Tag: Week 1

Week 1: Introduction

Google Lighting Talks

Watching the Google Lighting Talk 2017 was a great resource to start thinking about the technologies that I could implement into future projects. The variety of technologies from hardware to DevKits and coding algorithms has given me a lot of options for future apps. I have picked out a few technologies that I find interesting and will look to explore further.

Google spotlight stories:

This is a 360 degree VR platform to create immersive storytelling. Blending technology and art together to create sensory experiences that combine visuals, sounds, movement and exploration. This technology is available in DevKit form and provides a platform on which to explore the creation of emotive experiences. In future projects I would like to explore this as I really like the use of technology in a tangible and meaningful way.

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Google Spotlight Stories: Special Delivery

Jacquard:

Jacquard by Google looks to change how we perceive and use items of clothing. Embedded wearable technologies allow the suer to perform functions with simple gestures and button presses. The interplay of physical objects and digital functions is a fascinating combination and one that as a Product Designer I would like to explore further. The ability for technology to become ‘invisible’ and blend into our daily routines is where I see technology heading which is what makes Jacquard so interesting.

Soli:

Another technology that connects products to digital applications. Soli miniaturises radar to allows users to use gestures to control digital applications or functions. From controlling digital devices like watches to controlling characters or actions in games there are many uses for the hardware. Google sees this technology replacing game controllers due to the precision of the micro-gestures that it recognises. Hand gesture movement could define how a user explores a virtual world in VR games in the future. Soli has already overcome a hurdle that stops many tech and that is miniaturising it to make it useful and unobtrusive.

With DevKits in the hands of selected partners Soli is coming up with some fascinating outcomes. University of St Andrews has used the technology to detect materials through weight and other characteristics. This gives rise to possibilities of enhanced real world interaction with games and applications.

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Project Soli, Google ATAP

Project Tango AR: 

Project Tango was an early, and eventually unsuccessful, attempt but Google to bring AR to smartphones. The idea of utilising motion tracking, depth perception and area learning to provide AR experiences was ultimately flawed by the use of specialised hardware. Today’s ARKits use hardware already in devices to achieve astonishing results. This shows that some ideas need to be explore but that not all technology that makes a breakthrough will affect our lives and revolutionise the industry.

Nevertheless, this has led to improved consumer AR experiences that promote applications to break out from a single frame and shift the boundaries of this technology. The ability of AR and VR to transport you to different places, tell stories and create greater emotions is fascinating and the opportunities are endless. These technologies are being used to put people in scenarios or stories that alter their perception of reality.

As an iOS user I would like to start learning Swift and ARKit 2 in order to explore the possibilities of AR app development.

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ARKit 2, Apple, 2018

Conclusion:

The breadth of new technologies that will effect how we interact with apps, how we consume the information and how they are combined with hardware is truly inspiring. Over the coming modules I would like to explore this connection between software and hardware and the interplay between the two.

Week 1: Introduction

Creative Piece: Research and first ideas

“As long as we have each other we will not run out of problems.”

When I first heard this theme I was split between two meanings. On one hand this sounds like it is saying we will always cause problems for each other but the more I thought about it it is promoting us to interact with each other, to collaborate and to solve problems.

My first step in researching this theme was to look into the Global Game Jam 2009 where over 1000 games were created based on this theme. Cooperation and teamwork were key themes from these games as show by the game below Robots and Girl. In this game the objective is for the robots to work together to collective macaroni pieces to make a necklace for the girl. As an added layer of frustration the two robots repel each other. This game puts cooperation at the forefront of the mechanics and shows the ability to work together in a fun manner.

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Robots and Girl, Global Game Jam 2009

After researching the Global Game Jam 2009 and defining the meaning of the theme as cooperation and teamwork my next focus was to map out what areas I could explore in this theme, what types of solutions there could be (apps or games) and start to flesh these out into ideas. The pictures below show mind maps that go through this process of idea creation.

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Exploring cooperation, teamwork, interaction and collaboration. What areas I could explore in my creative piece and what problems it might accomplish.

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Developing the areas further and creating some ideas for apps. My focus was on connecting people together whether this was sharing skills or providing support. I believe that creating a network using technology to link people of all skills, backgrounds and interests could be a really interesting way to tackle this theme.

Next I will explore these concepts deeper, decide which route I want to go down, the format for this app, what platform and technology it would use and start to build a more detailed concept.