Final Project Preparation
According to my interpretation of interaction, a project can be called so only if there are actual information exchange between the device and the user, such as physical and visual notice when there are certain movements being made by the users. Therefore, in our mid-term project, the ‘Cross Wire’, we designed LED lights to inform the user when they touch the copper wire, what’s more, there’s change in color of the light when the user fail or win the game. That is the interactive project we made using Arduino, and now, we acquired one more tool, Processing, through which we can realize cross-platform and even multi-dimensional interaction experience.
For interctive project examples, I searched online for informations. I looked up projects that contain both Arduino and Processing, and most of them are quite interesting, I guess that’s partly because as the methods we can use increase, the more possibilities our work could have. I found one project very impressive, the author created a drawing device using mouse and potentiometers to draw. Three potentiometers are used to adjust the RGB colors showing in processing, and the mouse is a handle controling the operation such as refreshing the drawing board and move the pen around. This project matches with my understanding of interaction very well, the user can really do something with the device, as well as getting visual and direct oucome from the device. Options are provided to the users, basic need can be met during drawing. Another interactive project, which has impressed me since before, is a project of a ‘mirror’, with physical piixels such as cotton and wooden pieces, and the camera installed in front can track the motion of the user, and reflect their figure on the mirror in real time. This project gives me a feeling of charm and beauty, it can be defined of an artwork, it echos with the concept of definition perfectly, providing the user with a feeling of looking at their digital but physical copy inside the ‘mirror’.
The first project, interests me for its well-integration of Arduino and Processing, and completeness of basic function, which is a practical prototype of possible interactive product. The second project, interests me for its special taste of artistic feeling and thus provide the users with nice feeling and enjoyment.
I now realize with a new definition of interaction, that is, a successful interaction project should also give the user with a sense of joy, not just simply clicking some buttons and some simple physical feedbacks in returns. There are enough physical or visual feedbacks, and there are enjoyments produced by the interaction between people and the device you create.
Works citied:
- https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/eschulzpsd/rotational-symmetry-drawing-613503?ref=tag&ref_id=processing&offset=6. ‘Rotational Symmetry Drawing’, by user ‘Eschulzpsd’, on Arduino Project Hub. published on December.23, 2018