Research The difference between Expanded interfaces and conventional interfaces was hard to distinguish at first. Once I had understood the differences I researched into exsisting expanded interfaces. During the research process I found that I was mostly interested by the invention and possibilities of touch screen technology. One of the pieces I came across that influenced my idea a lot was a video I found on youtube made by a company called corning, It represented the future of touch technology, making everything interactive touch sensitive. To take this idea further of , I then put this into a concept I am interested in- fashion. Once I started looking at the different forms of touch technology within fashion I came across many online shopping websites that allowed you to try clothes on virtually. Eventhough this itself is an expanded interface I decided to expand it further so that you are available to this sort of technology when you are physically in the store.
Initial Ideas
My Initial Idea was to create a fitting room that allowed customers to try on the garment without changing into them. A room that consisted of interactive mirrors projecting a database of the items available in that particular store. As I researched into similar interfaces I found out that this had already been created for Macys in New York. I then had to rethink my idea and I turned it into a similar interface that could be available to us in the comfort of our own
homes. So, I developed my idea into an interactive wardrobe that stores the items within it. It will have features that help the user put together an outfit according to the occassion and weather. It will also store outfits that you have previously worn and allow you to view these. The wardrobe will also be synced to your calender, giving you reminders of upcomming events so that you can be prepared.
Development
The beginning process of my development started off with designing basic icons for the interface, when showing these icons and how they will be used to the users, I found that my icons looked like they were targetted towards a younger target audience. So I research into graphic design language and icons and existing interfaces and found that icons that were more text based was more appealing to the audience my product will be aimed at. I then went onto creating a mock up version of how the interface will look if it was interacted with. This was for the final piece, which would be a fictional video of how it would be used. However I was unable to do this as I was limited to what I could do with the reflections. I also experimented with processing after picking an element from the idea of the wardrobe I could code. The idea would be that the wardrobe will use motion sensors to turn on if the user is infront of it. I managed to successfully create a motion tracking code which allowed the screen to turn on when the motion infornt of the wardrobe was over a specific level.
Interface
I have designed the layout of the interface to be user friendly so that the wardrobe could be used by a wider range target audience. Nearly all of the icons are text based icons as this is the simplest way to communicate with the user. Using icons and images may have steered away from the sleek minimal look of the interface. However I could have created two modes for the wardrobe, one which uses icons which makes the interface more playful and the other mode would be the one I have
designed, which would probably be used by an older target audience whereas the icons would be used by a younger target audience. There are a few things that I would change to make the interface more aesthetically pleasing. For example I would make the stroke around the garments thinner, I would also try and add more transitions rather than just fading.
Final Piece
Originally my final piece was meant to be an advertisement for the wardrobe. Due to limitations of what I could do with the projector,I was unable to complete the advertisement how I wanted to. To overcome the problem of not being able to project on to a mirror, I decided to use a green screen. I recorded gestures that will be used to interact with the wardrobe and created a mini video informing the audience of the features and process you would have to go through when using it in the morning. Although I couldnt use the mirror in my video I could have made the outcome more realistic by marking on the green screen where the icons are, this way I could have used longer clips allowing the audience to view the interface at a longer duration.
Website The design for my website is very minimal and basic referring back to my research on layouts and links to my interface itself. I stuck to a monochromatic colour scheme as some colour schemes may not be user friendly. The website clearly presents the experiments and final of my interface.