FYP_idea

Idealisation

The idea to do make an interactive narrative that told the story of everyday Singaporean life. I would add in 5 short stories that allowed the player to make choices and each choice would lead to a different ending. There will not be any right or wrong choices, and whatever choices the player chose would lead to the next stage in the interactive narrative.

I will be including some video references below.

Style

I have always been interested in the storytelling in the form of traditional medium, like Indonesia’s Wayang Kulit or Tawan’s Glove Puppetry. The rigid movement of the traditional medium seems really appealing and appropriate for this project. At the same time, I wanted to use this FYP as an excuse to improve my skillsets in painting. Therefore, it would be a combination of both.

I will be including some video references below.

Things to do

  • A flow chart for the narrative of the project
  • Collect stories every day
  • Decide on which platform/program to work on

Assignment04_Response to Chapt 1 from Kim Goodwin, Designing for the Digital Age

The reading has liberated me on multiple aspects of design. The first main takeaway from “Designing for the Digital Age” by Kim Goodwin was that design would always have certain constraints that needed to be abid. Often in the corporate world, our work was not only restricted by time and budget, but also the preferences of our client. It was spot on when the reading mention about this constraint that all designers have to face at some point in their design career.

The second thing to keep in mind when designing was to always think of the lowest denomination, people that have no prior experiences with the product that you were designing should be able to understand and explore the functions/experiences that you have crafted for them. It should be almost effortless and painfully obvious to the user. The fool-proof and simple design have rooted its philosophy in many major companies. For example, Apple.

The readings have mentioned a methodology that contains the 4 steps to design. Principles, Pattern, Process, and Practice. Principles were guidelines or rules that a designer can follow to achieve a better design. Pattern uses a certain design that the users were familiar with and integrate it into the product. The process was the main focus of the book, it concentrates on the planning and the research required to better understand the nature of the problem and design a product that would suit the user’s need.

The reading provided educational and necessary information that would help all designers or non-designers to face problem from the perspective of Goodwin.

As a bonus, I would like to post this lecture as it would better illustrate all the points in the reading.

Assignment03_Thoughtful Interaction Design Response

The reading was educational and contain many concepts that were quite foreign to me but after multiple attempts to dissect the meaning behind those words, I have got a better understanding and insights to the world of design.

I was asked to provide an artwork that reflects my understanding of the reading. However, I would like to share a product instead of an artwork, a product by Just Crunch and their line of Cereal Bowl. In the reading, to design was to influence the lives of others and solve the ‘problem’ that plague the users. In this case, people that had cereal were facing the problem of having soggy bits floating atop of the milk that has lost all of its texture and flavors. It forces the designer to think of an idea that would prolong the ‘lifespan’ of a bowl of cereal. The solution was actually simpler than what we would imagine, to separate the cereal and milk and let the consumers mix them when they are ready for the treat. Due to the design of the bowl, it could be used for multiple purposes, other than having a bowl of cereal. The image below demonstrated that capability.

In conclusion, the reading provided was an important document that should be read by all designers. The philosophy and idea that was conceptualized in the book were applicable in all fields that require a creative mind to solve a problem. It taught us about the responsibility of a designer and how our design would change the world for the better or worse.

Assignment02_The Oceanic Report

The Oceanic Event was an informative and critical event that underlines the stories that have been happening to the Pacific Ocean. A group of artists, filmmakers, composers, and researchers travel to Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, and Fiji to explore and engage with the culture that relies on the Pacific Ocean. It gave an in-depth presentation and an inside look into these complex tradition and shine a light on the oceanic ecosystem eroded by humans activities.

“Tamoya Ohboya” – Tue Greenfort

One of the artworks that truly caught my eyes was “Tamoya Ohboya” by Tue Greenfort. Besides the fact that it was placed near the entrance, what really attracted me to this artwork was the fascination of using living things as a statement. From the image above, the work consists of a tank and a pump to keep the water in the tank circulating, mimicking the ocean. Meanwhile, a video was projected onto a white screen, showing the audience the close up of the jellyfish. This brought me to the attention the huge amount of effort it took for Tue Greenfort to replicate the environment that mother nature has provided. From the showcasing of the work, I would infer that the statement was to prove how valuable and vulnerable the environment was, that once the habitat for these creatures was destroyed, it would take us tremendous effort and resources to create what has been lost.

However, I do not believe that that was all to take away from the artwork. “Tamoya Ohboya” was also a study of the ocean. The purpose was to take a cross-section of the ocean and present it to the audiences, giving them a more personal look at these magnificent and beautiful creatures. While other artists have done similar work that also represents the cross-section of the environment, often presented in a form of a sketchbook or photograph, it was refreshing to see that Tue Greenfort eliminated the medium and gave us the “raw” look into the habitat, not through the lenses of an artist or photographer, but with our own eyes.

The talk about the tabu culture has gotten my attention. What at first seems like an irrational tradition for a group to follow seems like a common scene at the end of the talk. I will be giving context to the sentence above. In Fijian culture, a tabu area was considered a ‘holy’ or ‘forbidden’ ground, inaccessible to the public.

From the exhibition booklet, it stated that

Throughout the Pacific, the creation of tabu areas has been practised for a long period of time, including temporarily closing off areas to fishing as a mark of respect for the death of an important community member, to protect sacred sites, to affirm a village’s rights to a fishing ground, or as part of traditional ceremonies.

Such practices turn out to have a positive effect on the habitats as the area was untouched by humans activities and allows an optimum environment for the habitants to strive. Tabu areas were also often too dangerous for people to explore and sealing it off from the public would make sense to avoid any repercussions.

In conclusion, The Oceanic exhibition was one of the most memorable and impressive experiences for me. It has educated me on the negative effects of global warming and how it has affected communities in different part of the world. We should work toward helping out these affect communities but at the same time, understanding the traditions and culture in order to not offend the indigenous people of these areas.

 

Interactive Device-Final Project_The Shocking Glove

For the final project, I was planning to do a device that would elicit shock to the wearer of the device. In this post, I would describe the process of the Shocking Gloves and the changes that I have made to it, the difficulties that I faced and finally the final device that would be showcased to the public.

In the beginning of the project, I was planning a device that would only elicit shock after the wearer loses in a game. However, I quickly dismissed the plan because I felt that it was too bland for this project. So I changed the idea to a device where the wearer would get shocked if he/she speak too loudly.

One of the challenges was to find the module that would elicit shock to a human body. After browsing the internet and consulting my professor, I have chanced upon the muscle stimulation pad that people would normally be used during electrical muscle stimulation therapy. I would replace the device that the muscle stimulation pads would connect to with Arduino, providing the required electric current to power the stimulation pad. The plan was foiled as cutting open the stimulation pad to find out that there was not any wire that could be connected to the Arduino. Thus, I was back to square one again, trying to find a replacement for the shock module. Looking through a catalog of items, I found another replacement.

 

The “Harmless Mild Electric Shock Toys” were a “device” that would be used to play a prank on people. I have figured out that I could take out the component that exists within the toys itself and integrate it into my project. 

Next, I have to find a module that would determine the loudness of one’s voice. If the sound went over the threshold that I have set up, it would register an input. Once the input reaches 5, a shock would elicit to the wearer, giving them a reminder that they were talking too loudly. After all the required items were purchased, it was just a matter of connecting all the part to Arduino and code it.

One unforeseen problem was the gloves that the wearer would wear. I have not considered that it would be worn by different people. Therefore it was not a hygienic practice to use a cotton glove, where sweat and other bacteria could be easily absorbed into seams. The solution for the problem would be to provide a hand sanitizer gel for the wearer before and after use.

In conclusion, I did face quite a few problems and challenges along the way. However, I did learn a few good lesson about shocking and muscle stimulation pad.

 

Final Broadcast – O$P$

Title: Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI GAOGAO PTE. LTD. right now. Help is always available.

Description: Our broadcast is about two civilians that owe a huge amount of money to an infamous loan shark organisation, Wu Long. The duo had to find enough money around the place so that they could pay the head of the loan shark organisation the total amount of money they had borrowed from him. The debtors had a buffer time of about 5 minutes to collect as much money as they could or hide, after which the loan sharks would start chasing them down. Will the debtors be able to collect enough money before the time run out?

In the live stream, Cher See and Xin Feng were role playing as the infamous loan sharks while Joan and Hannah were role playing as the civilians. The civilians’ mission was to locate all the hidden envelopes that contain money, finding every possible areas that had the hidden stash of money. The head of the loan shark, Long Ge (aka Cher See) had dispatched an underling, Ah Feng (aka Xin Feng) to find the two civilians to pressure them to pay back the money they owe. Joan managed to find the envelopes hidden around the area but was caught by Ah Feng shortly after she found the third envelope. She was brought to Long Ge to check on the amount of money she had collected. Joan had to wait for Hannah to find the remaining amount of money that was escalating every 10 mins. On the other hand, Hannah had to go around and beg people for money so that she could pay back her debts while finding ways to escape the loan sharks. After finding enough money, Joan asked Hannah to come find Long Ge to return back the remaining sum. In the end, both civilians were able to pay back what they had borrowed from the loan sharks.

 

Hannah & Joan live broadcast

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI GAOGAO PTE. LTD. right now. Help is always available. (a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation)

Posted by Joan Li on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI GAOGAO PTE. LTD. right now. Help is always available. (a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation)

Posted by Joan Li on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

 

Cher See & Xin Feng live broadcast

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI GAOGAO PTE. LTD. right now. Help is always available. (a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation)

Posted by Xin Feng on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

 

Combine broadcast

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI …

a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation

Posted by Goh Chersee on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI …

a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation (PART 2)

Posted by Goh Chersee on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI …

a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation (Part 03)

Posted by Goh Chersee on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

 

Where all the remaining money are

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI GAOGAO PTE. LTD. right now. Help is always available. (a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation)

Posted by Xin Feng on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

 

Further Improvements:

The one major problem that the team faces were the internet connection. It was causing lagginess and disconnection when the team were co-broadcasting. However, the team had came to believe that such limitation were actually working in our favor as it created a more interesting composition and dynamics when things were not working as it should have. There were some shots that were quite unusual and could really sell the narrative that the two civilian were actually running away from the loanshark. Nonetheless, the team were still able to complete the project on time even when the internet connection were poor.

Another problem that we could have improved on were the balancing of the game. There were some envelope that were hidden in areas that were too difficult to find and some that were too obvious. Perhaps the team could strike a balance if we had another chance to improve on our live stream. However, placing envelops at places that requires strenuous effort to locate promote our team members to interact with passersby, borrowing money and help from them. It remove the stagnancy of our co-broadcasting and introduce new elements to keep the audiences entertain in our stream.

Overview:

I have contributed to the project by creating the background image and rules for the game. I have managed to get help from Xin Feng as she has an overall vision for how the stream would look like, I have just touch upon her original concept and refine her vision further. It was quite technical as I have to be precised about how the images were cropped and how the overall stream would look. I have also put in additional element to organised our stream, for example a countdown video were added to show the audience when the video was going to start.

I felt that the project were quite similar to the Videofreex and I was inspired by them when I first thought of this idea. The ability to interact with the audiences and vice visa has always appeal to me as an concept for broadcasting and I am glad that I was able to do this. Rather than having the audiences calling in, our team members were actively finding our own audiences, getting help and begging money from them to make the stream a lot more interesting.