Lab 1

Staging Interaction

In the original stage production of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell was represented by a darting light created by a small handheld mirror off-stage, reflecting a little circle of light from a powerful lamp. Tinkerbell communicates her presence through this light to the other characters. See more info here.

There is no actor that plays Tinkerbell--her existence in the play comes from the interactions that the other characters have with her.

For lab this week, we draw on this and other inspirations from theatre to stage interactions with a device where the main mode of display/output for the interactive device you are designing is lighting. You will plot the interaction with a storyboard, and use your computer and a smartphone to experiment with what the interactions will look and feel like.

Make sure you read all the instructions and understand the whole of the laboratory activity before starting!

Prep

To start the semester, you will need:

1. Read about Git here.
2. Set up your own Github "Lab Hub" repository to keep all you work in record by following these instructions.
3. Set up the README.md for your Hub repository (for instance, so that it has your name and points to your own Lab 1) and learn how to organize and post links to your submissions on your README.md so we can find them easily.

For this lab, you will need:

1. Paper
2. Markers/ Pens
3. Scissors
4. Smart Phone -- The main required feature is that the phone needs to have a browser and display a webpage.
5. Computer -- We will use your computer to host a webpage which also features controls.
6. Found objects and materials -- You will have to costume your phone so that it looks like some other devices. These materials can include doll clothes, a paper lantern, a bottle, human clothes, a pillow case, etc. Be creative!

Deliverables for this lab are:

1. 7 Storyboards
2. 3 Sketches/photos of costumed devices
3. Any reflections you have on the process
4. Video sketch of 3 prototyped interactions
5. Submit the items above in the lab1 folder of your class [Github page], either as links or uploaded files. Each group member should post their own copy of the work to their own Lab Hub, even if some of the work is the same from each person in the group.

The Report

This README.md page in your own repository should be edited to include the work you have done (the deliverables mentioned above). Following the format below, you can delete everything but the headers and the sections between the stars. Write the answers to the questions under the starred sentences. Include any material that explains what you did in this lab hub folder, and link it in your README.md for the lab.

Lab Overview

For this assignment, you are going to:

A) Plan

B) Act out the interaction

C) Prototype the device

D) Wizard the device

E) Costume the device

F) Record the interaction

Labs are due on Mondays. Make sure this page is linked to on your main class hub page.

Part A. Plan

**Describe your setting, players, activity and goals here.**

Setting: Where is this interaction happening? (e.g., a jungle, the kitchen) When is it happening?

• The interaction is happening outside at night on a farm. A lone farmer is having a series of different interactions with what he perceives to be an alien space ship. It is in fact a government secret project designed to test how human might react if the government secret that there are in fact aliens was accidentally let out.

Players: Who is involved in the interaction? Who else is there? If you reflect on the design of current day interactive devices like the Amazon Alexa, it’s clear they didn’t take into account people who had roommates, or the presence of children. Think through all the people who are in the setting.

• Involved in the interaction is a farm boy and the secret alien ship. The alien device is designed to test out on everyday people their reactions to meeting aliens. It is not meant to be overly frightening but instead based on the real designs the government is hiding in area 51.

Activity: What is happening between the actors?

• The actors are the farmer and the 'alien space ship'. The Space ship is doing a multitude of activities to test how the farmer will react. See below for detailed Activities and goals

Goals: What are the goals of each player? (e.g., jumping to a tree, opening the fridge)

Storyboard goals and activities

1. Landing - The alien space ship lands near the farmer as he is scared and he goes to check it out, the space ship doesn't want him to be close - Goals - Farmer - check out the spaceship - Spaceship - land but don't let the farmer touch it
2. Stop and Go - The ship uses red and green to communicate the person where to go - Goals - Farmer - Ask the spaceship for direction - Spaceship - communicate where to go
3. Orange to say be careful? - The space ship warns of dangerous beasts nearby through flashing orange - Goals - Farmer - go across the hall - Spaceship - warn the person of dangerous beasts nearby by flashing orange
4. Morse code - The space ship trys to communicate to the person using morse code using flashing white light - Goals - Farmer - Understand the spaceship - Spaceship - Communicate in Morse code
5. Zapping up - It flys over the person and trys to "beam" them up as they run and try to avoid the white tractor beam - Goals - Farmer - Avoid the tractor beam - Spaceship - Beam up the farmer
6. Remember the colors - It flashes colors to test the memory and intelligence of our primitive species - Goals - Farmer - Remember the colors - Spaceship - Flash different colors
7. Alot then nothing - The alien space ship shows a variety of colors to dazzle the farmer and see how he will react? - Goals - Farmer - React to the terrifying spaceship - Spaceship - Dazzle the farmer

**Include pictures of your storyboards here**

Present your ideas to the other people in your breakout room (or in small groups). You can just get feedback from one another or you can work together on the other parts of the lab.

**Summarize feedback you got here.**

The feedback recieved was around two main points 1) The purpose of the reaction between the alien and farmers could be more clear (e.g., are we trying to experiment based on just there reaction or elciting interaction between the two 2) While easily understood, if going to a broader audience it may help to more thoroughly draw out the storyboards.

Part B. Act out the Interaction

Try physically acting out the interaction you planned. For now, you can just pretend the device is doing the things you’ve scripted for it.

**Are there things that seemed better on paper than acted out?**

• Staging genuine reaction like what you would want to test for in an experiment like this is difficult without a sufficiently awe inspiring prototype
• Doing the zapping up was much harder given the low ceilings
• Getting my dogs to cooperate as dangerous beasts was also very difficult
• I did encounter difficultly that the light underneath the saucer could not be seen in a well-lit room. This required filming in a dark basement which would not be indicative of all potential human, alien interactions.

**Are there new ideas that occur to you or your collaborators that come up from the acting?**

• Things that come ot collaborator
  • Flashing strobe light
  • Asking questions - are you hear to hurt me
    • Two blinks yes, two blinks

Part C. Prototype the device

**Give us feedback on Tinkerbelle.**

Thought the overall software was intuitive to use once setup. I did have difficult building and running the packages at first due to running an older version of C++ on my laptop. May be an issue for other students in the future.

Part D. Wizard the device

Take a little time to set up the wizarding set-up that allows for someone to remotely control the device while someone acts with it. Hint: You can use Zoom to record videos, and you can pin someone’s video feed if that is the scene which you want to record.

**Include your first attempts at recording the set-up video here.**

[

Now, hange the goal within the same setting, and update the interaction with the paper prototype.

**Show the follow-up work here.**

[

Part E. Costume the device

Only now should you start worrying about what the device should look like. Develop three costumes so that you can use your phone as this device.

Think about the setting of the device: is the environment a place where the device could overheat? Is water a danger? Does it need to have bright colors in an emergency setting?

**Include sketches of what your devices might look like here.**

**What concerns or opportunitities are influencing the way you've designed the device to look?**

• I was most concerned with how I could securely attach my device to a string / pull system to imitate a flying saucer. I thought the design of the flying saucer as a great opportunity to hide the phone beneath while flashing the colors below

• When designing the device I also wanted to make sure the look of the device looked sufficiently alien. If it was too close to something we typically associate with humans, the targets interactions and reactions would not be helpful as this would likely change how they approach the foreign object

Part F. Record

**Take a video of your prototyped interaction.**

[ [ [ **Please indicate anyone you collaborated with on this Lab.**

My little brother Coel and friend William were in dispensable in helping to operate the prototyped interactions.

Be generous in acknowledging their contributions! And also recognizing any other influences (e.g. from YouTube, Github, Twitter) that informed your design.

**Reflections.**

I found the longer I went through the lab, it became more clear the value in having the prototyped interaction to save you time building a product (in my case a space ship could take long time!). I also appreciated storyboarding help to organize your thoughts so when you have limited from someone else for a trial, interview or to get their help, it helped smooth that interaction. My one complaint was it felt those same lessons could have been imparted with less time spent drawing (e.g., reducing required story boards), finding materials(e.g., splitting out the costume requirements over labs), getting help to film (more time in class with peers) etc.. which added siginificant time and effort to the assignment.

Staging Interaction, Part 2

This describes the second week's work for this lab activity.

Prep (to be done before Lab on Wednesday)

You will be assigned three partners from another group. Go to their github pages, view their videos, and provide them with reactions, suggestions & feedback: explain to them what you saw happening in their video. Guess the scene and the goals of the character. Ask them about anything that wasn’t clear.

Make it your own

Do last week’s assignment again, but this time:

1. It doesn’t have to (just) use light,
2. You can use any modality (e.g., vibration, sound) to prototype the behaviors! Again, be creative! Feel free to fork and modify the tinkerbell code!
3. We will be grading with an emphasis on creativity.

**Document everything here. (Particularly, we would like to see the storyboard and video, although photos of the prototype are also great.)**

Summarize feedback from your partners here.

1. Feedback from my partners were centered around 2 key themes. 1) The video itself as a standalone was quite confusing and not enough to fully explain the interaction 2) The interactions themselves felt vague and did not capture a clear process

In order to address this feedback, I have updated my idea to one that can more clearly convey a coherent story for the viewer. I want to explore the more aesthetic and creative design elements of my first idea in later labs, but wanted to make sure I understood and captured the key lessons of creating a realistic interactice device for a user in this lab.

Revised idea

1. A person unlocking a lock a) They could mime twisting through the color wheel to find the right color - Flash green when correct b) The lock is based on 5 memories of the person and the mood they felt - connecting it to a color wheel c) Use a call and contact name / picture to come up with an error messages d) Add features to value add over a regular safe such as reminders and mood colors!

Setting: Where is this interaction happening? (e.g., a jungle, the kitchen) When is it happening? 1) The interaction is happening at a hotel while two traveler are preparing to leave on vacation. The hotel is in New York City

Players: Who is involved in the interaction? Who else is there? If you reflect on the design of current day interactive devices like the Amazon Alexa, it’s clear they didn’t take into account people who had roommates, or the presence of children. Think through all the people who are in the setting. 2) Involved in the interaction is a woman and hotel safe designed to make sure she does not leave any belongings. Staying in the room with the woman is her companion, whom is very forgetful and thus the woman was entrusted with the belongings.

Activity: What is happening between the actors? 1) The woman first puts her belongings in the safe, locking with its innovative color design meant to be difficult to recreate or ever hack in 2) The safe is taking her items and remind her of them before she is about to leave. In the in between, the safe acts as a mood light to improve their vacation

Goals: What are the goals of each player? (e.g., jumping to a tree, opening the fridge) 1) The goal of the woman is to keep her passport safe while not forgetting it in the hotel room 2) The safe's goal is but wants to make sure she remembers they are there to check it.

**Story boards** Preview attachment IMG-0010.jpg  77af830-42d5-49cc-a8d6-8f0a0cebe053.jpg)

Summarize feedback you got here. The feedback recieved was around two main points 1) You need to make the actual interaction more clear. In the current iteration it felt like it was just a person using a safe rather than real interaction between parties.

Are there things that seemed better on paper than acted out?

Actually locking the lock was better on paper given the tinkerbelle UI.

Are there new ideas that occur to you or your collaborators that come up from the acting?

A new idea that occurred to us was the idea for having the scene take place in the hotel rather than at home. This made the purpose of reminding more important as well as emphasis on aesthetics (adding a cool color screen) and how it could be used to serve as furniture and impact the room rather than be a stationary boring object

**Prototype**

What concerns or opportunities are influencing the way you've designed the device to look?

A few concerns I had during building the device would be how the late impacts whatever activities a person is doing. In the past I have had a light up mouse and keyboard in my room. While good in theory they ended up keeping me awake with the changing colors and I had to get rid of them.

**Video**

Please use sound https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HZQRUs_KcRBXh4u2V0FaIOiM0i6BbZZV/view?usp=sharing

1. Due to the file size I could not upload directly to github. If it is acceptable I will link a youtube video for easier accessability post deadline.