quantified self. I completed the following project during my 2nd year of University. In this module I worked as part of a four man team on the topic of Quantified Self.
tetrax.
Brief. Our brief was to come up with a conceptual product which allowed a user to track personal data and present it to them in a useful, meaningful way. We designed Tetrax. Target Market. Tetrax is an app aimed at wheelchair users who want to track and increase their fitness. The app is synced to a physical device I designed which counts wheel rotations and uses them to calculate distance, speed and calories burned. The device can be attached to the wheel of a wheelchair to increases the accuracy of the apps readings.
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The main features of the TETrax app.
Timeline. The timeline is a feature which allows the user to view their friends recent progress along with routes that they have recently completed.
main features.
Graph. The graph page allows the user to view their fitness progress over customisable periods of time. routes. The routes page allows the user to share safe routes for other wheelchair users in the area. The user also has the option to save routes that they have recently completed or upload a route which their friends can challenge
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interface and application design. I completed the following project during my 2nd year of University.
app redesign.
Brief. We were given a brief which was to choose an iOS app and redesign it. I chose to redesign ‘Dog Breeds’ which was an app used by people interested in buying a new dog to find out which breed will best suit their lifestyle. I chose to redesign the ‘Dog Breeds’ app because I felt it was not designed to it’s full potential and was a solid idea let down by poor aesthetics and organisation. usability improvements. To improve the app’s usability I incorporated a menu to help users easily navigate the app and to increase overall organisation. Additionally, I filtered the breed options in a way that is more clear to the user. I included a search bar allowing users to easily search for breeds by name. I also chose to add photo’s of dogs so that users can see what each breed of dog looks like. 8
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interaction quality improvements. I designed a clear and efficient way to access the useful information on each dog breed by gestures. I reduced the amount of buttons in a small area making the app less cluttered.
other improvements.
Aesthetic Improvements. I redesigned the splash screen and logo for the app so that it looks clean and more professional. I reduced the amount of conflicting colours used in the app and set a theme. I updated the app so that the dimensions fit the screen of the iPhone 5 and above. I improved the appearance of the featured products page so it is more engaging and complements the rest of the app. 10
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arduino shower remote.
I completed the following project during my 2nd year of University. We were given a brief which required us to create a sensor-based interface which allows users to interact with an audio or visual environment. This could be based on a physical-computing model using tools such as the Arduino system. I created a device which attaches to the glass on the outside of the shower. The ‘Arduino shower remote’ concept is aimed at people like myself who enjoy listening to their playlists in the shower. My aim was to design a product which would allow users to have full control of their music without having to exit the shower. The device allows the user to play/pause music as well as to skip and restart tracks. This is all possible while in the shower, through the glass, using light sensors. 12
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internal setup The idea behind my Arduino project was to use light dependant resistors (LDRs) as sensors so they would trigger a change in music when they were covered.
how it works.
To achieve this I had 3 different groups of Arduino code which related to a unique function. One to skip a song, one to play/pause and one to go back a track. I then told the Arduino to detect the amount of light each LDR was receiving. led integration I set a threshold of light so that when light was above a certain level, LEDs would be lit and nothing would happen to the music. However, when the light drops beyond the threshold the LED will turn off to let the user know wether the device was responding to their interaction or not. 14
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r aw.jo elc o c kra m.c o m I completed the following project during my 2nd year of University.
raw music magazine.
We were asked to design an online magazine which included at least one in depth article on a subject relating to the local music scene. The aim of the module was to expand our design knowledge and skills in branding and web-publishing. We were asked to create the document on the Wordpress platform as it is increasing in popularity on the web and is used to power many major websites. The Wordpress platform is built on a robust content management system which makes it an attractive option for designers. The advantage of Wordpress is that the content is separate from the design so it is very easy to update a Wordpress site and by using the readily available plug ins incorporate features such as social networking and Youtube hosted Video content. I was happy with the brief as it left a large amount of room for creativity. I could take the website in any direction and could be in control of the visual aspects of the websites along with the featured content which meant that I could create a website in a way I was 16 really interested in.
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Based in Newcastle, England, RAW Music Magazine strives to shed a blinding light on upcoming artists and underground events around the country.
what is raw?
RAW serves up the latest on who’s doing what and gives you the need to know news from anywhere Tyneside. When we’re not digging around the local music scene we devote our time to keeping a close eye on the evolving underground music scene the UK has to offer. We cover everything we believe needs coverage, from insane events and spectacular new sounds to the latest info on what your fave artists are getting up to outside of the studio. raw.joelcockram.com 18
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