This week we were tasked with observing a piece of interactive tech in public, then commenting on its design. I picked Citi Bike, specifically the docking function.
I observed for about 40 minutes in two locations. I must have had bad luck with my timing, because in that time I only observed five people using the docking mechanism.
After such a smooth process with last week’s switch assignment, I got really ambitious for this week’s analog input assignment. Things didn’t go nearly as nicely this week.
In PComp this week we’re tasked with finding a use for a switch. In fabrication we’re tasked with building a “flashlight.” I thought this would be a good opportunity to combine projects and create a flashlight with a switch.
This week we used our Arduino kit to build our very first circuit using a breadboard, resistor, and USB power.
I initially put the basic circuit together and couldn’t get it to work. Luckily my friend Dana was sitting down the table and quickly pointed out that I didn’t have the right resistor. I knew that different color resistors had different ratings, but I didn’t realize that you had to look really closely at the little stripes. So, I thought all of my resistors were the same rating at first.
A (rant in) response to the readings: Chris Crawford, The Art of Interactive Design, chapters 1 and 2, and Bret Victor’s “A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design.”
Chris Crawford defines interaction as “a cyclic process in which two actors alternately listen, think, and speak.” This definition doesn’t immediately fit my thoughts on interactivity because it centers on verbal and mental interactivity, and leaves physical interactivity as secondary.
In general, I’m pretty baffled by all of this week’s material. I think seeing some working examples will help the theory make more sense. Here are some specific questions in the meantime: