Thoughts About New Interactions
Project Documentation and Collection of Things
Video Documentation: Radio User Tests from Jones Merc on Vimeo.
And finally some video material from the last user tests. Main focus lies on showing the problem with the volume adjustment (imaginary rotary knob). The video shows a part of a discussion where another proposal for the volume adjustment was brought up. It also shows a first implementation in use.
The shape for the radio object should be like the one in the model. Or at least similar. Very few controls, to not confuse the user about functionality (few controls = few gestures). I’d like the shape to be roundish, a little like the colored iMacs. The object should not feel too technical, because there is already a big step between the current radios and gestured controlled radios – which is based on technical changes. By making the object rounder I intend to increase the feel of talking to something «smart», something alive.
Video Documentation: User Tests from Jones Merc on Vimeo.
User tests showed that users direct their gestures mostly towards the object, they want to control. A direct dialogue between the user and the object is obvious.
It also showed some interesting insights about how they interact with the gesture lamp. All of them found one of the On/Off gestures pretty quickly, but were puzzled if they came across the other which rather confused them instead of helping them.
Another interesting thing said, was that if a user is controlling sound, the source is less evident than a light (lamp) or a wind (fan) source. Sound/Music is rather surrounding us and therefore a gesture may not be directed that clearly to the object (music-player) itself.
The tests sure make me rethink some interaction steps and help to develop a smoother interaction flow.
Video Documentation: Gesture Lamp Prototype 1 from Jones Merc on Vimeo.
By connecting a relay with the internet (shiftr.io, Arduino Yun) I am able to control a lamp via gestures using a Leap Motion to detect movements. This prototype can now serve for further user testing to see how people will interact and if they discover the control-gestures by themselves.
First sketch of the smart radio as controllable object via gestures. The object should remind of a radio to indicate the functions but the controls happen via gestures. The dialogue how a user get’s to know the different interaction inputs is a key feature in the development of this object prototype.
Video Documentation: Object – Wizard of Oz from Jones Merc on Vimeo.
A nonfunctional prototype (object) in a «Wizard of Oz»-test-setup. A nearby computer allows to write the text which is subsequently displayed on the object’s screen. Without having to program a smart object with a fully functioning gesture recognition one is able to test different scenarios like this dialogue between user and object. Focus of the dialogue is how to slowly establish a gesture language without presenting it in the first place to the user but rather developing it in a dialogue between the two.
The object above is a prototype for a smart computer, that is enabled to regulate things for the user. The user can interact with it via gestures and for simplicity the object has a display to «speak».
This object allows to test different scenarios with the «Wizard of Oz Method». The object just displays text which I am writing at a nearby computer. I can thereby present the object to a possible user and let him interact with it, controlling the objects feedback by myself.