Reflective Report Fuad Soudah
1
Table of Contents 3. Introduction 4. Theme and Logo 5. Exhibition 6. Research 10. Ideation 11. Research 14. Reflection on Research 16. Ideation 20. Reflection on Ideation 22. Prototyping 25. Pre-Alpha 27. Alpha 31. Pre-Beta 36. Beta 37. Reflection on Prototyping 40. Consultations 41. Additional Support 42. Vivid Projections 43. Research 44. Ideation 45. Prototyping 46. Reflection on Prototyping 48. Design Rationale 49. Final Words 2
Introduction
What was the objective?
Design and execute a successful event for this year’s Design Graduate Exhibition (2017)
What was my part?
I was a cocurator, co-managed the Vivid Projection area and gathered feedback from a variety of stakeholders
Areas of Influence:
- Illumination and Lightning - Placement of Exhibits - Catering Options - Crowd Flow - Stakeholders’ Needs - Exhibition’s Touch Points - Assembly of Quadrangle Maquette - Mapping of supporting objects - Additional Feedback - Theme Pitch
Who am I?
3rd year Design Computing student, arrived for week 3 due to exams hosted overseas (exchange mobility) specialized in UX, IXD and HCI areas
3
Research/Ideation/Prototyping Theme and Logo
Classic References were established in relation to design-related sciences such as: - Human-Computer Interaction - Information Visualization - Interaction Design
Lie Factor - Edward Tufte; The Less Chart Junk, The Better The Information Visualization Aesthetic-Usability Effect - Graphical User Interface (GUI) Design; Aesthetically pleasing is perceived as Easier to use Aesthetic and Minimalist design - Heuristics Evaluation; Less Clutter is perceived as Better Design
How will the Future look like? Will it be Futuristic? Clean, Smart and Ultra-modern Will it be Ubiquitous? Internet of Things (IoT), Seamlessness Will it be Autonomous? Self-driving Vehicles, Automation
What’s Our Degree about? - User Experience Design? - Interaction Design? - Interface Design? - Sound Design? - Visual Design? Design, Design, Design...
4
Exhibition Space
5
Research Precedent Studies - Exhibition Space
National Museum of Warsaw - Interwar Polish Fashion Single room filled with paintings, decorative art etc.
Musée d’Orsay - Sources of the 20th Century Part of an entire floor filled with French Impressionism works 6 Background Picture: Musée du Louvre - Napoleon Chambers
Research Precedent Studies - Color & Theme Coding
British Museum - Asian Porcelains Exhibits allocated due to color and themes used
Centre Georges Pompidou - History of Contemporary Art Exhibits mapped based on the time the art form was born 7 Background Picture: Château de Versailles
Research Precedent Studies - Industrial Expositions
Semi-Enclosed Spaces Specifically Dedicated Areas for Teams to Present their work
Open Spaces Same as Above, the visibility is increased (also color coded!) 8 Background Picture: MusĂŠe du Louvre - Outside Area
Research Precedent Studies - Illumination Design
National Museum of Warsaw - Anything Goes Projection Mapping used for a range of Backgrounds
National Museum of Warsaw - Anything Goes Tangible Elements prompting interaction within the exhibition 9 Background Picture: Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Ideation Preliminary Approach
- Hearth (Now) - Outside (Reset) - Tin Shed (Future) - The Front (Past)
Preliminary Approach To Splitting The Faculty’s Ground Floor Into Four Varying Areas during and for the Exhibition Night
Preliminary Idea of Incorporating Ipads as part of navigation Relates to Touch Points Integration (Interaction Design) 10
Research Interviews
Whom did I Interview?
25 Graduating Students from Design Computing
Why did I Interview them?
I had to learn of their needs and requirements, expectations and vision of the Graduation Show
What were the Results?
I successfully gathered key information directly relating to the event, exhibition space and stakeholders’ visions
Prospected Works for Display (week 6)
- 17 Product Design - 6 Innovation Design - 6 Interaction Design - 4 Virtual Reality - 4 Independent Studies - 3 Information Visualization - 2 Sound Design & Physical Computing - 2 3D Modelling - 1 UX Design - 1 Web Development - 1 Visual Communication In total: 47 Projects + 28 More expected, including Master Students Projects counted as per each student’s voice raised 11
Research Interviews / Submissions How did submissions compare to conducted interviews? The Final Submissions more or less resembled what I found out from students individually, some areas varied in terms of number discrepancies, yet not at its entirety. 13 Product Design 10 Information Visualization 9 Interaction Design 6 Innovation Design 4 Virtual Reality 1 3D Modelling 1 Physical Computing 1 Programming (AI) 1 Digital Placemaking (?) In Total: 50 Projects More projects rolled in afterwards, with a final amount of ~35 students that decided to submit their works, totalling in 63 Projects that were eventually submitted. + 12 Vivid Projections that will need to be hosted + Included the possibility of featuring animation reels + Possibility of adding Vivid Documentaries The aforementioned showcased a significant hardship in fitting that many works. At first we were troubled by the potential lack of submissions, but with so many coming in, we had to find ways of squeezing a decent amount, keeping the quality and not leaving any student behind. 12
Research Interviews - Additional Insights
Previous Graduation Shows
+ Soundboom idea + Isolated Rooms with Umbrellas - Crowded in Tin Shed’s! - Unreasonable Exhibits’ placement - Too Small Posters - Too small cursive on them! - Was just a technology show Requirements • Ample Space to set the works up • Cool and Better Lightning • Contact with Employers • Glow or Bandsticks • Tables are enough • Social Event • Screens • Project Balance • Fairy Lights • Display of Pictures Catering • Young Henry’s Newtowner • Non-alcoholic Options • Vegan Options • Hamburgers, Paella, Frozen Joghurt, Slushies, Milkshakes, Pizza, Ice Cream... 13
Reflection on Research Precedent Studies I consider myself a person who enjoys visiting museums, primarily the ones displaying paintings. I had the opportunity of exploring a range of venues in Australia and primarily overseas, including the leading institutions such as: British Museum, D’Orsay, Louvre, Rijksmuseum, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou. Based on my experiences, I was able to deduct what worked and didn’t at specific institutions, considering what they offered, how they presented their works. I also took under consideration smaller venues, as I attended Art Month Sydney, which features many smaller galleries, which provides a subtle vantage point in weighing over how a good exhibition looks like. Adapting solutions established by competition is not necessarily a bad approach, however, the question remained: what sort of design exhibition do our stakeholders actually want? We are not displaying artworks, but a range of works that are on the verge between art forms and technologies designed specifically for decent usability and problem solving. In many cases, the process will need to have light shed the most upon, as many will seek potential employment during the show. That showcases a vision of a classic expo, not necessarily exposition per say. After all, the event was eventually named as Design Graduate Show. Notwithstanding, exhibition curators usually share the same duties and issues just as a specific show’s curators. 14
Reflection on Research Interviews The interesting thing about interviews was the discovery of what our users actually wanted, or perhaps how much they did not yet know of what they wanted. Eventually, the actual submissions varied in terms of what I was told and actually uploaded. Nevertheless, the amounts were quite close, with more projects that did not require as much space uploaded and a few master students’ submissions that were difficult to be foreseen. It’s extremely difficult to create a space outline without the knowledge of what we are actually displaying. Hence, I decided to pursue additional information and the approach itself turned out to be a good idea as I received quite substantial feedback at the time. I learned of what worked and didn’t work in previous graduation shows, what to keep an eye out especially for and what form should the show establish. Culinary options were provided, with many naming free food (duh!) and even specific types such as Paella, Burgers and beer brands (Red Coopers, Asahi), of which one thing surprised me eventually the most. Young Henry’s was specifically requested by a few students. I brought that up during one of the meetings and inquired whether we could take a brewery as a sponsor. After the chain of command ran the queries, we received 10 cases from them for free and the faculty representatives decided to acquire all the drinks (even for Architecture GradShow) exclusively from them. 15
Ideation Planning Iterations
Iteration 1 Expo Boxes, BBQ, Old Generation Hardware area, Bar
Iteration 2 More Space, Less Boxes, Tin Sheds Wall, Speech Area 16
Ideation Planning Iterations
Iteration 3 Optimized for Groups, Utilized Entire Space
Iteration 3 Crowd Flow representation and potential routes 17
Ideation Utilizing Environment (Affordances)
There are several TVs scattered across the ground floor These could be used during the opening night or before
Extensive Railing System is used throughout Tin Sheds and Hearth. Lightning or anything may be mounted underneath 18
Ideation Photography
Derived from conducted Interviews, an idea of incorporating photography captured by students was considered
Potentially such could have been included on a dedicated Wall, adding more depth to each person’s work perception 19
Reflection on Ideation Planning Before and during the research and ideation processes, I wondered of the tools that I would require to approach the undertaking of which curation comes along with. We performed a walkthrough of the area but then... On one hand, I could potentially get by with sketches, mockups, go through the classic User Centered Design process as we were taught during this degree, or go beyond and touch upon additional techniques that I learned and was examined on during my exchange. The problem was, that I was designing for steakholders, but not necessarily a product, an experience that entails much more than just a proprietary structure. Utilizing a range of skills and knowledges, including maths, physics could be required, therefore high precision planning may be a must. Prototyping phase could also become costly and difficult to perform due to scale dealt with. How do we recreate specific solutions adequate to simulate such space? Test out whether our solutions are suitable, whether they meet our stakeholders’ needs? Addressing curation via standard methods is technically feasible but extremely tricky. Therefore perhaps a novel approach would be more suitable, but what kind would? Once we present the ideas to a wider audience, how will they know what we are trying to convey? Will they exactly comprehend our process and our aim with solutions that in our belief will suit everyone that is a part of the Graduation Show? And so I figured out... 20
Prototyping Rationale Unity This semester I had the opportunity of learning Unity, a powerful and versatile game engine, perfect for creating environments and experiencing them on a variety of platforms. Technically you could even run a specific application on your smartwatch if you really wanted to. The new Designing for Virtual Reality subject provided its students required basics with a finishing touch so that the students performed well. Nevertheless, I was a total freshman in these parts, an utterly uncharted territory, yet with an excruciating longing, a prolonged knack for the creation of a truly compelling world. Tempted and forced by the need to train myself with the toolset and generated vision, I sat by a computer, launched it, opened Unity and a web browser and started prototyping in relation to real world coordinates provided with the faculty’s 1:300 detailed floor plan. And then I woke up around 4 days later, with a prototype that became quite advanced as a standalone. An extra 3 days was dedicated towards its development and a notch more, totalling in over 100 hours spent on creating a base for ultra-high fidelity prototyping, with environments recreated matching real-world measurements, with solutions introduced on a rolling basis, meant for the adaptation of team’s final ideas. The ultra-high fidelity term was derived from the perceived experience of Virtual Reality, as the endgame an idea of anyone being able to experience the show before the event even takes off, including its iterations. 21
Prototyping Ladida
Based on plans provided by the faculty, the curation team was able to establish fundamental planning of the exhibition
I ported the plans afterwards into a game engine, using real world measurements and split it accordingly to sections 22
Prototyping Ladida 2
The second iteration came with interactive TVs, rooftops, glass walls, tables, vegetation and better lightning system
The current state was promising, especially that I was able to freely walk, jump and mess around with the environment 23
Prototyping Ladida 3
Our team looked into catering, so I introduced a bar now and additional details to the facade of the faculty’s building
Boxes and space for exhibits were introduced and measured 2x0.6m. Instead of regular walls, I threw in an acrylic version 24
Prototyping Ladida 4 (Pre-Alpha)
Fully stocked Bar with a variety of foods and drinks of all kind: even a basil plant and slushie machines found their way in
I kept on throwing in more details into Tin Sheds Gallery, the marble floor, materials submitted by the students... 25
Prototyping Ladida 5 & 6
Eventually I figured out Baked Lightning (GI) system. I saw the potential of recreating environments now at greater fidelity
Unfortunately it takes a lot of time to render the lightning impact, but the effect is breathtaking on a computer machine 26
Prototyping Ladida 7, 8, 9 (Alpha)
Some lightning effects felt a little underwhelming, so I kept on experimenting and finding a decent overall balance
One item that everone is looking forward to seeing are glow cubes. These can be easily recreated in Unity with emission 27
Prototyping Ladida 9 & 10
Once I ported to Android, color banding became an issue. Also, InDesign seems to have problems with banding as well
The bad news remained as the visuals were lacking. The good news was that the environment worked on Android then 28
Prototyping Ladida 11 & 12
I chucked in a row of Ipads meant for display of Information Visualization projects, secured on dedicated stands to the left
I added some food trucks, further experimented with the environment and problematic reflective probes technique... 29
Prototyping Ladida 13 & 14
The lightning works, there are some LED strips laid out around the room, color coding specific areas as per theme
I regrouped existing tables and lit them up from underneath. It was as part of the strategy to utilize what’s available 30
Prototyping Stairs (Pre-Beta)
When we needed more space, I created more space. An extra level, with stairs and more exhibition space. Can do attitude!
Safety assured by acrylic plates with extra material attached. In fact, acrylic walls would support light transport as well! 31
Prototyping Ladida 15 & 16
At last, I found a balance and managed to triangulate on specific settings that were quite okay for Android
I populated the area with characters to simulate how crowds will affect specific parts of the faculty and its capacity 32
Prototyping Ladida 17 & 18
VR corner was placed in the middle, Vivid projections next to the stage and I left the Info Vis Ipads to the left
Time to unify the style! Floor decals matching our theme, medium height walls with acrylic finish at the top 33
Prototyping Ladida 19 & 20
I placed bulkier exhibits in the Future corner, Pause decal on the metal door and color coded the crowd
One of the most advanced iterations now in terms of gallery. Optimal Lightning, experimental placement of exhibits 34
Prototyping Ladida 21 & 22
Eventually I tried matching the plans and introduced full walls, moved some projects and adjusted the audio
I adhered with color coding of glow cubes in relation to the hue the washer lights would shed the illumination on walls 35
Prototyping Beta Version
Due to last minute decisions, many elements had to be radically modified: Stage position, projections and VR space
Placement of exhibits was insisted on to be as on plans. Also, I included Seek The Future decal attached to the ceiling 36
Reflection on Prototyping Graduating Response Despite my best efforts, I was not entirely content with what I came up. The environment resembled Wilkinson in my eyes but I had no guarantee that it would in case of anyone else. I gave a glimpse to a few others to see how they would react, but before the Beta version, the effect could have more resembled as of Uncanny Valley. I developed the application based on pictures I took outside and the floor plans, so each time I visited again Wilkinson, I kept on realizing how many details were still left out and required proper addressing in the virtual. However, low-fidelity prototypes are proven to make use of human’s imagination, therefore my assumptions could have been just merely a slight misconception. Sometime around when I had a proper working Beta version, during the developed at the faculty, I was asked randomly by a few classmates whether they could try the application. At first hesitant, as I thought GradShow should still remain a bit of a mystery back then, yet I yielded as many details have been leaked out already. My version did not fully portray the final ideas, though... It felt quite rewarding when each next person that tested the environment was just simply blown away by what they experienced. The comments were so positive that they entirely exceeded even my most far-fetched expectations. Some tried it just for a moment, others remained in the world for the coming minutes trying to figure out each part of the space, how the arrangement works. Despite that I was not able to see what the users were seeing, it is my hypothesis that the combination of the building’s representation and lightning did the trick.
37
Reflection on Prototyping Team Response I continued researching the response of other graduating students and then the graduation show’s team. In fact, the outcomes remained extremely positive across the volunteers, meeting my goals of communicating the design ideas for the space exactly as I imagined and pitching in potential iterations that could be introduced. But each invention has a flipside. One phenomenon that I failed to see was that eventually, some perceived the experience not as a tool, but rather as a toy. An interesting application, that makes a wow effect, but nothing beyond that, while in fact it was supposed to support the design process. Another issue that I discovered was that most of my design ideas and critical feedback, ellicited via a variety of means (consultations but also within the prototype itself), were neglected or weighed down on within the team. Especially before the general pitch presentation took place, there was a myriad of iterations, some unconsulted with me, implemented in the plans, that I was simply not able to introduce by myself in unity in such short timespan due to them popping up in so many, some of which I fiercly contested, but remained flexible considering the presentation was coming soon. Needless to say, I didn’t get any sleep before the final pitch, made a focus of the application as I saw potential in the conveyance measures provided, kept on iterating, rendering and testing application packages, encouraged by the euphoric responses I noted during user testing. 38
Reflection on Prototyping Presentation I was looking forward to making my part of the presentation as one of the wow-effects as I previously marked out on. Showcasing my thought process, the problem I faced of ‘how do I convey the team’s ideas so that everyone is on the same page’, which may be derived from two classic Interaction Design laws provided by Bill Verplank (How do you know? How do you do? How do you feel?) and the differences between a conceptual and a mental model and the need for a designer to address such so that it is close to equal. In theory, you may only experience the graduation show if you actually attend it in person on the 23rd of November, right? Well, that’s where I wanted to prove everyone wrong and so I provided the VR headset for everone to experience. At this point I took a closer look at the audience and the response seemed quite elated focuswise with Martin as a volunteer to try it out as first. I continued on explaining my process and specific elements of the environment around the floor, focusing on the outside. A bit after the time I was finished with my part, I received back the headset. The problem was, that someone managed to leave the map at some point, classic Murphy’s Law at its best coming to haunt me. There was one more hazard, as the framerate was relatively low, despite my best efforts to optimzie the experience. That may cause motion sickness in certain cases, but the feedback after the presentation never mentioned anything even in relation. Our plans were rather positively commented on by Caitilin, but the VR experience was never really explicitly mentioned after.
39
Consultations Feedback I felt underwhelmed by the lack of response considering the amount of work I put towards the assembly of the prototype and the design decisions made within the team, therefore I thought of moving away from the planning and focus on receiving feedback from stakeholders to improve parts of the graduation show. I contacted Madeleine, who collaborated on curational works with museums and one of the GradShows to give feedback on the exhibition space and the VR experience both of which were commented positively on. Keeping an eye on crowd flow was most heavily articulated on. I contacted Caitilin, who prepared one of the previous Graduation Shows. I received additional feedback and was reminded to not accept projects of lower quality. I contacted Kazjon, who is our program director. Providing additional information or hosting games via prompting visitors to check on more exhibits was suggested as part of the introduction of touch points. I contacted a professional curator who pointed out at the necessity of utilizing vantages of the environment. I contacted past graduation show members from last and 2 years ago for additional feedback and insights. I remained in touch with the graduating students and enquired for additional feedback on what would they like to see embedded on top of what’s already prepared. I passed on additional feedback from them in regards to the exhibition space and the website via Slack channel.
40
Additional Support Channeled Feedback
I pitched in a free .design domain and github as tools for publishing the website and assisted with configuration
I did measurements for the feasibility of placement of fake grass and looked up the quantities needed just in case 41
Vivid Projections
42
Research Prospecting the Past
We gathered the vector image of the Quadrangle and Vivid projection reels, functioning as a base for our next steps
We contacted DMaF and looked into feasible materials and techniques with which we could assemble the Quadrangle 43
Ideation Designing the Future
We created sketches of how we would like to see of what we’d like the project to become within the Tin Sheds space
We discussed how large should the Quadrangle be (2.8-3.8m) and sliced up the model accordingly as to material feasibility 44
Prototyping DĂŠjĂ vu
We contacted Tin Sheds manager, discussed potential options, measured and tested a variety of projector models
I chucked in a 3.8m model into Unity to visualize how would it look in real world, utilizing physics and mathematics 45
Process on Vivid Midway After having collected the Vivid projections and the Quadrangle outlines with which each team worked with to complete their visions at the start of our degree, we moved on to ideating of how we’d like to see the Quadrangle to be, as we looked into the options provided by DMaF, making sure we could make it there. We checked on Tin Sheds and consulted the manager on possible options in regards to available projectors and whether our potential vision would be feasible. We were offered a few options, so we calculated preliminarily the potential size of the maquette. Discussed whether we’d need two or one projector. Reasoned in relation to the size, established an idea of its assembly and settled on a vision consisting of the Quad being between 2-4 meters long, yet to be tested. Eventually we discovered the technical constraints and settled on a 2.8 meters long and ~1.5 meters high model. In case of layers, we thought of introducing a few, but we settled on two: supporting base and details. Larger issues arose with the materials. Unfortunately lasercutting is barred with specific dimensions limitation and the same goes for regular plywood meant for manual cutting. Hiking our overall costs with the needs to buy 7 sheets of 6mm and 3 sheets of 18mm plywood. We looked into other materials and vendors, but we eventually stuck with DMaF, optimized acquisitions to 6 sheets of 6mm and 1 sheet of 18 mm plywood. 46
Reflection on Vivid Projected Outcome There were many elements that could have made the final idea washed out or distorted, yet the assembly in Tin Sheds apparently will not be a problem and most may be designed and prepared within the faculty. One prominent issue that we kept on bouncing off from were the opening hours of Tin Sheds and DMaF, as the first is kept closed on Mondays, yet DMaF has a complicated schedule, conforming to which was needed The second obstacle came out of the blue, as suddenly it turned out that our finances became stretched out. That meant potential cuts to the design, but we found a workaround without sacrificing the quality at any level. Collaboration between Robert, Tin Sheds Manager, DMaF staff, myself and other stakeholders was fruitful. There were some delays due to other assignment deadlines and work commitments, but eventually we came up with files and design material that may be executed potentially within a day’s worth of work. Our next steps will be to perform the cutouts, lasercuts, put all the pieces together and assist on attaching the final effect in Tin Shed gallery along with calibration. It is our belief that the final effect will be stunning and attractive, with its true potential released during the Graduation Show night, corelating with the embedded illumination and evoking its own, pitching in to the overall atmoshpere and ambience, positively refracting on the audience visiting the entire exhibition space. 47
Design Rationale Techniques and rules adhered to
Bill Verplank’s ‘How do you know; How do you do; How do you Feel’, a classic interaction design set was considered
User Centered Design Model was complemented with the aim to meet Conceptual (Designer) and Mental Model (User) 48
Final Notes Questions in need What did I learn? A multifaceted approach to apprehending duties in regards to assembly of a fully-fledged exposition. What was a success? What could be improved? The Quadrangle maquette seems to be on a good way. The ported exhibition space in Unity went partially well. The Exhibition space might require additional tweaks in terms of illumination and planning for increased UX. What was the biggest challenge? Working with a budget, managing time during a particularly difficult and time-consuming semester, finding a consensus that would meet everyone’s view. What would you change if you had to do it again? I would probably put more hours into designing the space to make it more exquisite and having a slightly larger punch to it, with contrived solutions incorporated. How did key parts of the process influence your design process/ the overall design of the exhibition? Prototyping phase with Unity enabled me to see more than met the eye in terms of what could be possible without physically changing the actual space. Iterating it narrowed down on the affordances and necessities. 49
50