TEI conference
Material sent to the TEI (Tangible Embedded Interfaces) conference at MIT, in the exploration section: “Explorations at TEI are intended to introduce thought provoking, evocative, visually and sensually rich content created by a diverse and broad group of practitioners, researchers, artists, designers, inventors, students, and independents. Explorations invites a radical interdisciplinary approach in which tangible embedded interaction draws out the subtle aspects of physical experience.”
Project description: TEI2010
Trailer
Video
Add comment October 5, 2009
From Adam to Yves
Exhibition press release
21 interaction design students explore the relationship between people, society and technology.
The Danish Design School and Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design will celebrate and showcase the work of Pilot Year students that came from ten different countries to study on the collaborative and intensive interaction design programme.
The students have come up with an array of projects that demonstrate the multidisciplinary and questioning nature of Interaction Design and Service Design. Through a people-centred approach and taking cues from social and environmental sustainability, audio, information visualisation, and the influence of technology – the twenty-one students have devised visionary working prototypes and produced video scenarios as their final projects.
From systems for the integration of climate refugees, to specially designed windows that question the notion of curiosity; from wearable technology, to a series of devices that can enable new interactions with light & sound – these projects consider new technology, concepts and working prototypes that address social, cultural and business issues.
As well as the final projects, there will be a chance to see videos and documentation of other workshops from the pilot year including industry-facing projects with Nokia, Novo Nordisk, Intel and DSB.
Opening: 27th August 3-6pm
(Then from Friday 28th August – Sunday 6th September, open from 11:30am-5pm)
Venue
Kunstindustrimuseet (The Danish Museum of Art & Design)
Bredgade 68 / 1260 København K
Website: http://kunstindustrimuseet.dk/en
1 comment September 21, 2009
Final prototype / Light cubes
Peripheral Device

* Device with no memory storage: speaker, headphone, ampli, screen, projector, wireless router, wireless mouse, keyboard, web cam, pen tablet, microphone…
* Device with no personal colour: it takes the colour of the device it is connected to
Main Device
* Device with memory storage: mp3 player, memory storage device, time capsule, camera, laptop, mobile phone…
* Device with its own personal colour: it gives the colour to the peripheral device it is connected to. The user can set his customized colour.
The light vocabulary
Add comment September 20, 2009
Presentation
On the 24th of August I presented my project to a board of external examiners including Bill Moggridge (IDEO) Gillian Crampton Smith (IUAV) and Mikal Hallstrup (Designit).
Here is the final presentation in .pdf
In the presentation I also demonstrated the light behaviours with the LIGHT CUBES and showed 2 video scenarios where the light vocabulary is applied to an everyday life situation.
Video scenario a. CONNECTING TWO DEVICES
Video scenario b. TRANSFER DATA BETWEEN TWO DEVICES
Add comment September 20, 2009
Final concept
Tangible lightscapes is a research on interfaces mainly based on light and gestures – with an aim to develop a behaviours vocabulary for wireless networked devices.
The aim of my exploration is to design a vocabulary of light behaviours that shows people what their devices are doing. This vocabulary will be described in a map of light behaviours and gestures that can be applied to a wide range of contexts where devices (speakers, headphones, memory storage devices, cameras, laptops…) are communicating wirelessly. Today, connecting wireless devices is inconvenient: you have to go through interfaces that do not relate to the physical arrangement of the objects. It can also be difficult to understand which devices are connected and what they are communicating.
My “device language” gives a concrete representation of the intangible and invisible events that are taking place. It allows users to feel more in control by providing them with a direct interaction with the objects they are using.
The map has a three-dimensional representation in a set of light cubes.
The cube will show 2 different light feedbacks:
1. The Connection Light shows if the objects are connected and communicating with each other. The light intensity is proportional to the signal strength. The light blinks when the connection is lost. The connection light shows continuous communication.
2. The Control Light pulses if the networked objects are exchanging data. The sender and receiver are indicated through colour. The light turns solid when the transfer is complete and displays an error if something goes wrong. The control light shows discretecommunication.
The cubes also demonstrate the use of gesture in wireless devices. To make a connection, the user touches two cubes to each other.
The light cubes are tools for an ongoing research on people’s reaction to different light behaviours. The purpose is to discover the most intuitive match between the light’s activity and the meaning we want to deliver. The aim of my research is also to raise the attention given to light interfaces: light can be a core feedback tool, using peripheral attention to avoid information overload. Well designed device-device communication can lead to more intuitive user-device interaction.
Add comment August 16, 2009
Set the framework
Design a MAP of light behaviours/gestural interaction for devices that communicate through wireless connection:
A. Show the light status and the gesture interface with an abstract prototype / archetype: CUBE
The CUBE will show 2 light feedbacks: a Connection Light and a Control Light
I will prototype 3 CUBES:
1 Cube - in the drawing C – that will show just the Connection light (CONTINUOUS communication)
It will be the representation of the light behaviours that can be applied to a peripheral device such as: speaker, headphone, screen, projector, mouse, microphone…
These devices don’t have any memory storage and they will get the light colour from the device they are connected to.
1+1 Cubes – in the drawing A and B – that will show both the Connection light and the Control light (DISCREET and CONTINUOUS communication)
They will be the representation of the light behaviours that can be applied to devices like: mp3 players, memory storage devices and time capsules, cameras, laptops, mobile phones…
These devices have some memory storage and they have their own customizable light colour. For instance Sara’s device will be blue and John’s will be yellow: the user can set his own colour through a software.
If a peripheral device is connected, its light turns the main device’s colour. If 2 main devices are connected to each other they will keep their own Connection light colour. If 2 main devices are transferring data to each other the Receiver Control light will turn the same colour as the Sender.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The light behaviours will be investigated further during the user tests. The Light CUBES will be tools for an ongoing research on the human eye’s reaction to different light statuses. The aim will be understanding which is the most intuitive match between the light behaviours and the meanings we want to deliver, in a given context.
B. Apply the light behaviours to a concrete context: (1) connect an iPod Shuffle to a speaker and (2) exchange files between 2 iPods (Nano and Shuffle)
Add comment July 31, 2009
Prototype: trial and error
After a short investigation on how to design a more intuitive/handy interface for the iPod Shuffle, the point of the research was shifting too much towards a product oriented solution. Instead the aim of the prototype should be showing the light interface as clearer as possible. The prototype should be a 3D representation of the LIGHT MAP and it shouldn’t recall any specific device.
Add comment July 31, 2009
Keep on going
Drawing scenarios that show the light behaviour for CONTINUOS COMMUNICATION and DISCREET COMMUNICATION between networked devices. This will help understanding which is the best light status routine to build up the “generic” map. Tha map has to be applied to many different contexts.
Add comment July 31, 2009

















