Author: Echo Chi

First, I’m a computer game player so when Jamie and I were discussing what to design as the final project, I suggested that we could design something for gamers. I have lots of friends through games so I went to ask them what troubles they had met during playing computer games. Then I found that most of my friends and I all faced one problem that sometimes when we are playing computer games, we were not able to find out the CPU temperature of the computer is so high that does harm to the computers. We can only notice this by feeling the keyboards are extremely hot. However, if the gamers use external keyboards, it is less possible for them to notice that before the CPU temperature hurts the computers. Even then they want to turn on the external fans to cool down the CPU, they must stop their games. Also, sometimes if the web environment is not good, gamers need to pay more attention to the number of PING to figure out whether their website environment is good or not. These will interrupt and disturb their game process and may even make some gamers get crazy because the poor PING will lead the games laggy and sluggish.

Then I found an article on ZhiHu about “InkCase”. This is a phone case and it has some information on it, such as the weather, the steps you walk today and today’s schedule. The screen is as same as Kindle, so the users don’t need to touch the screen to awake the InkCase. This means whenever you want to check the information, it is available and concise. In addition, from the in-class discussion—design your partner’s project, my partner gave me some suggestion that it can also have the functions similar to Siri.

So we decided to design a project with responsible design agenda and problem-solving goal. First, the appearance of this project is decided to be similar to our inspiration—“InkCase”. It should be a pad with a screen. Then I suggested that the information on the screen should be concise. It is designed for computer-games players. They have little time to read everything on the screen. So we only chose two data, one is the CPU temperature and the other is PING, the value calculates the web environment. It is also not concise enough because the players may have more direct feedbacks by distinguishing the colors. So we used the change of colors to tell the users how about the data currently. If the colors go deeper, the users should have warned. Furthermore, as mentioned above, turning on the external fans will cost players’ time, so we design to connect the watchpad with the external fans. When the CPU temperature is higher than 75 centigrades, the fans will be turned on automatically by WatchPad.

Then my friend raised a question during our design, he thought this project is useless if the users are not playing the computers. In order to make it more attractive, we designed the second interface. It has the functions as same as Siri and also has daily information on it.

After the presentation, we heard lots of advice and comments from the peer. This project needs more improvement, such as more feedbacks from game players. Also, as one of the professors mentioned, if the Ping is high, the users may have no method to handle it so beeping is unnecessary this time and may even interrupt the gamers. In addition, this project may not be based on the pad maybe can be added to the mouse or above the computer screens.

I think this project is successful because of its concise interfaces and useful functions. Game players have not been cared enough in China and some people may even use backward devices. Our goal is to make the game players more convenience during playing computer games. Playing computer games or loving playing them are never incorrect things and we hope the players can play better with this project.

I am in a group with Ribirth and Emerald. It took us little time to determine our group project—a project for cats because we all raise cats. We first raised our toughs during raising cats, such as the cats always falling their hairs and cats food bowl always in a mess.

Then we decided to improve the cat food bowl problem because it’s really a common one. Everyone raising a pet or willing to raise one will meet or have met this problem. For those who have cats, cleaning up the food bowl is a tough job because it is always in a mess and the dry and wet pet food are mixed together in the bowl. For those who are willing to raise one, this problem is enough to be a task which obstructs them to raise one.

Then we drew lots and got our agendas and goals—discursive agenda, performance and enchanted object. We first read the definitions of these terms and figured out we should add something to the current cat food bowl to make it special. Still not only such, the users must have clear sense from using this object. They should know how to use it without complex instructions.

And also, the materials should be special and easy to find.

Afterwards, we first decided to use Arduino to build the auto-cleaned cat food bowl. With the servo rotating, the cat bowl can be cleaned without humans’ labor. But then we met a problem that when the cats are going to eat the food in the bowl, where should the servo be. So we decided to use another servo to control the upholders up and down. To be more clear, we only use two buttons, one is to control the up and down and the other is to rotate the cleaning servo. We sticked “UP” and “WASH” beside the two buttons in order to lead the users know clearly how to use it.

And I think the most attractive part is the materials of the cleaning cloth. We sticked the thin cleaning cloths together, once the user finish cleaning and one cleaning cloth is dirty, they only need to tear the dirty one off. Then there is a new one can be used.

To meet the agendas and goals, first let me repeat the discursive agenda’s definition, “Creation of utilitarian artifacts whose primary purpose is communicative. Encourage discourse and reflection and subsequent debate. They are tools of thinking. They raise awareness and perhaps understanding of debatable issues of psychological, sociological and ideological consequence.” Our project, can urges the communication between humans and cats(animals), not directly. It can save the labor owners pay when they raise cats(animals) and let many people who think that cat troubles are willing to raise cats(animals).

For “performance”, “optimization”, “flexibility”, “durability”, “multi-functionality”, “convenience of Materials” are all contained in this project. We improve the ordinary food bowl for cats and the materials which can be teared off is flexible and durable. The two buttons are the only things users can push, which is easy and multi-functional.

And with the most common materials, servos, a pot and two buttons, we made an auto-cleaned food bowl for cats which can save labor. I think this is the best reflection of enchanted objects.

I’m quite interested in the speculative design, which is something may seem that has no meaning. But actually, with the speculative design, people can feel each other better. It’s a better way to interact with each other. Currently, people always talk with each other through mobile devices and through them, it’s hard to feel others well. You can not hear the voice, the tone and sometimes it’s easy to say something improper without notice.

Speculative design can solve this problem to some degrees with face-to-face communication tools. With it, you can know other’s feelings directly.

I’m now forming a habit that I should go to gym everyday. I don’t care much about how long I should stay in the gym, instead, I just want myself to step into it.
The largest problem for me is that I often forget this. So in order to make this as my tiny habit, I set an alarm clock for myself, but it doesn’t always work because I have different schedule everyday so the time I can go to gym is different everyday.
So I wrote “GYM” on my id card which can remind me every time I hold my ID card. This worked.
When I was in the line of the canteen, I could see “GYM” and when I came back academic building holding water from Family Mart, I could see “GYM”. I have time in both these two situations so I can remind myself of going to the gym.
For me, forming a tiny habit is not that tough but the most difficult part is to remind myself of this habit. By doing this continuously, the habit can be developed.

David Rose introduces the four futures and pays emphasis on the enchanted objects. He has criticized of the terminal ones because he thinks it is less efficient. However, in the example of screens everywhere, I think this is catching the fashion and trend.

Actually, I love some of his ideas about design and making. What impressed me most is the Google Earth Coffee Table. It’s the combination of technology and daily objects. Everyone can sit at the coffee table and only by touching the surface of coffee table, he or she can see the maps of each corner of the world. I love his ideas of putting this table in his home to examine it whether is useful. This teaches me, one object should be linked closely to the daily life and should be picked from the daily life and be put back into daily life. That is an enchanted object exactly.