After our first prototype, we had over first active experimentation, where we had put together the three forms of interaction, to experience how the intended interaction felt.
After this experimentation, we had some findings we needed to put together to find out what we wanted to create for the exhibition.
What we used a lot of time discussing was how we were going to take these findings, from our bodystorm, material exploration, coding, and prototype, to then put together to a final product. One of our restrictions was that none of our team members had a coding background, which makes Anna Vallgårda’s idea of using conceptualizing computers as a design material, though for our group. Here we needed to find and focus, on the basic idea of our design to then use that base to further add-on the design.
What we first agreed on was that the gesture of touching each other was the base of our design. We wanted to use light to symbolize or express the touch of two hands meeting. But how could we use the touch of two hands to turn on a light? Here we went to the IxD lab and looked for some sensors we could use to activate the light. We figured that the simplest way to do this was with a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor could be hidden behind the fabric and still work; we could code, different actions defined by force and so on.
Hereafter we went to our supervisor and discussed what we wanted to do. We wanted to express attentiveness, with light, when hands interact with each other. What we were told was that two fingers interacting with each other would be a fine focus to express our idea of the project. And that we should write down a design brief for what we wanted to create.
After the supervision we sat down and wrote down our brief:
With our design we want to encourage interactions between two hands in a playful and explorative way to express different aspects of attentiveness – we don’t want to encourage specific interactions but rather reflect how time is a factor in how superficial or intense attentiveness can be perceived.
I begin to understand the idea of taking an outset in one of the forms to then add-on the other forms. When our group began to focus on the interaction gestalt, how the user performance movement (our body storming and animal research). We have an essence of findings, that can create a base we can explore by adding the temporal and physical form to the interaction gestalt.
I learned, that to move our process we need to make limitations and decide what the essence is to then build upon further on that idea. That also allows an iterative approach, that makes the group reflect on the work to then make us curious to build upon the essence of the idea.
IxD – Reflective Journal 