Author: Bing Chen

I define interaction as a cyclic process involving action and reaction between two forces. This is based off of the definition of interactivity in “The Art of Interactive Design” (Crawford 3). One example of an interactive project is the “Expressive Tactile Controls” project. An example of a project that is not interactive is the “Terra Mars – ANN’s topography of Mars in the visual style of Earth.”

The Expressive Tactile Controls project fits my definition of interaction because it involves a cyclic process between two forces (the button and the user). The user initiates an action and the button responds with a reaction. The action the user initiates is pressing the button or attempting to press the button. The reaction the button responds with depends on which emotion it is trying to exhibit. Some buttons will shy away to show timidness, others will jump out to show excitement. It is the cyclic process between the user’s interaction with the button that makes this project an interactive project. 

The Terra Mars project doesn’t fit my definition of interaction because the project doesn’t involve a cyclic process of action and reaction. It just creates a topographical view of Mars modeled after Earth. The user, humans, just looks at the images it creates. The user doesn’t interact with it in any way; doesn’t perform an action and no reaction is produced. This project and the Expressive Tactile Controls project shows the difference between an interactive project and one that is not. More specifically, one fits the part of the definition requiring an action and reaction and the other doesn’t.

The definition of interactivity in “The Art of Interactive Design” includes that the interaction between the forces should include thinking, speaking, and listening (Crawford 5). But I don’t think that is necessary. The Expressive Tactile Controls is an example of why. When the user presses the button, the mechanism automatically responds, there are no thinking involved. Although one might argue that when the button senses the user it can be considered listening, and when the button reacts it can be considered speaking. But that all depends on how broad everyone’s definition of “listening” and “speaking” is. 

The project my group designed, “iMirror,” is an interactive design because it contains an AI capable of interacting with the user through speech, which is an automatic form of action/reaction because it is a cyclic process where what one force speaks gets an answer from the other. The AI can hold a normal conversation with the user, give the user skin care advice, and answer any questions the user may have. As such, iMirror is an interactive project.

Expressive Tactile Controls

Terra Mars – ANN’s topography of Mars in the visual style of Earth

Question 1: 

My partner and I aimed to use the joystick to control the turning on of four different lights, each representing a direction the joystick can turn. I suppose our joystick can be used to create some sort of long distance visual morse code, where a different combination of lights can mean different things. This could be used by military personnel and/or civilians. For civilians it could be as a fun way to communicate with each other using a secret language that no one else understands. 

Question 2:

Coding is like writing a recipe because everything written in the code is necessary to create the finished product the way it was intended to be. If even one ingredient is missing, say a curly brace, then the entire program won’t be able to work. And as such, people who write code and/or use it have to be very precise.

Question 3:

Computer can be very addicting. There are many people, especially kids, who spend a large portion of their daily lives in front of the screen. The pull from computers can be so addicting that the option of choosing between the computer and playing outside with friends can become less of an option. Computer also affects human behaviors in other ways, such as in their relationships and interactions. It used to be that people’s friends are those whom they can see and physically reach, but on a less often basis. But now, people can speak to their friends instantly and more often. Some people even consider people they’ve never met in real life or even seen a face of as friends. Therefore, I agree that computers influence human behaviors. 

Question 1: I use technology everyday. From picking up my cellphone first thing in the morning to opening my laptop to using my ID to walk out of the dormitories, the amount of technology I encounter daily is enormous. In comparison to the devices I utilize like my cellphone or my laptop, the circuits I built today demonstrate the basics of some very complex tech. The speaker circuit shows me how my cellphone could produce music and the fading circuit shows how I can adjust the brightness of my phone whenever I choose. And then the speed game circuit reminds me of all of the simple games I can download from the App store that are very addicting and fun. All of these demonstrates certain levels of interactivity. It is almost as if technology coincides with interactivity; as if one can’t exist without the other.

Question 2: If I had 100,000 LEDs and the manpower to do this, I would stack all 100,000 LEDs on top of each other in a straight shot to the sky to see how tall 100,000 LEDs are. It’s not practical but I’m curious to see how high it would go. 

Documentation: 

The circuit building process was relatively easy and completing the circuits gave me a sense of satisfaction because they all worked on the first try. My first time soldering was also quite interesting. I had always been a software kind of person so being able to make something with my own hands was satisfying to me. 

Regarding the components of the circuits and their purposes:

The 12V is the source of the power, which in this case was connected to the outlets. The variable resistor allows for the electricity to be adjusted, therefore allowing for the control of the brightness of the LED. The switch is a sensor that, when pressed, allows the LED to turn on. The LED is an actuator which converts electrical energy into light energy. The 220ohm resistor is used to control the flow of energy from the source so the LED doesn’t burst since the LED can only take 3V and the source provides 12V. The voltage regulator generates a fixed voltage output from the input of 12V. Capacitors store energy that passes through them until something lets it out. Something being the switch/button. In this case, the capacitor stores the leftover energy from the source and releases to ground. The speaker is an output device which produces sound when electricity enters it.

Question 1: I think the circuits I built with my partner include interactivity because it requires an action and reaction from two parties. The human who presses the button or rotates the variable resistor initiates the action, and the circuit reacts with the speaker and the LED light. 

Question 2: Art is something an artist creates by bringing to life what is floating around in their heads. Art doesn’t have to be stationary. Therefore any interactive design that is the product of an artist’s vision can be considered art. This form of art can even be considered a completely different form: a form which allows interaction between the art and the viewer. It changes the interactivity from the art being the viewed and the person being the viewer to an active relationship between two “interactors.”