Since working whilst on a year out, I have found an interest in the interactive element within web design. I got the chance to design the layout for a companies social network page. I also gave creative input into web projects for the company I was working for. Coming back to the BA course I was keen to pursue this interest within my project. The idea of combining both designing for the web, with new approaches to interaction, appealed to me. I enjoyed having complete creative control with my work, which is something I couldn’t have in a working environment. I see this area as a potential career in the future.
I set out to produce a piece of work that combined online content and physical objects. My aim was to produce a physical form that would act as a reminder, a learning tool and encourage reflection on a point. These objects would then work in tune with online content, where how the user interacted online, would effect the aesthetic of the object.
I began looking at objects or products that could be considered emotive. This gave me an understanding of how designers have attached an emotional connection to an object. As part of my early research I looked into “green” designs that have reused old things and reinvented them into something new and different. I was hoping there was something to incorporate into my own project but it offered inspiration and a knowledge of what other designers are doing on a similar topic.
From the start I knew I wanted to have my user making physical objects. I feel that in this way people become closer to the subject, which in this case was the users environmental impact. I was also keen to make the objects really accessible. In this was it became clear that the best way to approach the objects was so that they were based on some sort of template. My biggest influence in the construction and designing of the objects was Origami. From my research it the strength in using a folded sections would work best. I also found that the same folding based process is now being tested in industrial practice as a new production method, this really supported my choice to use Origami as the most suitable way of designing and constructing the objects.
I feel there are few sites or online content that have utilized basic hardware such as a printer. Although many have used web-cameras for interactive functionality and aesthetic, I liked the idea using a method that could be seen as primitive or basic. This enabled the project to be available to most users possible (as many people have access to a printer). The low tech approach actually put more emphasis on the user making the objects.
My second factor within the project was what online content the objects would link to. I decided at the early on that I wanted to base the piece on a users environmental impact. I wanted to have a simple set of questions that, depending on how they were answered, would alter the design of the object. One of my obstacles was making the questions interesting. It was clear in discussions with my tutors and classmates, that I would need to display them in an interesting manner in order to make the site/ project appealing. There were a number of different ideas in how to present the questions or capture the information. My problem in this respect was that I didn’t want to lose emphasis on the objects. I feared that having lots of interaction and then having to print and build a 3d object would be too heavy on the user. To solve this I animated the questions in After Effects. I designed my own typeface in order to keep consistency through entering the site, to printing out the objects template. In situations where my own typeface wasn’t suitable I sourced online a free typeface of a handwriting style, these messages were then presented on lined paper as to keep the clean Origami style throughout the piece. I experimented with stop motion questions, but I wanted the challenge of creating all the content in Photoshop. I’m glad I choose this method as the site has the clean and crisp look I wanted, yet the handwritten style font adds a lighthearted feel and preventing the piece from being stark. The animated questions were put into flash and where the sites functionality was added.
In my approach to the wording of the questions, I wanted them to read as if they were friendly and unobtrusive. This was a deliberate continuation from avoiding a boring questionnaire style set of questions. It was also written in this manner to suit the fun element of building the objects and easy going approach to a set of questions.
Another important element about wording both the questions and content, is that by asking indirect questions people are more likely to respond genuinely. For example, if someone was to say “do you care about the environment?” the vast majority would say yes, even if perhaps they do not. However by asking indirectly “do you tread on ants?” people are likely to answer more honestly, in this way I hope my questions are answered with more truth than a normal set of questions.
In producing the project there were a number of hurdles. Because I wanted to get my audience thinking about their environmental impact, I had to ensure my project was sustainable/ legitimate. In my original ideas I wanted to have a set of abstract objects that represent categories the user is put into from how they answered the questions. This meant I had to consider the amount of paper and ink involved in printing the objects. I then started looking into the potential uses the object may have. I was keen to produce a functional item that could sit on the users desk, as this would not only add value to the object but also be in contact with the user as a point of reference on their environmental impact in the future. After researching many Origami objects, I had to balance between designs that were either too challenging or used to much paper. The chosen idea only uses a single sheet of paper. This ensured my projects paper use was kept to a minimum and avoided hypocrisy. The idea of a small pot that could be used for a number of functions meant I hadn’t tied the user down to a particular function or product. The shape offered lots of surface area to work with, all viewable sides are on one side of the paper, meaning the design could be printed onto a single sided piece of paper and not double sided. I decided to design three different designs to represent how the users answers. I wanted to keep a theme between the three, yet clearly show a distinction between them. I started a number of designs but used a design that I based on trees and branches, inspired by the photographer Una Cierta Miranda in my research. I then developed this into an abstract pattern, that was made to look organic and growing. These were then adapted for each result they represented, the person who answered the questions badly received a design that was bare through to the person who answered well who had a lively and exciting design.
If I were to take the project further I would add a number of things. I would have liked to add sound into my site, as this would have made it more immersive. I would also like to have had a 3d version of the stationary pot that could have been used for navigation, with both of these points I lacked the technical skill to implement them. In a larger scale I think that folded construction processes will grow and I would be interested to see how this converts online. With technologies such as rapid prototyping and 3d printers becoming more widely used perhaps there is a creative opening there?
