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Victoria Uni, First Year Design Blog.

Thursday, 13 September 2012

DSDN112 - Project 2 - Concepts

Using my precedence I have crafted three ways which I can see becoming hybrid navigation interfaces, but are each unique in the ways the navigation itself is approached. They vary in virtual to physical and stretch the bounds of the project 2 brief. 

Concept 1: Teleportation Interface

I feel that the most paramount form of navigation would be an interface in which takes you seamlessly to you desired location without having to lift a foot, such as a teleportation interface. The interface itself would need no more that voice recognition. Or to take the idea even further you marly think of where you need to go and the device takes you there. Obviously there are major pitfalls with this concept as the technology has not been created as of yet, and i feel the interface itself couldn't be fleshed out enough without knowing any restrictions the technology itself faced, however I felt this idea had to be addressed if only to reverse engineer the concept, in sight of arriving at todays paramount form of navigation  using current technology.   

Concept 2: Intuitive Interface

The best design is design that is hardly noticeable, that fulfills a task without the user needing to give it a thought. Keeping this in mind i developed a concept that uses the operators subconscious to guide them and act as an internal radar. The interface its-self involves the user typing in the destination on their phone and putting it in there pocket. The phone will then vibrate in different way in order to navigate the user around the building. For example if the user needs to go straight the phone is silent, then if the path requires a right turn the phone will vibrate twice seconds before the turn is needed, twice to turn right etc. The idea behind this is that with enough use of this app the vibrations will work their way into the user's subconscious, allowing them to arrive seamlessly at their destination without having to pay attention to the vibrating (like when you drive somewhere and arrive only to realize you have no recollection of the trip its self). The only downside to this is being able to fully adapt the concept to the brief as it would not need that much of an interface at all. 

Concept 3: First Person HUD

This idea integrates video game's use of a heads up display on screen to navigate through a building in real time. The screen will use photo realistic images showing what you are seeing infront of you in real life except with the addition of data such as arrows to guide you around the building. The top display will show all the main info such as your destination and current location. There will be a mini map of you current floor with a blip on it showing where you destination is and arrows giving you primary and supplementary directions of when/where you need to turn. I also came up with the idea of a gradient to display you elevation inside the building. The gradient will go from blue to red and a slider in the middle displays your current elevation. Blue being the ground floor and red being your destinations floor. I feel this method would be easily replicated in flash and there are enough current technologies to make it possible. However it is very close to applications that already exist and there is only so much originality i can add to the concept. Video games have been using this method for years so there is alot of inspiration to draw from however I run the risk of creating something that someone has already done with the saturation of similar interfaces on the market already. 


DSDN112 - Project 2 - Precedence - Video Game HUD (Heads Up Display)

 "Forza 4" has a HUD that efficiently navigates the player the fastest way around a track.

"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" uses its HUD to gives a minimal, colorful way for the user to orientate and navigate a virtual world. 

Video games have for years offered well crafted interfaces to orientate and navigate the player in a virtual world. This interface is commonly known as a HUD (Heads up display) and gives the user not only information and about where they are but where they need to go, how to get there and other data essential to the game. Microsoft's "Forza 4" uses a HUD that incorporates live navigation with a mini map. This gives uses a live view of the current/fastest rout to take while the minimap provides a larger scale sense of orientation. Similarly in "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" the player is given a mini map in the bottom left of the screen to orientate themselves as well as live on screen arrows showing the direction of a self appointed destination or one the computer has set allowing the user to successfully navigate in a virtual city. I feel the idea of a HUD in a real time first person navigational interface would provide the user with necessary live information and would incorporate itself easily into a cellphone application. 

Saturday, 8 September 2012

DSDN104 - Project 2 - Final Assemblies

Acrylic assembly  

Card assembly 

These are my final illustrator files that will be laser cut next week. I have used stacking method, taking slices from the 3ds file of the torso and tentacles to achieve a 3d form from 2d planes. Because my final 3ds model is suspended in the air, I have constructed a stand that will be made out of acrylic so the stand will be transparent.  

DSDN112 - Project 2 - Precedence - TomTom


TomTom is a portable GPS unit that is the leader of its market.

TomTom is a portable GPS unit that's interface provides the user with a live up to the second update of where the user is anywhere in the world. Unlike google map's interface TomToms is not free and each unit cost around $200usd. However the advantage of this you do not need a computer to access its data. The interface itsself uses a combination of ariel and street views to orientate the user. However unlike google's "street view" tom toms first person view is animated so it could make it harder for the user to relate what they are seeing in real life to what they view on screen. I would like to adapt these views in my interface so that the user can experience a photo realistic first person view of the route they where taking and interact with opportunity to take different routs. 

DSDN112 - Project 2 - Navigation Interface - First Thoughts


Google maps and "street view" give users a multiview experience and provides a well orientated interface. 

Project two requires a design for a navigation interface. Having little experience with GPS or mapping applications I have had no outstanding first thoughts or inspiration. So I have gone back to basics and considered the process in which i would go through in order to reach a location I have never been before. I would first google search the adress or name of the building/location then use google maps "directions" function to find the fastest way to the given address. If the adress is central, with a lot of buildings i would use "street" view to give more of a visual aid to this process. I have found this works almost always when I need to find my way around. I would like to find a way of combining these two methods of navigation. However there has been no interface to my knowledge of allowing the user to navigate in a live feed through a building. I would like to exploit this untapped corner of the market for this project and create a user friendly first person live interface for navigating through the Te Aro campus.      

Saturday, 1 September 2012

DSDN112 - Project 2 - Research - Campus Navigation Interfaces


Signs for use of navigation round the Kelburn campus.

 The physical "interface" Kelburn campus uses for navigation is very primitive, using arrow and maps of the exteriors of building. I feel this would be a valuable factor to add to a virtual navigation interface app. I do however feel this is restrictive and two dimensional as the various levels are not throughly accounted for. Also the interior navigation needs improvement. I feel this would translate to the interior of the Vivian St campus as the architecture has been changed throughout the building at different times causing a confusing room and studio layout.  

Friday, 24 August 2012

DSDN104 - Project 2 - Sketch Model 5

Acrylic and black card layered

I to attempt to make my model have a reflective black surface like my project 1 render. I have had acrylic dye suggested to me but to save myself money i have decided to use the technique displayed above. By layering black card through acrylic i can achieve this effect and have a dynamic range of materials in my design.