m not sure why this is happening. When I was at home on the weekend it suddenly stopped working again, I checked each link several times, but it is still not stable. The servos are powered by an external power supply via the servo driver, and all of the chip lights are illuminated. I began to suspect the most obvious explanation, poor contact somewhere. The sensor functioned well once I replaced the Nano with an Uno. Poor contact with nano! 😭
2. Interactive explanation problem.
It’s not enough to just rely on icons to explain, testers know to use their hands to control but still don’t know which side to start from, everyone understands icons differently. To make the UI as readable, simple, and nice as possible, I added arrows and text.
3. Consider the state of the installation when no one is interacting with it. — David’s suggestion!
This is a fantastic suggestion! Just like a book’s foreword, a foreword can attract more readers and can give a rough idea of what the book is about. However, due to the simplicity of my interaction design, the fan only has two states: open and closed. If the iteration is based on the present 5 fans, partitioning may be the only way to accomplish this. For example, 2 fans would open and close on their own, whereas only 3 fans would interact with people, resulting in a poorer user experience.
I still want to keep the existing five fans involved. And, because I only have one week left, I intend to create two more simple flat fans that are attached to the 360-degree servos. When no one is interacting, the 2 fans are in a reversed active state. When someone interacts with them, the 7 fans turn forward (open) and reverse (close) with hand gestures. This is a fairly simple and straightforward plan, but I’d like to try it out. In the future, I plan to do further experiments on this topic.
The “foreword” fan (similar mechanical structure to the cockade fan).
🤔️ The remaining question:
For the rotational speed of the 360-degree servos I’m using pulses to regulate the speed, but the speed is quite unstable, so I have to continually modify the value of pulses. I‘m guessing it’s due to unstable voltage? If so, I’m wondering if adding a capacitor directly would improve it. But how big of a capacitor should I use? Should I use a voltage stabilizer instead?
The lighting
The installation, the light source, and the sensor should be placed in this order, from distant to near. I tested at school with a strong spotlight and tablet light source, the two light sources presenting a distinct texture and atmosphere, since the different light temperatures.
The brightness of the professional spotlight device is indeed extremely bright, however owing to distance limits (the sensor’s line is not long enough, and I do not wish the interaction interface is too far away from the installation), the lighting canvas that reached the wall was insufficient to cover the left and rightmost fans. The warm lighting is similar to sunshine, and the whole aesthetic is reminiscent of northern China, particularly Beijing culture and Hutong culture.
With the strong spotlight.
And the light source of the iPad is cold light, which is much less bright, so I stand it directly on the desk in front of the device, which is not a very desirable setup position. However, the cool light enhances the texture of the shadows and adds to the atmosphere of the water villages in southern China. It was the picture I had in mind. It is ideal if the light source is cool, spherical, and large enough to cover all of the fans. 😂
With the iPad light.
Indeed, a large part of the installation’s design is based on ongoing testing and iteration, step by step, to get better outcomes. The image I see now, and the image I anticipate in the future, are both similar but unlike what I previously planned.
Testing at home.
Semester Review & Summary
First and foremost, this semester’s course introduced me to physical interaction for the first time, and it felt as if a new world had opened up to me. I think physical computing can achieve lots of what I want to convey, and I can empathize with mechanical or physical expression better than screen expression. I enjoy expressions with a strong feeling of impact.
Personally, I’ve always been interested in subjects relating to Eastern aesthetics and Emotional expressions, and I wish to explore these topics more next semester. At the same time, I am engaged in Marketable interactive products. Building a relatively ideal user experience process is never formalized and needs repeated research and testing, which is the part that interests and challenges me.
During the final assignment, I developed a more multidimensional grasp of user experience than I had previously.
First, the UX dimensions that need to be considered vary based on the size of the installation. Using my final as an example, the seven fans at the end of the period were clearly more aesthetically appealing than the two fans at the beginning. And, in order to make the narrative of a relatively large-scale installation more complete and fluid, I need to consider the interaction behavior more thoroughly, just as David suggested on the day of user testing, that the installation is running without people interacting with it, and the state of the installation can be used to attract people and as an “introduction” for the interaction behavior later on. When I’m attempting to tell a “larger” story (either in terms of physical scale or content design), I have to think about what happens before, during, and after human interaction.
The second is a description of the installation’s interaction. For my final project’s interaction interface, I insisted on utilizing solely icons to guide rather than words. However, I discovered that people perceive icons differently. People have the time and energy to comprehend the meaning of these icons if it is a marketable/lifestyle products, and most products have manuals, and mobile applications include first usage instructions. The spectator may only stop in front of an installation for a few minutes, and it is a superb challenge to be able to figure out the precise meaning quickly in a few minutes for the graphic representation. Text may be an indispensable aid sometimes.
Concerning the follow-up study
1. More attempts to gain a better understanding of electrical-related knowledge, as I mentioned above regarding the voltage question, are necessary for more experiments to uncover the problem and find the solution.
2. Continuous code learning, which allows for more complex interactions.
3. Fabrication: In the spring, I plan to attend an Introduction to fabrication class, which will help me develop new skills.
4. The most significant thing I’ve learned in a long time: Reading, writing, and thinking; feeling the world, appreciating and employing my heightened sensitivity, and sustaining high-quality input and output.