The Feedback - Week 6 [Presentation Day]

Oh God, Presentation Day! Again?!

These are not a strong point of confidence for me. Nope, nope.

This week was a look into how we've progressed. In my last presentation I didn't have a solid idea for my Cloubee system so this one I set about solidifying the idea ready for refined concepts and final outputs. (As I did in the Previous Post, check it out to see more about The Cloubee!)

As presentations went on, I scribbled a small page of notes. I'll give a rough over view for future reference (It's easier to read over again on here for me...) :

• Re-wording the idea several times can help to give a different perspective overall
• Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design by Bill Buxton
• Possibly look at Blind clients

Then came my turn. I had some feedback from Justin about where I should look into and settle on things now so I can get into the 3D and showcasing the system for all it is. Again, note breakdown:

• Video = Plan view and person dot, flash backs of what happened (school, party, sickness)
• Try and visualise the scenario cards
• Outcomes may include Video, Digital Compositing, Graphic Design focuses. An infographic board.
• Communicate the activities and what it does via storyboards.
• What each source will read Hair holds smell, Sweat is what you ate etc. What is being measured.
• Need to tie it down finally. The video could be a journey through the home, seeing various spaces and how they react.
• Application planning, interface design, menu -> open app -> results.

ANSWER THE "BUT WHY"

So a little moving forward check-list:

• Application Design
• Storyboard scenarios
• Visualise what each structure will calculate for (Hair, skin etc)
• 3D, 3D, 3D ~

A little less System, a little more visualisation!

Also, it's got a final name now. 

[T h e   C l o u B]

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The Cloubee (Combee) [Define]

The Cloubee (or Combee)
WIP TITLE.

My Idea, my Design. The Cloubee, or Combee. I still have to decide. Let me break it down for you.

The Cloubee is an Ecological system that will be embedded into people's homes primarily. Using the idea of Smart Houses to enhance a user environment and ave us not just see but feel the beauty of nature once more. Before we don't get the chance.

The Cloubee will work off a persons 'Bacterial Cloud', a far from new concept that's just being looked into recently. Recent tests show that a users Cloud can be used as a personal fingerprint. 

Filled with bacteria from our beings, sourced from our Mouths (Breathing), Hair, Sweat, Bad Gas, and our skin cells. These clouds personalise to us. Unique to each individual. Providing a unique experience and a unique perception to every user in its presence. 

From a Visual Aspect, it was hard to try and personify. There were so many different ways this could be approached. I personally loved the idea of a mosaic or a collage. If you look at these styles its all about taking different parts of things and merging them together to create a much bigger picture. Cloubee is like this. Taking different parts of our bacteria into a cloud, reading the cloud and providing a special experience to that user!

The design for the mosaic can vary from a persons tastes. Something calm and swirly, or sharp and dynamic. I can see it being designed into specific areas from an overall stand point.

BIO LUMINESCENCE will play a very important part of the visuals! To try and soften the very technical aspect of this idea. Bio Luminescence is a product of a chemical reaction, and depending on the structure of said chemicals you ill get a different colour output.

Te DNA of the bio-luminescent structure will be embedded into the mosaic stones in order to give a sensual reaction to the user. Some may only glow one specific colour to a person, or they can be taken further in order to give of multiple colours as I have sketched previously. Each person has a different chemical balance, so each person will have a unique input for the bio-luminescent output. 

I want The Cloubee to be an extension of us. Technology now days is all about extra things we carry around. This system is different. It's something we can embrace and feel a part of. A place where the User and the Space can become one, it wraps around you and, like chameleon, it will adapt to you.

My message is to remind us that our environment is more important now then it ever has been. As technology advances I fee like we're leaving our natural world behind. I want this system to provide a sensual co-existence with our world.

Our world as it is now is too artificial. Let's show off how unique we are as human beings.

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Further Concepts [Define]

3 more concept mash ups, leaving us currently at 15 pages.

I actually put too much time into defining these.. Dang it. Time Management is not happening this week.

Similar to the last concept post, I've broke them down 3 a piece. I'll go into some details for each one. Click the images for  MUCH better resolution. The merged format just makes it easier on space! And to keep track...

Out take of Concepts [Part 2]

7 - Looking at a visual references for the full scale 'Blood Lamp' System. It stays with that specific blue-colour, which is relaxing. Cell-like build up, or a tree branch design was my approach here.

8 - Variations on the Systems, with visuals! Since the blood was too extreme, I thought of more beneficial uses for my home system. Tracking illness, specific lighting styles for certain diseases and so on. Guilt tripping the smokers and alcoholics.

9 - Refining the interface for the disease tracking systems. Designed under the 3 main organ diseases (Heart, Kidney, Liver) with bright colours to try and transcend the doom and gloom behind it. Child friendly and vibrant!

10 - Bio-Art focus, for a different swing. A Glass Canvas concept, made up of Algae. Creating art using the various body fluids on the algae, to spark a chemical reaction with light as the end product. Variations include temperature and pressure differences.

11 - User Interaction 1 - Looking into the cloud itself. How it works around one person, and multiple people in one area. The image could be transmitted to a mobile application to see a visual of their cloud PROCESSED by the bacterial cloud readers in the room. (Behind the Walls - NOT VISABLE)

12 - User Interaction 2 - Visualising the movement of a person and their cloud, with more merging factors. It's more of a smoke trail visual (In my Opinion). As the cloud follows us, the changed factors in a room can be specific in our area and the other side of the room is something completely changed to them. ADAPTABLE FEATURES. (With more touchy diagrams)

13 - Making things simple, this is just alternative lighting variations compared to something in the middle of a room. The room pulses and reacts to us, like a plasma ball. Lava lamp styles, or a chained chemical reaction in a cell by cell design.

14 - Personalised 1 - Technical sided page here, embedding the Cloud reading DNA into the screens of our phones and such for a constant feedback. Smart Watches allow a more diverse way to track our well being. Google Glass could integrate a way of SEEING the clouds around us. How unique we all are.

15 - Personalised 2 - Beautiful things for everyone! Can the Cloud reading DNA be embedded into nail polish for a mood ring effect? Tattoo Ink could give a completely new aspect of design to the style. Jewellery and clothing trend setting the science!

These are all ways to personalise the idea behind the technology. Technology is scary, it feels in our control when in fact it's not. These could be ways to better embrace that scary factor.

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I have one more to post up that's looking at my final system itself, The Combee! I'm enjoying where this is going and looking into how it works and how it'll effect other people.

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Found a Gem [Define] - Week 5

I never thought that this week would settle the highest end of research for my project. This guy, this guy and his ideas are inspiring. Let me introduce to you:

Daan Roosegaarde

A dutch innovative designer that I have grown to have so much respect for over the past few days. After watching his TED talks and looking at the breakdowns behind some of his projects (I'll give his studio's website below) it's gave me a bit of breathing room for my own project.

Mister Roosegaarde created his own photo luminescent paint for public road use, then using that DNA to bring nature into a unique harmony with futuristic technology. Using this guy's innovation for a beautiful environment outside, as inspiration for my design. I want to take his outlook for the future of making environments less technological and bring the beauty back. He's going to be my rock.

Biomimicry

What can we learn from nature? What can we take from nature and use it to make our lives and our future a much better place? We have so much technology starting to suffocate us, can we take it out of the computer? Can we bring back a real interaction with the world around us compared to zoning out in front of a screen?

People feel that Technology is solving our problems. Businesses are pushing us in their direction. I want to give us our own unique direction. I want the technology to be an extension of us. An enhancement of our lives. I don't want to force my idea onto people, I want them to have their own interpretation. The User and the Space will become one.

I want to show the future society how beautiful the environment is. The possibilities, what it can do for us, and how UNIQUE every one of us are.

It's not going to be HOW it works. I'm designing a new perspective, a unique outcome. As I design for the user, I'm also designing for myself.

Daan Roosegaarde, you'll never find this blog, but Dankuwel. I'll never say 'Yes, but' again. <3

Studio Roosegaarde

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Idea of Concepts [Define]

Not entirely sure how I should set about these sort of posts. They're kinda lengthy. It's more for myself to keep a record of what I have and what I don't, considering my lack of working space here at home.

Complying 3 into a longer image and writing a little might be the way to go here, we'll see how it works. Future amendments.

Out take of Concepts [Part 1]

1 - Looking more technical then visual. Just a simple box-type interface with vent to take in the bacteria around a user as they go about their life. It might be a little intimidating. Certainly not any visual appeal.

2 - Pandora/Avatar stylised visuals. A physical appearance to the system itself. Based on the imagery from James Cameron's Avatar. The next few pages will look into this further. This page is a 'huggable' object that relies on physical contact.

3 - More passively designed to collect bacterial data. A 'strange floral' design that can act as decorate while sucking in the information like a vaccum. Illumination by Presence considered here.

4 - Completely futuristic approach. Floating mushroom-like plants/creatures that use the same vacuum effect. Looking at various approaches to the idea of the bacteria being sucked in for collection. They would be on a smaller scale and not interrupt activity.

5 - A little compilation of the ideas, let's look at the numbers:

    1 - A simple vacuum idea based on cells and suction cups.

    2 - Bacteria collecting Algae built into the doorframe, merging with the home.

    3a/b - A more  

    4 - Tendril/tentacle design making the system look more like a real creature.

    5 - A simple mechanical design built into the wall. No fancy visuals.

    6 - The floating mushrooms, small in size. A hovering data collector + Wifi

Concepts 7-9 are a light and suction combo. Using bio-luminescence to light up upon sensing the user's presence. 

    7 - Plant like design, built into the wall like a vent.

    8 - Hanging like a room light, opens and closes like a capsule.

    9 - Comes out of the ground, more plant-like. Blue-Bell Design.

6 - Away from the abstract, creepy looking things and looking more into integrating the idea into the users home.

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Got 6 or 7 more concepts to throw your way, regarding Bio cloud and possible user scenarios. 

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How to Instructions.. - User Scanrios [Define]

[Doing a bit of a post purge today, after being sick for the past wee while, apologies!]

First off! Finding a specific client for my idea deemed difficult. I got a little confused about how to approach it so I held off until the next class where I could get some aid..

Not wanting to sit and twiddle my thumbs, I decided to create some SCENARIO CARDS. Different uses of my system. Each will be presented with a small insight:

Being able to track ones Bacterial Cloud in a hospital seems like a better way of monitoring the patients. It could help with the prevention of spreading diseases and/or infections, while also a persistent monitoring of symptoms. Like an internal check. Your bacteria can tell a lot about your body and any doctor will know this, how do they find out whats wrong in the first place? Bacteria. It seems to me like hospitals would appreciate the relief this system could provide.

A bit of a different area here, but the Military it can help keep track of fitness among the troops. Field Clinics could help out a lot easier and it may reduce the pressure put in their backs before being amassed with sick soldiers. The idea of putting all the data into a big online storage system for easy access would allow long distance monitoring to make sure everyone is at the best they can be - Can be useful on tours.

Another interesting area is that the bacterial cloud can track ones movements, this recorded into a system could possibly prevent this idea of Missing In Action troops.

The general scenario. A family home. In more restricting terms, a parent can find their child and figure out where they've been. In more comfortable terms, the system could track stress levels, sickness. Could the system automatically dim the lights on sense of a headache for a particular person, or heat the water if a shower is needed? This is all the technical information.

Eldery people may get a little confused by the idea of a system that's 'taking control' of their homes. I know they like to do things themselves and stay active, but the Cloubee system can help with their health as well as other matters. It can remind them of things they maybe forgot about.

In a pensioners home, it would be beneficial for the nurses and carers there to keep track of all the members on an individual level.

Stress is a key factor within a educational environment. It can be the failure of certain students. Maybe they don't feel like they're getting the help they need, or they just don't understand maths at all. The Cloubee could give teachers the info they need to see who's stressing over certain subjects, and give them the help they might need. It could help overall performance, could it track attention span in kids?

On the reverse, it may allow tracking of stress in teachers too. If they're handling troublesome students law doesn't allow them to do anything. However, the Cloubee can see their stress levels rising and the aggravation levels of the students results too. It can be dealt with before it goes too far and out of control.

Businesses could use the data, with permission privileges and alike. Data Protection issues etc. To find clients for their products. See what people are doing in their lives. Track new patterns, emerging trends and create a product to fit into these peoples lives. A new process of innovation?

This is an area I want to focus more on. In a visual aspect compared to a scenario. I feel like this will allow me to progress my idea. Turn it from something technical and 'system' based into a user friendly idea that reacts to us and reflects who we are as individual human beings. Being able to visually see their cloud, their being, reflected in the world around them. While it collects data on their well being. Neat!

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As of now, there's a repeating pattern. It's tracking our health, our well being. It's allowing us to see more about ourselves and understand how our body is working in terms of how we're feeling. We maybe don't feel sick but our body is sick and it will tell us using this system. Our body can tell us what we don't quite understand yet.

I'll update these if I need to as my project goes on, there's also a space open for my concepts post, and I need to create some client cards when I get some advice.

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MY Cloud [Presentation Day]

I'll have to update this post in future when my scanner decides to work again. It's being a pain.

It's Presentation Day!

[Doing a bit of a post purge today, after being sick for the past wee while, apologies!]

I basically compiled the past few posts into one big Prezi. Looking into the different concepts I had and how they all connected up to create my finalized idea. The Cloubee. 

This is a shorter post, as everything in my presentation was wrote about in previous posts. [Made the presentation so much easier, you don't understand... This is Great.]

The feedback I got was maybe making the idea smaller, into a smart watch sort of idea. The system could be in the form of a watch or bracelet or some wearable attachment that allowed for a constant track of your cloud. That would allow a more reliable and consistent result back to the Application. I might look at this on a brief scale but my over all focus is bringing this into the home. I want this system to have a unique experience. Something eye catching. Something special to each person that interacts with it and as of right now, I can't define that area specifically.. I need more research.

As of this point I need to find a specific audience/client for this idea. I have a wide range and I need to define them a lot further in order to adapt my idea to the user at hand. I feel like scenarios would be a better place to start for something so widespread, and Justin has said I need to keep in mind that this isn't happening NOW. This is a futuristic concept we could present with further refining.

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There's gonna be a gap for my next post, which is going to be the concept drawings I have. So, we'll move on to clients and scenarios.

Dang it scanner, please! :( 

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Idea Storming! [Discover]

Down to Research..

[Doing a bit of a post purge today, after being sick for the past wee while, apologies!]

I know what brief I'm doing, now I need to start research. I need inspiration. I NEED a fix to start the hype. Or something.

This brief follows an idea behind Bio-Design/Bio-Art, in the notes it refers to the book BioDesign: Nature + Science +Creativity by W, Myers. I couldn't afford to get the book myself, but I got a little sneak through a copy of the student beside me. Sadly no insight, but I got just the inspiration I needed.

The Blood Lamp
or Dracula Bulb, is an interesting idea. It's particularly grotesque and Taboo, which is maybe why I like it so much... The idea belongs to Mike Thompson (An English designer based in the Netherlands.) The chemical inside the lamp is LUMINOL and it reacts to blood. It's used by forensic scientists at a crime scene to find any blood traces. When in contact a reaction starts that makes the liquid glow blue in colour.

It's supposed to be making people think about their high energy consumption. Would it change if people had to give their blood in order to get energy? Bit of a controversy if you ask me.

The Blood System
Let's look at this on a larger scale for a moment. What if you took the idea behind the blood lamp and you could create a full housing system out of it. You provide some of your blood and your get energy in return. Granted this idea could have some SERIOUS effects on society, it's maybe a little too over the top. 

Some dangers could come from this. How much do you need to give to receive? Does the amount calculate the amount of energy received or is it one off for the day just to convey a message? I feel like too many problems could arise. It could potentially promote self harm in younger people. It has a strong message, but no real benefits over all. We gotta give ourselves to receive what we want..

Finger Prick - Blood Analysis
Taking the same idea of a housing system, my lecturer suggested something related to diabetes. A way of them to use the blood sugar analyzer as a finger prick in their home, and the results effect their lights. High blood sugar, brighter lights. Low blood sugar, dimmer lights. A better way for them to keep track of their illness in the home.

This is beneficial for diabetics as it could allow a more advanced way of helping them manage it. A smaller system connected to a phone app or alike. However, my thoughts were that most diabetics feel like their condition is a burden to them. As I could imagine, then they wouldn't want to place that 'burden' on other people around them.

Variety of the Blood Analysis
We'll peek at some more varieties of this system then. I considered the system picking up the likes of Alcohol, nicotine or more medical focused by tracking a patient with a certain organ disease from the comfort of their own home.

Child friendly lighting could make the idea of an organ disease/condition to a younger user a little more friendly compared to a big scary serious thing. I considered the idea of results being sent to a parents Mobile App so that they can have a continuous check up of progress, symptoms, and if anything serious is happening that they won't notice just from the outside.

My concerns would be that people may then micromanage their condition, possibly to poor effect. They might not feel the need for a doctor. At the same time it could take a lot of pressure off of doctors and hospitals. OR people could pile pressure on and ask a lot of questions due to not understanding a maybe complex system (what is this symptom, what do we do here, what does this mean) It's the same back and forth scenarios for this one. I need a new approach.

Our Wasteful Art
The idea of using the body in some sort of system, to make some sort of reaction. I looked into bio-luminescence. Think James Cameron's Avatar.

One of my lecturers sparked the idea of using our own body waste as a way to make art. My head visualized a big glass canvas full of different Algae. When the algae is presented with the likes of Urine, Blood, Sweat, Tears, maybe even Poop?! It will start a chemical reaction that causes it to glow and react. A new, unique art experience. Creating personalized art on a WHOLE new level over here.

I want to throw poop at things. I really do. But the issue arises in our society this sort of behaviour may seem a little.. Disgusting. A bit too 'out there' unfortunately. It was a different take though!

The Bacterial Cloud
Along came Justin. Justin was telling me one day about a new thing they're figuring out called The 'Microbe Cloud' or 'Bacterial Cloud'. In concept, this is basically like a personal space around us made up of all our bacteria. It's personalised like a finger print and they're saying CURRENTLY we can track a persons movements based on this cloud. So what else can it do?

This set off a little chain in my head. What if it was integrated into the house system? A way for people to check their health, be told when they're getting sick, need a shower, mood, stress levels. A personal way for them to keep check of themselves in a passive yet effective manner. 

And then I found it, the right path. The Idea. I introduce the work in progress title:

The Cloubee
The Cloubee is going to be an ecological system developed into the normal family home. It's aim is to use ones bacterial cloud to create a unique living experience around them. Tracking their well-being, changing the lights in a room and alike to match their unique cloud. No single user will have the same experience.

The audience for this is very widespread. In future is could become a new basis for homes. A new way for people to appreciate both the artistic value and the environmental one. Nowdays we have people using the luminescent DNA to create new lighting to try and replace street lights and road signs. I feel like it could be simplified for the likes of our OLDER generation. Allowing them to still have control over their lives and appreciate the beauty of this experience.

As of right now, to achieve proper results it takes about 4 hours MAX. How can we optimize and maintain this system over the long term? Would people see it as a benefit or a burden? Too technical? Too weird? I need to find the right balance between futuristic and abstract with the visuals.

Onward, still need to refine this and find a final outcome..

The Blood Lamp 

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DELVE into Design [Discover]

Choosing a Direction

[Doing a bit of a post purge today, after being sick for the past wee while, apologies!]

As I mentioned, my two break down topics are DELVE and One Mans Waste. Let's take a better look at them both so I can pick one out of confusion..

One Mans Waste

Design a way to eliminate the concept of waste within a developed society by promoting it as a valuable material source.

Alright, initial thoughts. I liked the idea behind this brief because it's looking at reusing our waste as something valuable and doing something good for our environment.

I looked at what's in our waste. Plastics, paper, food, cans, glass. That's the easy bit. It was a lot more difficult to think of something that I could do with this waste. Make a new tailoring material, a new building material? I just couldn't get anything out!

I started looking at the idea of reusing our waste to make decorations around the home. A new chair, table, light, some sort of statue, weird growing tank.

As much as I tried, I couldn't think of any 'new' inspiration. Scrapped it.

DELVE

Bio-Design and Bio-Art are product types or inventions where consumer product design and craft meet biomedical science principles.

Holy, did that sound complicated. I can see why people didn't go for this one. However, it interested me. I wanted to make something unique. What exactly? I wasn't sure. It seemed like such a wide field, so many possibilites. Different ways of bone repair, helping aid injury, artificial organs and limbs, none of those really sparked me though. I wanted a strong message. Something interactive. Something to make people THINK more actively then passively.

In terms of medical and science, How could this 'idea' help?

In terms of decorative/visual, How would it fit and be accepted in society?

I want something to show. Something different. I needed to go deeper..

IN CONCLUSION. I'm going to put my focus on the DELVE brief. I want to show society that our environment can provide so much more to us then we currently comprehend. Based off the ideas I'll give in the next post!

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Browse the Brief [Introduction]

Pick n Choose time!

[Doing a bit of a post purge today, after being sick for the past wee while, apologies!]

Thrown in at the deep end on the first day back. Sit down and pick your brief dang it, we need an answer! As I cried in my seat, not feeling very well and watching the words mush together on the page..

Mark suggested that if we get a little lost in choosing then we sit for 30-45 minutes with each brief and do a quick break down of them, with possible potential. I didn't want to do all the briefs, but I had two that stood out to me.

DELVE and One Mans Waste. BioArt/Design and Reusing our waste functionally. 

Let's look at them further in another post.

Innovation: What is This?
With our briefs we had to take an idealistic approach. Pushing the boundaries of creativity and design, mix it all together with some strong intuition. We are the ones that bring this into existence.

My concern is, do we have to look at all the technical details? My head can't wrap itself around them.. Oh no..

Break down!

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