Project description and deliveries HS 2019

Goal

The goal is the systematic, creative exploration of sound and its importance for the design of interactions and affordances.

This is done by reinterpreting your white cube as a "smart object" within the given constraints  and working on defined creative hypotheses in a small "design research" process.

  • The design drafts and experimental prototypes are used for gaining of insights into tonal potentials of meaning and “Affordances” through the use of Wizard-of-Oz” prototypes.
  • In the second week you will keep experimenting with user studies to further develop your sonic concepts and at the same time start building a functional prototype with sensors and sound feedback. 
  • A special focus is on design methods that understand sound as a means and material of interaction design.
  • The continuous valuation of design hypotheses with small “User Studies” und Feldversuchen. Because there are barely any rules about Sonic Interaction Design, but a lot of space for experiments and design research that we want to explore.

in short:

  • To understand the influence of sound on the interaction with an object.
  • To understand the influence of sound on the perception of an object and its affordances.
  • To discuss and deepen the meaning of concrete design variants in this regard.

Final presentation:

The final presentation is structured as follows:

  1. Demo: Demonstrate your final version of the concept / object to the group. The functionally implemented elements can be combined with Wizard-Of-Oz Mockup elements if necessary.
  2. Presentation: Make a short (10min) presentation about the development of your concept. What did you lern? What went well? How would you proceed?

Project documentation

Video

The video should be created with your mockup prototypes, as easily staged as possible. Here "faking" (using sound design to replace not properly working functions) is explicitly allowed. Make sure that your concept can be understood and the visuals and audio are of good quality. 

Written documentation

The written documentation will be done in your blogs.

Keep your blog up to date with your daily process (including sound snippets, short videos and photos). We also base our mentoring on the blogs.

Please also export your documentation as pdf and also upload it to the filer (for archiving). 

Sounds, mockup project files and code

  • The used sound assets
  • Reaper project (all sounds embedded, standalone file)
  • Any scripts and technical drawings

Photos / Videos

Please put all photos on the server in original quality as well. To save some disc space: don't upload your raw videos or compress them accordingly (4mb/s max)

Evaluation criteria

  1. Use of sounds as a means of perceptual design / interaction design and the corresponding development through user studies / field trials. (40%)
  2. Quality of the mockup demos and the sounds used in them (40%)
  3. Designing (including content) of the video and the documentation including presentation of your findings from the design research process. (20%)
  4. Personal engagement during the course 

Also see → Grading Scale and Evaluation Criteria