All posts filed under: Technology

Building an Interactive Mirror

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My current side project is to build an interactive mirror; this post is to introduce the concept and give you an overview on how to approach building one. I’ll be blogging as I go through the process. If you’re not interested in building your own or learning the skills listed below, you can search ‘interactive mirror’ or ‘magic mirror’ and purchase one. It’s just less fun. Building an Interactive Mirror requires experience or knowledge with the following: Programming – Depending on the approach you take, you’re going to need to build an app for android or program with a raspberry pi. Woodworking – You’ll need to cut wood and use tools to build a frame. You may be able to buy a frame and the correct size mirror, but this reduces your freedom. What is an Interactive Mirror? Interactive mirrors use some sort of display (tablet, tv monitor, etc.) and a reflective overlay (I’ll be using a 2-way mirror) placed on top. This allows you to see both yourself and the application. Some are interactive …

Tools for the Product Design Process: Part 1

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This is for anyone who is new to product design and is wondering what tools they should use or purchase. It is by no means a definitive or complete list, so I invite other designers to share what tools they use. This first part will cover sketching, while future parts will cover wireframing, prototyping, and project management tools. Sketching The first (and arguably most important) step is brainstorming and sketching out ideas. For some people this could be storyboarding or diagramming user flows, while for others it could be jumping straight to interface sketches. You should consider what you’ll be doing before you purchase a sketchbook. Every designer should have a sketchbook, but I recommend having at least two. The key goal here is iteration — you want to explore all the possible solutions to your problem. Since this usually means I start with rough, quick, and ugly sketches to get out ideas, I try to save money with a cheap sketchbook. Sometimes I’ll just whatever is free and accessible (e.g. printer paper, a napkin, my arm). …

Music of the Future

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Music is constantly reinventing itself. As people change, it’s natural that music should too. Humans have been playing music for thousands of years; the origin of music predates recorded history.

About 35,000 years ago, our early ancestors made flutes out of mammoth ivory. From this, music flourished. It was written down and played on an expanding variety of instruments: fiddles, bagpipes, harpsichords, whatever they could invent. Humans continued to drive development. Composers produced operas, and orchestras were formed. This rapid development skyrocketed as the 20th century saw a revolution in music.

Kiosk Prototype

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This is a project I completed at the very beginning of my Master’s program. It is definitely interesting to look back and see how far I’ve come along! Kiosk Prototype My goal was to simplify the self-checkout at Harris Teeter. After observation, personal use, and asking people who were familiar with the interface, I discovered that despite some good features, it was not considered friendly and often confused users. There were far too many buttons and users felt as if the kiosk voice yelled at them. A simple, streamlined design could solve many of these UX concerns without reducing functionality too much. The first change I made was the home screen. At Harris Teeter, it can be difficult to tell whether or not a self-checkout kiosk is open. A friendly home screen with “Open/Closed” in a large font would solve this. I simplified the home screen further by making it a ‘touch to start’ interface. The user can touch anywhere on the screen and be brought to the first page, reducing any possible confusion. I …

Bob Dylan was Right

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If you’ve spent any amount of time in public, whether at a coffee shop or on public transportation, you’ll probably have seen the technological generation divide. Someone will be reading a book while someone else is swiping pages on a kindle. While someone (most likely over 25, if not older) is reading a newspaper, someone else is skimming a virtual newsfeed that compiles their favorite media sources. It’s a competing landscape of old media and new media, and new media is winning. As Bob Dylan sang, “the times they are a-changin’.” The new generation of consumers isn’t satisfied by old media and often, the older generation despises new media for its complicated nature. My parents barely know how to use a tv remote, so the digital world is an absolute mystery to them. They complain that there are too many unnecessary options and that people no longer talk to each other. It’s not that there is less interaction, but the way we interact and engage with each other has changed. It’s a difficult landscape to adjust …

The Digital Dating Phenomenon

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People are connected. It’s a fact of the Digital Age. It has allowed us to engage with people we may never have otherwise interacted with. In the dating world, this presents a unique opportunity. Before technology, we were limited to people within our social circles, which realistically didn’t add up to very many people. How likely are you to meet your ‘soulmate’ in such a small pool of people? The Internet turns that pool into an ocean. Suddenly, people are meeting and falling in love online. There’s hundreds of dating websites to help direct single individuals to each other. Some of them are specifically tailored to the individual like Farmers Only and Single with Food Allergies. Out of the 7 billion people in the world, there’s a much higher chance you’ll find the one for you. Sometimes an individual might click a few hyperlinks to find someone’s blog, discover their mutual interests, and reach out from there. The dating landscape has changed drastically.