#methodstatement

To design and create Dyslexi-AR, our group followed an iterative design process, which consisted of ongoing research, physical prototyping, interviewing people and product design, in order to improve and refine the Infinity Cube. As a group, we worked on different aspects of the Project to ensure that everything was designed to the best of our abilities. 

Dyslexi-AR consists of three parts - the online communication tool - named Te Aroha, the physical artefact, and the augmented reality that is displayed when the infinity cubes are in their correct form. To design all three of these elements, we used a series of softwares, materials and design techniques, in order to ensure that they worked well together and solved their purpose.

During the early stages of the Project, we produced a few prototypes for the Infinity Cube, which was a core part of our project. This cube was revised and designed to fit the theme of Dyslexia. The main aspect of the final four cubes is to provide a visual target for the children to reassemble, and then create a spectacle of Augmented Reality. 

In order to design the infinity cubes, we underwent many processes to ensure that the cubes would be build in a perfect manner, keeping little children in mind. We undertook a construction method, testing different images, materials, sizes, as well as colour choices. This allowed us to prototype with paper, plywood, MDF wood, as well as different ways to draw the image onto the cube faces, for example, laser engraving, acrylic paint and glow-in-the-dark paint. These processes were followed somewhat to order, however we had to rush through them, due to time restraints. 

Then, we moved onto the next physical aspect of our project. This was the puzzle board, which allowed the user to interact with the images cubes, letters cube as well as the -ending blocks, in order to match the correct word with the representing image. To create this, we used laser cutting and laser engraving techniques, as we wanted to design a large board that could fit all of the components of the project. We also wanted the interface to look visually appealing, and these techniques allowed for a clean cut, as well as a smooth surface.

The softwares we used during the digital production of the project mainly consisted of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, Rhino, Vuforia and Microsoft Word. To ensure that we all agreed on the necessary decisions that impacted the project greatly, we also used online sharing methods, like Google Drive. This service allowed us to share our designs and progress videos effectively, while ensuring that the group agreed to the best decisions.

Daniel was the visual design lead for our group, which allowed him to use Adobe Photoshop to draw and colour the images we had decided to use. In this instance, Adobe Photoshop seemed like the best option, as it was a software that Daniel was comfortable and familiar with. His photoshop skills allowed for fast production and character designs that displayed a unique personality.

Adobe Photoshop was also practiced by Kelsea, who used it for arranging images for laser engraving, as well as to design the online communication tool - Te Aroha. Kelsea also acquired skills in using a software called Rhino, as well as Adobe Illustrator, which is necessary for the production of laser engraving techniques. Adobe Illustrator was also used by the group to design and create our project logo. Kelsea also used Microsoft Word to build upon her concept of Te Aroha, the online communication tool. Her methodologies and techniques for user experience and testing were presented in a Booklet, which was designed cleverly on Microsoft Word.

Vaanipriya also used Adobe Photoshop to complete her tasks. She was the animator of the videos that would be presented as part of augmented reality. In her practice, she used Daniel’s Photoshop files to rearrange layers and create any new, necessary layers, before importing each document to Adobe After Effects, in order to start the animation process. She had prior knowledge of the software, which also allowed for fast production and visually and aurally appealing animated videos.

During this process, Vaanipriya also required a voice model, for which she used a fellow BCT student. She recorded the voice of that student spelling all of the words individually, in a gradual manner. For this, she used the ‘voice memos’ app on her phone, as it seemed the most appropriate and quick option at that time, before importing all of the sound files in Audacity, a digital audio editor. Audacity was also another familiar Software for Vaanipriya, which allowed her to manipulate the recordings in order to create a clear and consistent sound file, as well as save it as a ‘.wav’ file.

For the Augmented Reality side of the project, we used a software called Vuforia, which is part of Unity. This is a content-creation engine that also allows for augmented and virtual reality platforms. In choosing this as our main software for augmented reality, we were unsure of the challenges we would face because none of the team members had used this software before, or knew how to code in C# language. Nonetheless, we started the process with experimentation of different target images, for example, using words, plain black and white images, detailed coloured images etc., in order to confirm which one provides the best result. In this case, the best result was the success of Vuforia detecting the target image and displaying a video, as well as audio, on top of the image.

This process came with many challenges though, and required ongoing research to debug errors. This also allowed for coding in C# language, which Vaanipriya was unfamiliar with. Nonetheless, research and tutorials lead to a design that flowed well and worked almost accurately. Due to the procedure we followed, we were unable to perform many tests, in order to ask for feedback. This allowed us to work on the augmented reality until the end of the project, without any insight from the users.

Overall, the methods and tools we have used to inform our project, Dyslexi-AR, have been beneficial, in terms of designing and producing great results. Although we didn’t require feedback for some parts of the Project, we performed user testing and functionality tests wherever necessary. The feedback we received from the tests and interviews allowed for a more refined design, and a successfully functioning artefact, which also solves its purpose of aiding children with Dyslexia learn spelling and word pronunciation in a fun and memorable manner.

Further insight into our processes, methods, tools and techniques can be found in our Tumblr Blogs, which we used to document our progress and research. These blogs also showcase our reflection on Dyslexi-AR and the processes carried out to complete the project.