Preparatory Research and Analysis
The two projects that I found both share a commonality: LED lights. The first project is an LED lamp that displays a 3D image. The user who purchases this lamp is able to watch the 3D shape as well as control the color of it. The interaction is based on what the user prefers. This project fits with my definition of interaction because the user is able to express what they like through the object. The object then communicates their actions by displaying the chosen color. This type of LED light is produced by multiple companies at the moment, and it is sold on various sites like Amazon.
The second interactive project is about moving skeletons behind a giant screen. This project was a collaboration between Ad Council, R/GA, and Helpsgood.com. They had people move behind a screen, and on the screen, only their skeletons displayed. In this project, both the audience and the active participants are interacting with the screen. The people behind the screen were asked to dance, hug, kiss, or display any actions to show love. Their actions would then be communicated through the skeletons on the screen, therefore making the project interactive. Additionally, this project evolved my definition of interaction. The audience looking at the screen were able to learn something: “Love has no labels”. Not only should an interactive project carry out a communication between the user, but it should also try to help address current events. For my work, I hope to combine both of the projects. It would consist of displaying LED lights as well as promoting love among peers.
Based on my initial definition of interaction from the group research project and midterm, interaction is where the project carries out the user’s communication as well as targeting their emotions. My group research project targeted on uplifting people from depression; my midterm project targeted on bring people to a safe place of childhood nostalgia, promoting happiness. Successful interaction projects targets emotion through communication. In the two projects that I researched, the first one targets fascination and calmness at the same time. The user can choose to communicate their feelings through colors. Blue can represent calmness and red can represent sadness. The second one communicates through movement and understanding. It aims to spread love through the display of it, and it addresses a social issue of judging the way people love. According to the reading by Ernest Edmonds, these projects fall under the direct engagement with the project. The user is physically interacting with the piece and demonstrating their emotions. Additionally, these projects are also engaging with behavior and the environment, promoting a long-term engagement between the user and the project. Although, according to Ernest Edmonds, digital interaction projects are still developing, the interaction still approaches one’s emotions and behavior. Also, referring back to one of our earlier readings regarding the technology room for the two children, that room is an example of a successful interaction project. Although it did cause side-effect problems in terms of misusing it and the consequence of a reliant on it, it successfully carried out the emotions of the user through digitalization of their environment.
In all, interaction is all about communication. More specifically, in my opinion, it should also target emotions and behaviors of the user. The researched projects above, past projects, and given readings are all good examples and support of my definition of a successful interaction.