26.11 / 27.11
Thursday was all about making the prototype and the presentation. We already had a number of ideas for the prototype on Tuesday. So this was a good starting point for today. So we had finally planned to make two forms of the prototype.
The first prototype consisted of a miniature version of the concept. This was intended to communicate the various steps that a user goes through. And what takes place at every step within the user journey. For example, the soil is made of the material that the users will eventually walk over. The miniature version must also convey a sense of scale.
The other prototype is intended to simulate part of the experience. It consists of a light strip that moves based on the speed of the user. This is intended to simulate the lights that come on based on the movement of the user. This was mainly so that we could test what it feels like to walk down the corridor. And after trying it myself, I noticed the impact of the lights. And in my opinion a good metaphor to indicate speed. I also felt as if I had entered as a user at the speed of the lights. Even though it was a simple prototype that was operated by a teammate.
The disadvantage of both prototypes is that the light is red. This does not communicate the sense of nature as we wanted. And unfortunately we do not have the time to adjust this for the available time that we still have.
While working on the prototypes, we also took the time to prepare an FBS (Function, Behavior, Structure) diagram.
- Function: Informing, provoking and raise awareness
- Behaviour: Stimulating multiple senses based on data from deforestation.
- Structure: Light (LED), sound (speakers) and scent (scent diffusers.)
An image of this can be seen below:
Unfortunately I could not be present during the presentation. But I kept in touch with my team about the process of the project. My team knew about my absence and I got permission from each team member.
The feedback we received after the presentation was mainly focused on the first prototype. As expected, we were told that the lights had to have a different color (preferably green) in order to relate more to nature. And this would indeed make the prototype a lot clearer and better communicate our purpose.We also received feedback on the use of grass at the start of our concept. This does not communicate deforestation well enough and using only sand would achieve the same goal if not better. I agree with this last point. It can be experienced as distracting when the topic is about trees and you feel grass.
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