Bringing Screens into life : creating an e-booking service through Tangible Design
What if the booking of the spaces would be a fun activity to engage with instead of hassle?
The goal was to build a service that could be useful and captivating for the people at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
The goal was to build a service that could be useful and captivating for the people at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
project general info
PROJECT : TANGIBLE DESIGN PROJECT WITH OTTAVIO COMBIERI, ANNA JÕGI
CHALLENGE : HOW MIGHT WE CREATE TANGIBLE INTERACTIONS THAT ARE BEYOND DIGITAL DISPLAYS AND OUT OF SCREEN-BASED DEVICES?
TOOLS : ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR, 3D LASER CUTTING MACHINE, 3D PRINTER, A\B TESTING, PROTOTYPING, USER INTERVIEWS, ARDUINO, CINEMA4D, BOOTLEGGING TECHNIQUE
CHALLENGE : HOW MIGHT WE CREATE TANGIBLE INTERACTIONS THAT ARE BEYOND DIGITAL DISPLAYS AND OUT OF SCREEN-BASED DEVICES?
TOOLS : ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR, 3D LASER CUTTING MACHINE, 3D PRINTER, A\B TESTING, PROTOTYPING, USER INTERVIEWS, ARDUINO, CINEMA4D, BOOTLEGGING TECHNIQUE
Starting point
Process
End result
starting point
Our group starting point was to gather ideas and build design principles that would guide us in the process.
The principles were :
1) useful device, has a value
2) it has "international" language, anyone can use it, use without explanation
3) accessibility and inclusivity is a strong value for us
4) user applies personal input while interacting with a device
5) working abilities should last up to 24 hr. (during the final expo), making a stable and powerful machine.
After a couple of discussion sessions with the group mates, we discovered an inconvenient environment in the e-booking services of our Art Academy. The name of the web platform is artun.õis.ee and its capabilities of the interface design, accessibility and informative aspects are lacking improvement.
Afterwards, each of us sketched the idea in various representations and as a result we came up with the deliverables of the parts that would take place in the tangible booking machine. These were : spaces for studying (three 3D printed rooms), the carcass of the machine that would imitate EKA (Estonian Academy of the Arts) 3rd floor planning, buttons that would respond for each room accordingly, inventing a clock with two cranes responding to the start and end sessions for the booking, sensor for the student card that would book the study space on your name in the EKA system, tactile room labels as well as other helpful accessibility approaches were taken into account ( height of the machine, labelling, feedback, colours, tactile information).
The principles were :
1) useful device, has a value
2) it has "international" language, anyone can use it, use without explanation
3) accessibility and inclusivity is a strong value for us
4) user applies personal input while interacting with a device
5) working abilities should last up to 24 hr. (during the final expo), making a stable and powerful machine.
After a couple of discussion sessions with the group mates, we discovered an inconvenient environment in the e-booking services of our Art Academy. The name of the web platform is artun.õis.ee and its capabilities of the interface design, accessibility and informative aspects are lacking improvement.
Afterwards, each of us sketched the idea in various representations and as a result we came up with the deliverables of the parts that would take place in the tangible booking machine. These were : spaces for studying (three 3D printed rooms), the carcass of the machine that would imitate EKA (Estonian Academy of the Arts) 3rd floor planning, buttons that would respond for each room accordingly, inventing a clock with two cranes responding to the start and end sessions for the booking, sensor for the student card that would book the study space on your name in the EKA system, tactile room labels as well as other helpful accessibility approaches were taken into account ( height of the machine, labelling, feedback, colours, tactile information).
process
At the same time we asked several people that use booking service daily and got a huge amount of useful information where we could spot difficulties. We saw a place in the journey map where we could interrupt and create a delightful, engaging and fun tangible interface. Through creating the user journey map, users explained that after logging to the web space of EKA and going to the booking option, they couldn't find any information about the study spaces (what are the dimensions, what are the utilities and devices available, number of seats, chairs; are there any windows etc). Because of this, tutors cannot book a room straight away and first go to the (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th floor) and check the space first. For different lessons you need a different study space, as well as number of the students should be taken into account.
We continued with paper prototyping. We were in the constant search for the most easy, automatic, pleasant, and responsive solutions while creating several options to test for the users. We conducted A\B testing and lead interviews while users were busy with the device.
As we maintained the structure of the booking equipment, we proceeded with setting measurements for an actual device. We created files in Adobe Illustrator for the laser-cutting machine to make the carcass and the clock parts, and designed study rooms and buttons in Cinema4D.
We continued with paper prototyping. We were in the constant search for the most easy, automatic, pleasant, and responsive solutions while creating several options to test for the users. We conducted A\B testing and lead interviews while users were busy with the device.
As we maintained the structure of the booking equipment, we proceeded with setting measurements for an actual device. We created files in Adobe Illustrator for the laser-cutting machine to make the carcass and the clock parts, and designed study rooms and buttons in Cinema4D.
end result
By creating " Get A Room " device, we reduced the lack of meaningful information for the user, as the study rooms visualisation in a combination with the carcass (showcasing the dimensions of the rooms while compared to each other) portraying all facilitative parameters : projectors or screens available, windows, doors, tables and chairs amount.
After successfully obtaining the parts from the prints, we got into the learning Arduino, which code to put, which parts to order (servos, sensors, resistors, motors etc), how to place elements on the frame, how to connect elements to the breadboard.
As we finished assembling the parts of electronics, attach these connections with the interactive parts of the device (buttons, clock, card holder) and glued everything together, we finished it with putting labels, and creating supports for the frame.
After successfully obtaining the parts from the prints, we got into the learning Arduino, which code to put, which parts to order (servos, sensors, resistors, motors etc), how to place elements on the frame, how to connect elements to the breadboard.
As we finished assembling the parts of electronics, attach these connections with the interactive parts of the device (buttons, clock, card holder) and glued everything together, we finished it with putting labels, and creating supports for the frame.
exhibition
By the end of the project we (as a class) have showcased our tangible solutions to the public. The exhibition was called Hands=On
