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The graphic skinning job for the Aston Martin DBS audio tuning controls was straightforward with a very rational and fast process. Admittedly the display is pretty small with 256 x 64 pixels, even more my goal was to improve readability of the graphics on this minimal pixelcount. Reviews of the egineers who tuned the car were all in favour of the update because the new design of the audio controls performed better. 

Compared with the DBS skins, a lot of R&D work was sunk into the many iterations of the physical interface design for the Beosound 5. The unusual controls that will be on the final product are an incredibly well geared metal wheel, one slider with two hard edges, a wheel for volume control and three buttons. A pre-release interface walk through video popped up on the net and I really hope the product will keep evolving. Without any doubt the Beosound 5 is a very unusual “media center controller” requiring slightly more motoric skill than zapping on a remote. 

Dirk van Oosterbosch, an Amsterdam based interaction designer, will be presenting Fritzing the 3rd of November 2008 in the Theater Kikker, Utrecht.

Fritzing is an open source application currently being developed to assist designers and artists in taking the steps from physical prototype to an actual product. The aim is to create a software application in the spirit of Processing and Arduino, that allows artists and designers to document their Arduino-based prototype and create a PCB layout for manufacturing. 

Physical prototyping tools have come a long way and already allow non-engineers to quickly turn their ideas into functional interactive prototypes. However the next steps in the design or development cycle are currently much less supported by any tools.

Make sure not to miss the chance to hear more about the realisation of this ambitious idea. Registration will open next Monday the 20th of October.

Our team has hacked together the ikRun, a social RFID installation which recorded the time it took for an RFID tag to travel the distance between two RFID readers, generating a replay foto at the end of the 260 meter parcours. One aim was that players had to be able to share their replay fotos and running results in a social context. All results were embedded in the anyMeta driven PICNIC network and coupled with the corresponding profile of the ikTag, giving the opportunity to relive a magical moment with other people.

Another Key element was the display that showed all incoming photos chronologically in a fractal like layout. Each finish photo was generated with the achieved time and a time-stamp in the Georgia typeface, which is the branding of Mediamatic. Comparing the time display of the generated results with each other can be improved by using a monotype typeface, showing the recorded time in a rigid grid-like format, reducing cognitive stress for the reader.

A real nice feature that made it into the final installation was the real time counter on the high score website. The experience can be further enhanced in generating richer artifacts, for example video replays. Adding depth to the finish photo meta data is another way of providing more meaning as a social object.

To conclude I would like to point to Harsmedia where you find detailed observations of the ikRun.

multi-touch interface visualization from dmos.tv on Vimeo.

Here you can see a scenario movie showing a clear entry point to an application, drilling down into hierarchical data representations and coupling of entities. The drop down list representation for the entry point could also be replaced with a circular list.

I like to experiment more with the properties of the user nodes which could carry more information, for example a sparkline. Also showing the networked relationships between the user nodes is completely disregarded here because of my particular interest in generating unique entities for profile representations.

The clear entry point offers a polite way of interacting with a RoomWare application. Rather than dis/playing my content as I walk into the room, picking an ID out of a list will make the corresponding content available. The application can also make use of markers like RFID tags that can be swiped at the table or fiducial markers that you put on the interactive surface directly for sharing content instantly.

Rasmus K. Kristiansen points out some draw backs in regard to the use of Bluetooth together with the RoomWare server here at Analog Cloud. Nevertheless you are able to create a satisfactory experience when you instruct people to prepare their phone ID or hand out ID markers like RFID tags coupled to profiles.

On screen an ID should be represented visually and textually with a profile icon and name. Other users of the service that are friends should be fanning out in close proximity to the parent user node, to generate profile representations that carry unique visual properties based on the users network connections. Coupling user profiles by drag and drop will again create a unique visual pattern and could trigger other processes like comparing music taste or becoming friends on a service. From what I can assume from my prototype this entity representation can also be easily distinguished from any viewing angle.

During a lead customer design workshop with the Bang & Olufsen UI Group my contribution was the look and feel of an interface and the interaction design for a personalized digital hub.

My work was presented in paper prototypes, concept videos and software prototypes. Our team designed a bridge between the analog and digital feeds of a specific smart household packed with technology and sensors. In two days we presented our design ideas and relevant design iterations for a location aware application. The user interaction and the interface of the prototypes were closely evaluated together with the owner of the house and we used the valuable feedback to individualize the initial concept and functions of the final product. Follow up workshops will allow regular modifications until the domestic experience is fully satisfactory.

The other team members where electronic engineers, software engineers, concept developers and junior researchers from Arhus University.

An important aspect for the creation of a useful design with this pattern is the display of relevant meta data grouped visually with the entity in focus.

There are many possibilities to lower the cognitive processing load for the user and to create a powerful experience. A good starting point is to leave out irrelevant ornamentations like reflective surfaces as you can see in the iTunes cover flow.

This is the cover design for the debut album from MCKMN. You can order the CD and preview all tracks on the website. You will also find updates and video captures from live visuals and gigs.