May 6, 2018

Projects

This part of my site displays the types of projects from my university period where I have had a major production role, as well as what my role was within them.

A Constant Companion

  • Goal:
    To design a user interface system capable of using the exact same interface whether on a Console, a Computer or a Tablet.
  • 1st Request:
    The design must be based on a game type or genre, that has been seen within each of the chosen systems, in order to avoid designing towards a game that is a bad candidate for any of the systems.
  • 2nd Request:
    The design must take into account, that there are several interface options in a single game, such as touch-screen, mouse, keyboard or joypad – So as to avoid designing a system that handles one type of user interaction scenario well, but does not consider the other interaction options available on the other systems.
  • 3rd Request:
    The design must, if at all possible, be designed upon a game or game system, that is already fixed and fully explored, so as to avoid spending time upon designing the game itself.
  • Process: 
    In order to fulfill these requests, it was decided to base it upon a turn-based game, and further to base it on the newest version of the pen and paper role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons, as this iteration of the popular series of games did not have any digital counterparts, and also featured a very defined and varied set of interaction options making it a design challenge.
  • Result:
    Investigating the game itself, creating interaction options that would mirror the functionality in the pen and paper game, led towards a series of designs, and later mock-ups, that would later be used to test and evaluate which of the possible layouts best fit the given control systems. As an interface system was selected, it was later planned to create a ‘in system metaphor’ for the interface, merging it into the game world, and minimizing the friction between user and experience.
  • The production roles I ended up maintaining include:
    Project Planning, User Analysis, Concept Development, & Quality Analysis.

ColorMotion

  • Goal:
    To develop a source of entertainment for the children’s section of the library in Hjørring.
  • 1st Request:
    The children’s section is markedly different from all the other parts of the library, as here noise and activity is not only allowed, but sought after. If the project could produce something that would bring a certain liveliness to the area, it would be very appreciated.
  • 2nd Request:
    Children have a tendency to move about the area and interact with the different entertainment options, but often in small pairs or alone. If the project could produce something that would incite them to play together or in larger groups, it would be very appreciated.
  • Process:
    As the project was undertaken while regular university attendance was also a factor in the planning, it became an interesting mix of allocating the time for contact with the library representatives against the classes and study. We prioritized a large amount of contact with the representatives, as well as regular observation visits, in order to learn as much as possible before creating a fixed concept; meaning we had many iterations of ideas, evaluated together with the representatives, to find a good candidate.
  • Result:
    The project culminated with a prototype of an interactive ‘color mirror’. A camera would observe elements entering into the field in front of it, and display these new elements as brightly colored silhouettes on a projected image in front of the installation. As the objects move in front of the camera, they draw a staggered ‘veil’ of colors after them, that slowly fades. The prototype makes for an interactive space full of activity and colors, and succeeded in bringing children, of all ages, in front of the canvas to experience their own colorful silhouette together with others.
  • The production roles I ended up maintaining include:
    Project Planning, User Analysis, Concept Development, Prototype Development & Quality Analysis.

RinRon’s Rumrejse

  • Goal: 
    To create a learning tool for young teenagers by using gamification and interactive tasks to motivate them, in cooperation with Sofiendal Skole and Odder Skole.
  • 1st Request:
    Center the game or program around the subject of Word Classes and Classification, as this is a subject where a lot of the students lose interest and lack motivation.
  • 2nd Request:
    Create a working prototype for testing and display, as it would create a positive frame for further cooperation between the university students and the public school system.
  • 3rd Request: 
    Integrate the learning task as much as possible into the game, in order to make the solving of this task the actual game experience, instead of adding a game reward element onto a training tool.
  • Process: 
    As an integral part of the production process, a contact was established with the Teachers Training Institute in Aalborg, with an educator who was well established in the field of education, and her class of students, who were more than willing to act as critics and bring positive feedback to the debate and idea creation. Later on, as the concept was becoming more fully formed, the focus shifted towards testing it on the children from the schools we initially contacted, and gaining feedback from them.
  • Result: 
    A working prototype of a game called RinRon’s Rumrejse was made, as a single module of a larger story universe, that could be expanded as other subjects were included. The game centered on sorting words of different types into their corresponding containers, in order to break them down correctly, somewhat like sorting recyclable waste into the correct bins, so that the stranded alien RinRon can power his spaceship and return to his home planet. This prototype was thoroughly tested, and if nothing else, it shows a marked increase in interest and motivation, if not the skills gained through playing the game.
  • The production roles I ended up maintaining include:
    Concept Development, Graphic Design, Prototype Development & Quality Analysis.

Bimmers VVS

  • Goal: 
    Create an installation for the annual Universitarium, an experimentation space for children centered on a new theme each year. The theme of the year is Water.
  • 1st Request:
    Center the project around a younger group of children, perhaps more or less unsupervised by guardians, as there are already a good amount of the type that requires an adult or other facilitator to explain the experiment or experience. As a visualization tool; Think of a group of 1st to 3rd grade pupils on a field trip, with only 1 teacher to guide them all.
  • 2nd Request:
    A project that can manage itself, as the capacity for volunteers and facilitators is already met by other installations.
  • Process: 
    This project was not only a challenge because of the requests and target audience, but also because that whatever subject we attempted, would also have to be something we understood ourselves. This led to a large amount of research, both into the concept as a separate subject, but also the content, before any real concept development could be undertaken. Because of this distribution of man-hours the final prototype became somewhat rushed, but fully functional and based on solid theory.
  • Result: 
    An interactive comic book installation, placed on a touch screen, would allow the user to navigate through several subjects in relation to the way we process water in a society; from pumps to cleaning facilities, and everything in-between. In addition to this, every subject took place within small narrative pieces, where the brave plumber fixed the problems that his evil nemesis caused, in an attempt to discredit his enemy. Each story also made parallel between the modern system and the methods used before, showing how much knowledge we have gained on subjects such as sanitation and water management systems over the last couple of hundred years.
  • The production roles I ended up maintaining includes:
    Project Planning, Concept Development & Prototype Development.
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