Shadowing Study

This is our homework in Designing for Usability class. The project is shadowing. So we follow the user who is trying to find a damage free hanger in Bed Bath & Beyond and The Container Store.

We will observe the user’s behaviors, map them, find the pain points and give solutions.

The presentation can be checked here,

Shadowing Project

Some documentation.

The Container Store

Bed Bath & Beyond

Documentation for VirtuaTry

This is a study project with Publicis, led by Bernardo Schorr. We are trying to create proposals for improving/creating future retail experience.

We go through client meeting, design research, categorizing design themes, picking themes and making proposals, presentation for client and getting feedback, making proposal based on feedback, user test, iteration and final presentation.

I’m in a 3 persons team, composed by one technologist, one designer and one narrator. I’m the designer. We use technology to redesign in-store experience. We decide to create an app in user’s phone, which allow the user to try the clothes virtually when shopping in the store. At the meanwhile we also provide plug-in for web browser for shopping online. The final mock can be check at, https://www.behance.net/gallery/22999017/UIUX-Design-for-VirtuaTry

Here is the documentation for the whole design process.

Brain storming for themes

Each of us searches several projects related to retail by our interest, explaining what it is, why interesting and the link. Then we have a meet for categorizing them into different themes.

Second meeting

Based on the themes, we did the research again before coming to this meeting. In the meeting, we brainstorm the things we can image with retail. At the meanwhile we also show our research to each other for inspiration.

We are separated into 3 groups. Each group will give a concept in the following days.

Some sketches for our concept.

First presentation to client

We make our first proposal and give the first presentation in MRY.

https://app.box.com/s/9qw02ayo1hmm2wsu4ufzlpoy648gsqw8

Making our concept to a concrete proposal based on the feedback

Some sketches for the app, based on the functions we have set.

Making the first version mockup of the app

Group meeting and getting feedback

Iterating the UI/UX 

There are 3 iteration based on 2 group meetings.

User test

We make the prototype for our product. Then we have 2 rounds user test. 2 persons per round. There is an iteration after each test.

Making narrative video for demonstrating this app

https://vimeo.com/119614259

Final presentation

https://app.box.com/s/e835wh63gxbk5korlhwww6ni26x0eksq

Documentation for MusicGarden_MIDIGlove

It takes me 2 months to make this project, from learning the code to finishing the physical glove. My background is graphic design and GUI design, which all mainly based on the screen. This time I have made a physical thing combining with wearable technology. It’s a really good experience for me. At the beginning I couldn’t help finding “Ctrl + Z” even I did the physical part. I was just a toddler when facing the code and technology. I have documented the whole process, which I want to share. It’s in the beginning, I’m trying to link bluetooth. I was so silly that I spent 2 weeks to solve the bluetooth problem, as I didn’t read the tutorial carefully at the beginning. I search and changed a lot of code, but nothing improved… Special thanks to Ayo and Aisen, who pointed out my problems and guide me to solve them.

I’m testing the piezo sensors to give signals to GarageBand for generating the sounds. Special thanks to Ayo again, who help me with the basic technology of this part! I used the “Serial_MIDI_Converter_V2” to convert Arduino signals for GarageBand.

I’m testing the photocell sensor for recognizing different color surfaces. I used the RGB color sensor at the beginning, but the strings it provided made my code work difficult. So I used photocell sensor instead.

Making the functions done, I begin to put modules onto the glove.

I added LEDs and plastic cover for the glove. But the power could not stand for many modules, so I had to remove the LEDs. The plastic cover was for showing the wish, keeping my happiness long and fresh. But it made the glove too tight that affected me to tap my fingers. Besides the visual effect was not as good as I expected. So I removed it as well.

My glove was really tight that the wires were often broken at the joint. So I had to make the glove loose. And I also changed the battery to a more powerful one.

It is working well when I test it.

But after the final video for demonstrating, the glove was totally broken. I had to use conductive threads to replace the metal wires so as to solve the problem.

Although it is not a powerful glove, it makes me understand more about the design philosophy I believe, “Machine adapts to human, instead human adapting to machine”. I have a lot of benefits. This project shows me problems and prompts me inspirations as well. I can think more about the new instruments, more natural to play, more fun to play. Good luck for my next semester’s Future Instrument, I’ll try to design a guitar with new functions.

Pcomp_TransmitSoundByBones

This is what we have done in our workshop. The circuit allow sound transmit via our bones. We plug it into computer. Then I use iTunes to play a song. The sound can be transmitted to the small motor in this circuit, instead of being transmitted in the air. When I bite the motor, I can hear the song.

MajorStudio_Midterm

It’s a draft proposal for MajorStudio final.

When the average person begins to create music, he or she could face obstacles when playing an instrument. I want to make this process easier. So I’m going to design and make a MIDI glove which, can help people create/play music without learning any instruments. People can create/play music just by tapping their fingers on any surfaces which, is a natural and simple way to create/play music.

Check it out!

https://app.box.com/s/eithisfin9njmwtvf42fhn1g558nwwnb

MajorStudio1_5in5

5 in 5 is for requiring us to create 5 different works (anything) in 5 days. So it's one per day. My 5 in 5 is about collage which is out of visual. There are two piece of music created by myself,  a “natural” sound collection, an audio visualization work and a food collage work.

Check it out!

https://app.box.com/s/im10yg1prvpq2kjdlwmvx4744u8lg32p

The code for the audio visualization piece can be checked here,

https://github.com/pekingkc/MajorStudio/tree/master/audioViz

Redbull Jam_teamProject

This is a advertising project for Redbull. We want to use people’s concentration to play music. There are two activities.

One is outdoor. People can join together. They will wear Neurosky and work together to lighten a Christmas tree which, is assembled by Redbull cans.

Another one is indoor. We go to a office and invite the people there to wear Neurosky when they work. So their concentrations can work together to compose soft music for their environment.

Presentation here, https://app.box.com/s/khkoxpiio6fwbvlr4wbbjvnedvk38ae9

Short proposal here, https://app.box.com/s/ij93gmzpokp2nk04npzl19nma9xp338l

Pcomp_LEDtest

I tried to switch LEDs by button.

One LED is with fading, controlled by code. The other one is just physics. Some magical thing was happened that I could turn on/off the LED by air…. LOL


MajorStudio2_pechakucha

This is my first Major Studio homework. It’s a presentation for self-introduction, including our background, skill, interested research area.