Interior Design Research [Define]

Now I can look at 3D, Finally! My Forté!

Now the main output for my project is a walk around the home while ClouB's features are being demonstrated. Which means interior designs!

What do you 'Mine'?

I wanted to design each of the rooms myself, just for a bit of personal touch. Tutors told me this wasn't such a smart idea if I want to stay within my time constraints and actually get an outcome for the project. SO, I'll be borrowing some other layouts in order to mesh up my own quick example in 3D space.

First, the rooms I want to make include:

• Hallway
• Bedroom
• Kitchen
• Living Room

The Bedroom is an added feature, only if I have the time will it be made and added in with the others. I chose them because they're the most user-interactive areas within a home - after monitoring my own families activities around the home and asking others about theirs. Most of their time is spent in the living room - if alone, or kitchen-areas in family homes.

Futuristic Modern Chic.

Check me out. The research I did for a mood board consisted mostly of white-space rooms with minimal furniture and sleek design to illustrate that ClouB is a futuristic concept that I want to bring to life now.

A room layout like.. Ikea Show rooms! 

Unfortunately there's not one near by and I don't have access to a Drivers Licence, so the website will have to do. Alot of their online catalog is being replaced by 3D imagery anyway, the only issue is that their scenes are too busy. I want to refine it down to a simple design.

Or Jeetbo! Which is an online modern interior design company. Or shudah.co.uk! A huge Gallery of modern interior Designs. Above are some of my more favourite and suited examples categorized into the 4 sections of focus.

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With these images scattered around my 3D Folder, I can pick out the favourites and fire them into 3DS Max, I'll pop up another post with progress shots and what not as they develop. Another thing I need to look into is how I'm going to make ClouB's visuals.. Glow!

Animated Textures! Projection Mapping!

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Break down of ClouB #2 - Feedback [Week 11]

After some feedback from my tutors, an update on the Technical aspect of my project is needed, I feel. This is something that I did get worked up about because I struggle to think about the technical side to things, I find it hard to research and know if what I'm reading and discovering it relevant or even the right information.

With this in mind, I've been attempting to rethink the technicalities behind the system. How it collects the bacteria and it's interaction with the users as a futuristic system.

The first part is simple enough, the user passively gives off their bacteria to form an invisible cloud around them.

Bacteria -> Data

The bacteria is then passively suctioned in via soundless vacuums that run from a small gap beneath the skirting board of the home. This gap was chosen because it's there anyway, and it could be used a stylistic feature with this system implemented in homes. The bacteria is then collected on either the fan of a petri dish. Where it is then read to collect the data for results.

As the bacteria is microscopic, cleaning isn't a heavy issue. If needed to be addressed then the idea of self cleaning seems to be the most relevant option to assume.

Looking at the hoover within our home, it only needs cleaned when something gets trapped. This can be prevented in the ClouB system with a small sieve-like grate along the opening. Allowing microscopic bacteria to pass through, or even sit on the surface, and other aspects like hair/dust to not interfere.

Data -> System

The next stage in the process is how the scientific readings from the bacteria are sent to the central hub. Naturally enough, this must be done through the use of wires. Instead of being messy and hanging around the home everywhere, these wires will be small (possible 3mm thickness) and integrated into the wall itself - much like electrical wires installed when a house is being built.

System -> Hub

All of the wires connect up to a central hub - ClouB. From here, ClouB will read the scientific results and send simplified ones to the users smart phone device. 

ClouB will then transmit RGB colour signals to the mosaic designs around the home and light the area in which the user is situated, with variations depending on how their results read. Red tones may appear to one person, but not the next, and so on.

Hub -> Output (Results)

Results are primarily sent out to mobile devices. Other options include interfaces embedded into furniture - Medicine cabinet door with a personal health/sickness result page, the splash panel of the oven shows hunger/thirst for each person in the household, the alarm clock shows the sleep levels lately.

The Cloud Storage System could be used to send the same scientific data to hospitals, doctors and alike when it may be necessary. When the user is getting ill, the doctor may get a prompt to inform them alongside a bacteria breakdown to show them what exactly might be wrong.

Extra

Another idea of output is interaction. The current response time is 4 hours, in the next 10 years that may drop to an approximate 1 hour time period. With this in mind, user interaction may prompt quicker response time. For example, having sensors built into table tops, hair brushes and other areas where users will frequently interact will allow a pulse-light effect and the bacteria to be instantly transmitted from the user to the system without use of the vacuum system in some circumstances.

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In due course I will develop the infographics to further display this information in an appropriate format that will hopefully help me further understand how the smaller aspects of this system work in it's fullest.

Now my head is sore..

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State of the Art #2 + Infographics!

• Rewriting SoA - over word count misunderstood needs redone.
• include the rough graphics ready for the presentation.

Essays and Reports.. Must I?!

Unfortunately yes, and after rewriting my essay to the right standard I'm still 200-300 words over the limit. Save me! At least it's a good couple of hundred shorter then it was previously, with some extra bits added in. I don't know how that works but it does. Attempt 2 has it's perks, but sadly Attempt 3 will be soon coming..

Infographic Update!

It's not all doom and gloom, I decided to redo some of my infographics to explain the technical system of ClouB. I wasn't happy with my last ones, I had a foggy day and now they've been enhanced with better visuals and made to fit the other documents - with pretty blurry backgrounds and specific fonts.

Mosaic Designs - Pretty straight forward! I looked at how the mosaic patterns might be laid out. Some Users might want a specific design on their walls, others might not care but this sheet is a simple idea to show that the mosaics can have defined shapes if so desired.

Systematic Diagram - As it currently stands. A visual representation of how the system works:

User gives off bacteria -> Picking up the bacteria -> Reading the Data -> Sending the Data to the Hub -> Wi-fi transmission to the desired output.

Sensor Structure - The sensors are built into the glowing stones themselves. They read the bacteria and transmit the data into the system. This is a broken down look at how the stones are structured to form this task.

Wall Structure - A three layer structure that is the formation of the wall itself. The sensors are embedded onto the computer system - a complex of wired and recievers that transmit the data to a central hub. All based on a standard wall!

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Catch-up - Week 10 [Presentation Day]

17 slides, times and well planned out - if I do say so myself. Considering that 2 and a half years ago I wouldn't even get up in front of a camera, or my tutors, without crying. I'm doing well.

I organised the slides for the presentation, I'll put them in here to give a similar sense of process and devlopment.

Week 10 - Oh No. Presentation Day!
This time again. The compile of work we've all done since the last presentation. Mine was mostly focused on the devleopment of my App for ClouB, and where I want to look at the 3D set up. 



As we know, my project is called ClouB. I explained the system again, in it's simple form and explained that the results will be transmitted to an application interface for mobile devices and that has been my focus over the past few weeks.



First of all, I looked at the purpose of the App. Why does it exist? What does it do? I wanted to find a general idea behind the visuals, and how the information will be portrayed, alongside a rough concept of the user experience. Some features were listed, the different results, and how each page will link together.



Moving onto the Face of ClouB. Icons are going to play an important part in the app, and representing each result and setting to an international audience. With this in mind, each icon was stylized and approached with a minimalist nature. Putting them into a wide variety of page designs, looking at Apple, Microsoft and making complex data charts into something more user friendly.

I kept using myself as an example, I need something to be easy to understand or breakdown. I made this possible with my app.



Digital! The icons were made in Illustrator, the most popular choice to represent each section was picked for the final design. Alongside the branding image for the App - a c and B crossed to create a Cloud shape. Again, giving more character to ClouB.

Mock-ups for the layouts were created. The bubbles were far too crowded, too busy, too messy. Confusing! The files seemed boring, it felt business-y and that's not the approach I wanted. Peers said the Graph layout worked the best, it made the best use of the space and still gave the user some room to breathe.



Past experiences told me that before I made the final thing, I needed to create finalized wire frames with all the details that the app would include - just to give the idea a more solid design and iron out any weird areas. Again with the bubbles! My last attempt, but alas the graph won.

The middle image is a progression of the results page. Simple adjustments to give it more refinement, leading to some of the final pages in the last image! With the App out of the way, I can focus on the more important elements. A good break if you ask me.



Some SIMPLE info graphics produced to try and visualise how the structure will break down in a more technical aspect. Again, technical details are not my strong point so this area is a struggle for me. How the sensors are formed, how the wall is structured throughout the home, and how the bio-luminescent effects follow the user in their daily activities!



Now, I'm looking into a layout for the room. I want to design my own layout to fit the idea of the ClouB and enhance it's appearance but that's my initial thoughts during this phase of the project. We'll see what happens.

Progress!

Gonna get to work rewriting my State of Art Review, chop it down from the monster it is right now. Too many words makes me sad..

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Break down of ClouB [Define]

[Update] - Added the Infographics from the Week 10 presentation for a better representation.

Aside from the App and visuals behind ClouB, there's a lot of technical aspect behind the idea.

So, recap. ClouB is a smart home system that gives the user feedback based on their bacteria cloud. Simple part.

Bacteria Collected + Read

The stones that make up the glowing mosaic designs on the walls are created with sensors embedded into them. These sensors are designed to read a person's bacteria by either reading the room around them at a passive rate or the bacteria landing on them. The sensors collect up the data like the PeerJ report on Bacteria Clouds, in September 2015, in a Petri-dish style.

With these mosaics being all around the room, the glowing design would follow the user around throughout their tasks, changing as they change and adapting to the users activities.

Data to the System

From the sensor, the system behind the glowing wall designs will read the bacteria it's picking up. Registering the different levels of each bacteria, categorizing them under the specific user (found in the bacteria itself, containing parts of a persons external DNA).

The system transfers all this information to a central hub within the home, keeping a record and transcribing the data ready for external output.

System to User

From the main hub, the data is sent out to two differing places:

Mobile
Transmitted through wi-fi to the users synced mobile device. ClouB will take simplified results from the scientific findings of the bacteria and split them into the categories of: Stress, Hunger/Thirst, Sickness, Personal Health, Mood, Hygiene, Sleep and Activity. Which the user can easily access via the app, for a quick update on how they're doing in their day to day life.

Cloud Storage
This is a possible feature, for an easier access to the users information for the likes of hospitals, doctors and alike. This can allow them to help a patient in a more detailed manner. By reading the results from ClouB, maybe then can foresee a problem that the user may not be aware of yet. Allowing for an early, quick and easy resolution to a possible sickness situation.

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Technicals are not my strong point, but this is my idea for what ClouB actually is! A simple process that reacts with the user through luminescence in a passive, real-time - FUTURISTIC - aspect.

I feel it's a lot easier for me to explain via infographics, I'll have some done for my presentation in Week 10 which I will embed here afterwards.

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Type Issues! [Define]

A big problem while developing the app was HOW ON EARTH WILL I MAKE THIS B LOOK RIGHT? And the resolution is.. Well, none existent just yet.

You've got to B kidding.

I started with something simple.. Moved onto something more fun and bubbly.. Then something created.. And I'm sitting on something MORE created (how does that work..?)

Basically, after a feedback session, the first one just wasn't working. Neither did the second. No font I had was giving the right feel for ClouB's 'Personality'. Justin recommended I do some 'Bubble' ideas. Yes, the return of my favourite thing...

Researching + Seeking

Combining various dotty layouts (bubbles, clearly.) and some research into how the font should look. I created a satisfying B but it still wasn't working! At this point, I felt stumped so I've decided to leave it for a while and see what else I could do.

Typography is not my strong point, but I feel like I'm trying to make the B work with the word TOO much. Some peers said I should try spacing it out, make it look similar but have it stand out from the "clou" part. That's something I need to experiment with further.

You can see the variation sitting above here, all in their unique ways but none had that right flow and relation to the actual 'Clou' text.

Type Gods, bestow thy power onto me!

Pretty please?

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ClouB Prototype [Define]

Finally, here we have it: 

CHECK OUT THE CLOUB APP PROTOTYPE HERE!

Please note: As a prototype the menu only works on the main screen.

The Final Pages

Updating to Windows 10 has me fighting with Photoshop.. Alot. So it took much longer then I intended, but finally we have a finished app.

The ClouB App is a unique user-friendly experience. Easy to use and understand, each result is given in a simplistic or detailed manner as the user prefers, by tapping on the representative bar at the top of the screen. After a small animated introduction, the results will appear on screen (sometimes with further interactions for further results)

It will have settings for SFX, notifications, background processing, simple/detailed views, colourblind mode. There is an option to make the app's information more secure by adding a 4 digit passcode, alongside the feature to add a Medical Card slot to it's databases. Alongside other settings to allow the app to run smoothly and at the users leisure.

Look at my App! All feedback is appreciated.

User Feedback
Some feedback I have already include my parts of my family, and various classmates.

My younger brother and sister could use the app with incredible ease, they liked how it told them all this different information. My sister liked the bright colours, and my brother said he would remember to shower more often!

My Mother and grandma are not people for technology, my grandma got the hang of the app after being explained how it all works but she would never remember to use it. My mum thought being told when you're hungry/thirsty and smelled was a little tedious but the health, sickness, moods, stress etc were good features.

Feedback from classmates included confusion about how ClouB is pronounced and understood. Sometimes the results could be hard to tap - due to their small result and being behind the title for the page. A home screen button may work better then a menu button. Otherwise, the idea and layout were on point.

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Final App Pages [Define]

Finishing touches to the app took longer then I expected them to. However, with no experience in app design or building at all I'm proud of the outcome. I think I did well and it really gets the job well done.

In all there were 23 PSD - accounted for.

And 50 final jpgs.

The Testers

Before I tackled the full app in all it's glory, I spent a lot of time messing with the structures and layout in one results page first - before moving on with a similar design and creating the rest.

The images above are only simple visualizations of my thought process for the specific pages. My idea was to give each page it's own unique feel. It's own interaction and experience for what it was trying to portray.

The last step, piecing the puzzles to have a working prototype.

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