#studiov

FEAR - Project Reflection

The Collective Visual Display

Week 13: 2-7/6/19

As part of our most recent iteration of the Visual Display we:

Implemented the Koru visualisation

Updated the continent visualisation (which was previously the squiggly ring) so we could layer elements behind it.

Created a hexagonal mask for the webcam display

Implemented a double window display so the webcam would show on the laptop screen, and the visualisation on the projector (see image below)

Previous Prototype:

Prototype for Open Studio

Reflection:

In previous playtests, users have said that the visual display looked bare and visually not interesting compared to the collection of physical tiles. However, as demonstrated in the video, the display gets increasingly cluttered (spatially and colour-wise) with more inputs. As a result, this reduces the clarity and readability of the display.  

Thus, while the methods we have used for our data visualisation will work in a small-scale setting like Open Studio, it will not in a larger-scale setting i.e. if it were to be displayed for a long period of time as a contracted installation. For example, the ‘pie-chart’ method which we used for the continent data set, effectively works for both small and large sample sizes without compromising the visual composition. On the other hand, changing the scale of the environment circles according to number of inputs, doesn’t work as effectively for larger-scale settings because eventually the circles will get too big.

To improve, we would need to conduct more research into live data visualisations and how we can make our visualisation better suited to larger sample sizes.

To develop further, we also want to automate the collective display using computer vision technology, which we had explored earlier in the semester. Refer to this blog for more information. With this, we would love to use animated graphics to highlight the individual contributions from the physical tiles to the collective tile to create a more dynamic display.

Another avenue we would like to pursue further is to offer the participants a post-experience extension such as an email with:

a link to an image of their tile (taken as part of the experience),

the individual contribution they made to the collective tile,

and a link to a website about the work where they view a live feed of the future and past contributions to the collective tile.

Week 4

Yesterday afternoon we conducted a half hour long workshop with 6 participants. This consisted of two activities meant to encourage discussion around one’s own culture and New Zealand’s culture. For this playtest, we wanted to test both a tangible activity and a visual one.

Activity 1: Lego Building

For the first activity, we provided 4 colours of lego blocks and laid them out in a continuum from Very Little to Very Much. We then asked the participants 4 questions:

To what extent do you…

1.      Consider yourself a New Zealander?

2.      Think it is important to preserve your culture?

3.      Think it is important to preserve New Zealand culture?

4.      Feel like your culture is presented in New Zealand?

And asked them to select a block to represent each answer and then make something with those blocks. After constructing these things, we asked them to compare their blocks and discuss which questions challenged them and why they chose the colours they did.

Activity 2: Pictures

For the second activity we provided 2 copies of 100 pictures/icons and some blank cards and pens. We asked the workshopees to select 5-8 images that:

Represent New Zealand’s identity

Represent your identity

We then challenged them to answer the below questions:

Have you found any connections between the images you selected as symbols of New Zealand’s identity and your own?

What images do you think represent your identity but is not represented in New Zealand’s identity?

How much do you think your identity relates to New Zealand’s identity?

Do you feel represented in New Zealand identity? Do you think that is     important?

Then we asked them to create another pile, this time as a group, to represent a multicultural national identity.

After the activities, we asked some reflection questions. 

Which activity did you connect to/challenged you the most? And why?

The participants all preferred the picture activity to the lego one. They found the former to be easier, and enjoyed the visual aspect. The lego activity proved too difficult to choose, binary and the playtesters had trouble remembering what they picked for each question. 

What is something you have learnt from this workshop?

How to explain what a New Zealander is.

The complexity of what it is to be a New Zealander.

New Zealand is not just what it appears to be to outsiders.

In other countries it is more immediately obvious what it is to be part of their culture, in New Zealand we have so many different cultures that it’s more difficult. 

I was surprised to see similarities between my own pile and my New Zealand pile.

Our reflections

We found that this exercise developed a theme of reconciling personal and national culture/identities which links back to our key question: “How do we preserve a multicultural national identity?”. Through discussion with the playtesters, we decided that a key concept is sharing with others. 

We’ve realised through the activities that the visual aspect of the end product is important in understanding the messages. We would still like to integrate a tangible user interface.