3.6.22
WEEK 9 PROGRESS
1. What were your goals for this week?
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Get flower and water bottle markers working before testing
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Test marker interaction with full setup
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QR codes and facts on podiums (makeshift these)
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Test marker placement, lighting, and sizing
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Finish puffer jacket
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2. What did you accomplish, please reflect on your time management. What worked or didn't?
I reached out to Amy Banic and Caileigh on Tuesday to get advice on my markers and see if they had suggestions. I tested my full setup with two friends on Thursday (see feedback below). Finally, I finished about 90% of my puffer jacket (see details below).
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3. How did you integrate feedback?
Based on my feedback from Caileigh and Amy, I realized that my markers were too symmetrical. Amy explained "For example the flower image may not work well at all because of the visual symmetry, especially between the left-right sides and the top-bottom sides. The more the image is unique in all 4 quadrants the better (think of it this way, if you flipped the image horizontally or vertically, would it look the same/ similar? or if you rotated it upside down, would it look similar? if so, it won't be good for the system to calculate the position and rotation of the image) The second one is more asymmetrical top-bottom and has more complexity than the flower image but it is still pretty symmetrical left-right." Caileigh's advice was that there may be too many colors. They said "I wonder if there's not enough contrast/too many shades for the camera to understand" and suggested I try a greyscale version of the markers which I did with the plastics one. Based on this feedback, I redesigned my markers so that they were not symmetrical in the backgrounds, but to where I could keep the foreground image.
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4. What was unexpected / what lessons did you learn?
The symmetry with the markers was the biggest thing I learned and that's why it worked for the first marker and not the other two. I also learned that in order for the marker to be readable, there needs to be a white background or contrasting background behind it. Reading the marker on a screen is very different from doing it in person. There needs to be sufficient lighting otherwise it can't be read. The paper also needs to be matte if there is intense lighting so it doesn't glare (no glossy sticker paper). The last thing that was unexpected was the amount of hand-sewing I would need to do with the puffer coat. This ended up increasing the time it took me to make by a fair amount.
Markers
These were my markers from last week. I got the first marker to work with my fire animation.
3/2/22 Update
When it came to the new markers, I ended up changing the corners of the flower one to be different colors. I also simplified the flower to be similar to the very first marker I created. This ended up working and you can see the new flower marker below. Here is the link to my code to test the marker and a video showing it working.
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When it came to the water bottle, you can see all of the different types of markers I tried below. I tested ones without symmetry through different images in front that were a combination of simple and complex. In the end, I reverted back to the original bottle marker for user testing because none of these worked.
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3/6/22 Update
I continued to use the advice from Amy and Caleigh and tested these new designs below. Unfortunately none of them ended up working. This was very frustrating because as you can see I tried a wide range of markers and made them simpler like the original black and white bottle marker. I plan on working on this more this week, but I'm at a loss for what to do right now and just have to keep testing and go back to the drawing board.
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Puffer Vest
When it came to the puffer vest, I was able to get almost all of it completed. I wasn't able to fully finish due to time constraints, but I would say it's 90% of the way done.
Here were a few issues I ran into that caused this...
First, my sewing machine wouldn't always grab the bottom thread, so I had to manually move the thread through to one of the ends in order to make sure it was taught. This ended up becoming very time consuming since I had to do it by hand and it was hard to avoid unless I sewed quickly. If I sewed quickly, then there was a higher chance for mistakes, so I sacrificed the loose threads to ensure I was sewing where I wanted since it had to be very precise for this garment.
Another issue I came across was that I ended up using all of the plastic vinyl Mandi had given me before I could complete the arms. Because the point of this project is to not buy more materials and use what I can recycle, I will not be buying more vinyl. Instead, I decided to turn this into a puffer vest which is a more unique clothing item too. Also, because the panels are so stiff, adding sleeves would make the jacket very hard to actually wear. I would like to wear this garment, so this wasn't a decision I was expecting to make, but it's necessary.
Here's what I have left...
- Attach the panels to each other
- Add a zipper
- Finish edges with bias tape
User Testing
For user testing, I set up each of my items how they would be at the showcase. Each clothing item is on its own dress form and the earrings were attached to the head. I placed all three QR codes (see below) on my fan as the pedastol and had small placards with the facts that correlate to each item by it on the ground.
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A few questions I had for my testers (2 friends)
1. Do the matching QR codes to the markers help identify which marker to use?
Friend 1: Yes, they're helpful. However, it was fun to figure out which marker to go to, so you don't need them to match.
Friend 2: I agree with friend 1. It could be helpful to color coordinate the QR codes to the items as best as you can as a hint for which one goes where.
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2. Should the QR codes be next to the item?
Friend 1: It depends on if you want the user to do any exploring on their own or not. Similar to my answer for Q1, it was challenging in a good way to figure it out. If you put the markers next to the item, users probably won't spend as much time at the installation exploring.
Friend 2: I don't think they do. It could also be fun to hide the QR codes near the installation and have instructions directing the user to find the QR code first then the markers. This can make the installation more interactive and like a scavenger hunt. You could also place the QR codes next to the statistics, but then it's obvious which one it goes with. This is nice though because then when they read the statistic the animation they see makes more sense.
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3. Should I make the markers stickers so the users can move them around themselves?
Friend 1: No. If they can move them around then the might get ruined or lost. It makes the most sense to attach them to the clothing or display.
Friend 2: Agreed with friend 1.
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4. If I hid the markers more, would they be impossible to find?
Friend 1: I think you could hide the one on the plastic more if you wanted. You could potentially put it on the back of the puffer if you want the users to walk around the displays.
Friend 2: I think they could be. If they're too hard to find, your users might get bored or frustrated. I recommend having the flower and water bottle blend in more like the overalls.
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5. Should I include instructions of some sort?
Friend 1: This is optional. I think very simple instructions could be nice. Something like "Scan the QR codes and explore the clothing to understand how festivals impact the environment."
Friend 2: Yes, nothing too crazy like Friend 1 said, because you don't want to give it away. However, you don't want your user to stand there completely lost and not interact at all.
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Based on these answers, I plan on creating a simple set of instructions for my users. I also will redesign my flower marker so that when I design my head it blends in more. I plan on having this be a ground with flowers blooming out of it, and the flower on the marker could be one of the flowers. For the plastics marker, I will put it on the back of the puffer and I would like it to be a large recycle symbol to go with the recycle symbols at the bottom. I also talked to Sasha for the mentor review 2, and she said that for the statistics it could be cool to have them on a backdrop. She just recommended making them bigger. I could also print them on fabric and have the floor be a part of my project. See my full mentor review 2 post here.
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Here is a sped up video of my users interacting and a photo of my current set up with my current materials and space limitations.
