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LoveTracks - Final Presentation

LoveTracks is a wearable ecosystem for fans to save live music & musicians to learn what fans like. See the entire project here.

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Week 16 - Final Presentation

I can’t believe this semester is drawing to a close! It was a tough choice, but I'm extremely glad I decided to pivot my project. It set me up for success and helped enable me to create something I'm really proud of. Today I'll be presenting my final project to the class, yeehaw! 

View the final presentation.

A problem I encountered this week was trying to get my 3d model rendered properly in Keyshot. The free version of the software doesn't allow you to save, which means I had to get all the shots I wanted in one go. There was a frustrating period where the camera kept changing on it's own which forced me to keep starting my setup over and over again. Thankfully I was able to get the shot I needed and create a really nice render.

A success I had this week was putting together the one-sheet for my project. It was a great opportunity to summarize all the hard work I've done in one image and I definitely foresee myself using it in my portfolio. I'll be creating one-sheets like this for all my projects going forwards.

I'm ready for my final presentation and really excited to see everyone's work.

Next week I'll be relaxing and working on personal projects. Thanks for a great semester!

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Week 15 - Practice Presentation

This week I presented my concept and wearable to our IxD330 class. I also began turning my prototype into a 3d model and iterated on the symbol that adorns the button.

A problem I encountered this week was my time management in the run-up to finishing the presentation. It's not too surprising this happened considering that I pivoted my project halfway through the semester but still frustrating nonetheless. Thankfully I was able to reuse the template I'd created for my midterm presentation which helped me get at least a little bit of sleep the night before. :)

A success I had this week was in the reception of my project. Most of the feedback I received concerned the project and not the presentation. This indicates to me that I'm doing a good job telling my story and clearly communicating the purpose and capabilities of my wearable.

Besides that initial push earlier in the week, I'm still feeling good about where I'm at. The presentation needs minor changes but on the whole is in a really good place.

Next week I'll be finalizing my presentation, rendering the 3d model, and creating a one-sheet for the project.

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Week 14 - User Testing

This week I traveled to a large music festival in Bradley, CA called Lightning in a Bottle for four days. While here I conducted several user tests with my paper prototype and got feedback in a real world environment on my concept and designs.

A problem I encountered this week was testing in the chaos of a live entertainment environment, in this case a music festival. Most attendees of the event wanted to enjoy their day and weren't interested in wearing my prototype or being interviewed by me. Thankfully I was camped with a group of people who were aware of what I was doing, up to help me, and fit my target audience perfectly. 

A success I had this week was getting confirmation that my core concept and wearable design direction are on the right track. The mental model of my participants on how the wearable would function and integrate with the existing festival wristbands aligns with my design. They were also all delighted by being able to save songs and verbally lamented that it didn't actually exist.

I'm feeling good and on track, right where I want to be.

Next week I'll be prepping for and doing a practice presentation of this project.

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Week 13 - Prototyping

This week I built a paper prototype, conducted some rapid tests, and made iterations to said prototype. I also refined my concept further through those tests. 

A problem I encountered this week was difficulty during my last interview. Normally these are conducted in a controlled environment where I can record audio and take minimal notes. Because of time constraints this one had to be conducted in the back of a loud moving car with myself sitting behind the interviewee in the last row. Thankfully I had my laptop and was able to take rapid notes of everything they said which I was cleaned up and made sense of later on.

A huge success I had this week was further refining my concept through user testing. During the sessions users were interested but not over the moon about the intended use/purpose of the wearable. During one test I pitched the idea of being able to save songs with the button press which really excited the participant. I realized that the core value proposition for fans was to save songs and that rating a performance/giving feedback was secondary or nonexistent in their mental models.

It's been a lot of rapid hard work but I'm happy to say I feel very much on schedule this week.

Next week I'll be usability testing my prototype in the field. Wish me luck!

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Week 12 - UX Design

This week I created some proto personas, scenarios for them, and started wireframing the components of my system.

A problem I encountered was narrowing down my new concept into something more concrete. At the start of the week I was still working with the Enhance performer - audience interactions concept which was too broad to turn into an actual product design.

A success I had this week was using my research and proto personas to hone in the overly broad concept. I identified that performers had a difficult time knowing how the crowd as a whole felt about the performances and that audiences are interested in giving more robust feedback than just cheering. My narrowed concept is thus increasing interactivity through a live feedback system to influence live events.

I've made up so much ground in the last week that I'm only about a week behind now. 

Next week I'll turn my wireframes into paper and screen prototypes to test.

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Week 11 - Design Research

This week I dove deep into design research and came up big. Online I found and read about ten different studies including Large Group Musical Interaction using Disposable Wireless Motion Sensors, Techniques for Interactive Audience Participation, and Siggraph Pong 1991. Offline I conducted interviews with three attendees and two DJ's. There are some patterns emerging in their experiences and pain points but I'm reserving full analysis until my last interview is completed next week.

A problem I encountered this week was sorting through the sheer volume of works I found. It was difficult to cut myself off, as I could have easily keep researching and reading for a month!

A success I had this week was finding a set of design principles in one of the studies I read for Performer - Audience interactions. They aren't groundbreaking, but confirm a lot of the assumptions that had been forming in my mind while researching about the most important factors to consider when designing the wearable and interactions.

I'm still technically "behind schedule" but through this design research week my momentum has grown even stronger.

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Week 10 - Pivot

This week I hit a huge wall and pivoted my project to an entirely different concept. It sounds dramatic, but I think it's the best way for me to succeed and complete this project in a way that's meaningful to me.

A problem I encountered this week was finding my target audience very difficult to work with in a time constrained project like this. It's not that I had a problem approaching homeless individuals on the street, but once our conversations got going it felt insensitive to ask folks who were already having a difficult time about something that ended up feeling relatively trivial (their internet use). If I was to move forward with this project I'd look for partnerships with local shelters or groups to get access to this audience in a respectful manner.

A success I had this week was pivoting to a new concept: Enhancing the connection between performers and audiences. This concept is something I'm extremely interested in. Also I've already got people to interview and places to user test built into my upcoming schedule for the rest of the semester.

At this moment you might say I'm very behind schedule, but I have 100% more momentum now than I did even last week so I'm confident I'll be able to make it up.

Next week I'll conduct research through interviews, literature reviews, and competitive analyses.

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Week 9 - Midterm Presentation

This week I turned my midterm outline into a google slides presentation and presented to our class. View it here.

A problem I encountered this week was not allocating enough time to finish the presentation. I'm happy with the steps of my process, but I need to have started it a day earlier. I had to skip the rest of my classes on presentation day to get everything done.

A success I had this week was the conversion of my presentation outline into slides. Fully outlining everything kept my view high level and ensured I covered everything I wanted to without any fluff. When it came time to make slides I knew exactly what I wanted to say and was able to rapidly pull those together. The hardest part was really just deciding the point at which I should transition from outline to slides. I could easily stay in outline forever if I'm not careful.

I started the week about a week behind schedule and ended it on schedule. Not the greatest.

Next week I'll be diving into UX Design with User journeys, rough IA sketching, and a system map.

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Week 8 - Literature Review

This week I sought as much quantitative evidence as possible to support my chosen concept of Internet access for the Homeless. I found and read a great deal of published studies via Google Scholar. To my delight these studies contained exactly what I was looking for. In some cases they also gave my concept new dimensions I hadn't previously considered.

A major problem I encountered this week was the realization that I should have done this type of research much earlier in my process. The data I found was excellent, and would have been really useful while generating questions for my qualitative research interviews.

A major success was the discovery of Google Scholar to find quantitative studies and papers. I'd been floundering with normal Google searches until my girlfriend suggested I give scholar a try. I'll definitely be consulting it much earlier in future projects.

Progress on the midterm is coming along well. I'm trying to outline the entire presentation in bullet point form before making the slides which is new for me. Fingers crossed it turn out well.

Next week I'll complete and practice the midterm presentation.

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Week 7 - Interviews and Field Research

This week I conducted field research and interviews. Following the Cooper methodology, I generated 5 research goals and interview questions to answer them. Interestingly, this week I happened to find myself in Honolulu for work. This area has a high homeless population which eased some of the difficulty of locating my fairly transient audience to speak with.

A major problem I encountered was the difficulty of "man on the street" style interviews. My target audience is homeless, which necessitated seeking out people who were very much "on the street." I was fairly uncomfortable approaching people on the street to ask them questions (homeless or not). It took a fair amount of effort to overcome this, but I made it happen and had about 5 successful interviews. Another problem was overly broad interview questions. While the conversations were interesting, I was often left feeling like I hadn't gained enough specific insights into my user's needs. This was partially due to a still forming research objective and concept, which only solidified after my interviews had concluded.

A success I had this week was following a Cooper video tutorial series to develop my interview guide. The steps in their process helped me ensure the questions I created would directly answer my research objectives. The only issue I had was my research objectives were overly vague, which meant my questions were as well.

It's a bit tight, but I am on schedule to be ready for the upcoming midterm presentation.

Next week I will take my qualitative interview insights and do a literature review for quantitative data to support or refute my findings.

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Week 6 - Initial Research

This week I took to the internet to see what I could learn about the relationship between homeless and the internet. The goal was to identify a few different ideas or directions to develop into concrete research goals for next week's research interviews.

While in the end my searches proved fruitful, a major problem I encountered this week was time management. There were many websites that contained fruitful information for this project. Often however I'd get most of what I needed after the first 15 minutes of browsing, but would then spend and additional 45 minutes continuing to read and read. It's difficult to reign this in as there is part of my brain that wants to always research more. Next time I'll set strict timers when going through this process.

A major success this week was finding the "San Diego Homelessness Survival Guide" blog. It's run by a woman named Michel, she's a freelance writer and has been homeless for 5 years. Her blog articulates the homeless experience with a clarity I've never encountered before, and the problems she describes helped me find focus for the concept for this project.

 While I have a rough concept idea at this point, I'd like it to be a bit further along and I'm feeling a bit behind.

Next week I'll take my concept idea and attempt some qualitative research interviews to see how it holds up in the real world.

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Week 5 - Develop Idea

This week I wrote a reflection on how I might strive for mindfulness and inclusivity in my design work, and how those concepts could impact what and how I create. I also identified what problems I might want to tackle for this semester's wearables project. Interestingly, I also had a chance encounter with a homeless man that sparked an idea I want to explore as well.

A major problem I had was picking and then narrowing down the problems I want to tackle. My list includes Global Warming, Consumerism, and Capitalism which were all almost too amorphous to think about in the context of designing solutions for.

A success I had this week was discovering an idea to formulate into a concept for the semester. How the homeless get access to resources via the internet. A guy asked me for money at a red light. I gave him a dollar and asked how he was doing. He asked me if I knew of any nearby resources he might be able to get help from. I didn't, and at that moment realized how hard it would be to look up and find things without an internet connection.

I'm on schedule and have something I'm ready discuss with Jamie.

Next week I'll discuss this idea with Jamie and identify some research directions to chase up.

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Defining, Causing, & Shadowing

A problem definition is a clear statement of the issue you’re attempting to solve. It can sometimes be difficult to separate a problem from the symptoms of that problem. In this effort a problem definition worksheet is super helpful.

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Midterm Reflection & Schedule

Think about the briefWhat goals can I identify? Assumptions? Articulate the problem and discuss with peers, friends, and family. Give this a few days.List of ideas to explore.The main change my concept needs is a narrower target audience. The four distinct pain points I uncovered in my research are spread across too wide a cohort. Focusing on an even smaller slice will give me more bandwidth to address their particular needs.

 The strength of my project is humanitarian need and the amount of research validating my concept. It was very exciting to find a number of serious quantitative studies that reinforced my qualitative hunches. Homelessness is inexcusable, it's a wicked problem that I'm excited to be tackling from a ground level perspective.

 My solution is wearable primarily to reinforce my user's sense of ownership and agency. Homeless individuals are often discounted by society, harming their self-esteem and sense of agency. Despite what society may think they are very capable of leveraging the internet to survive and thrive. My design must acknowledge that and treat users with deep respect.

 Additional Insight: I need to do a better job connecting faces and stories to facts and figures. A huge goal of this project is to humanize and treat people with dignity. It's critical I maintain that focus at every stage of this project including research, design, and presentation.

My Design Process: See it here since Tumblr can’t handle bullet points!

Week 10: UX Design User Scenarios IA Maps

Week 11: UX Design Wireframes Test Guide

Week 12: Prototyping/User Testing Interactive Prototype Test Insights

Week 13: Visual Design Mood Boards Style Guide

Week 14: Prototyping Hi-Fi Prototype Test Guide Test Insights

Week 15: Practice Presentation + Refinements Draft Presentation Presentation Feedback

Week 16: Final Present!

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Inclusive Design

Inclusive Design is a framework that emphasizes the value of understanding user diversity, and aims to include as many people as possible in solutions.

The concept has recently gotten a big boost from Microsoft as they integrate and champion the principles in their processes. More here. Their Inclusive Design principles:

Recognize exclusion

Exclusion happens when we solve problems using our own biases. As Microsoft designers, we seek out those exclusions, and use them as opportunities to create new ideas and inclusive designs.

Learn from diversity

Human beings are the real experts in adapting to diversity. Inclusive design puts people in the center from the very start of the process, and those fresh, diverse perspectives are the key to true insight.

Solve for one, extend to many

Everyone has abilities, and limits to those abilities. Designing for people with permanent disabilities actually results in designs that benefit people universally. Constraints are a beautiful thing.

My Take

The application of Inclusive Design ideas in educational contexts really excites me. It's well understood that there are different learning styles including visual, auditory, reading & writing, and kinesthetic. Often students with differentiated learning abilities respond very strongly to a particular style. For example some students are extremely restless and need a kinesthetic approach. While others are easily overwhelmed by sound and need something more visual.

Just knowing about these approaches often doesn't translate into their full implementation in the classroom. It can be difficult for educators and much less a child to understand what style works for them. It's hugely important then that educators have tools to help identify the best learning style for any given student. Technology can analyze student performance and help build insight into what learning style might work best. Individualized learning plans can then be created and used with minimal extra work for an educator.

Applications go beyond students with differentiated learning abilities. Personalized learning experiences are helpful regardless of cognitive ability, and perhaps could be shifted on the fly situationally. For example if a student is having difficulty at home and didn't get much sleep. Their lesson could shift to a more Kinesthetic approach to get their full body engaged and continue learning without falling asleep. I see Inclusive Design as a multiplier. With these ideas and just a little extra effort, the number of people helped by design efforts can increase exponentially. A boon for designers, businesses, and the world at large.

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Make Meaningful Work

How can our work have purpose, include mindful technology, and focus on inclusive design?

I think it's about staying true to your Why. That is, the vision and values that create a compass for your life. It's the big idea that helps us choose to create a net positive in the world at every fork we encounter in the road.

Of course truly knowing your Why isn't necessarily easy to do. Some people are born knowing, others keep trying on different Why hats until they find one that really fits. 

I'm still hat shopping, but I've got some ideas of what feel right. Striving to always create a net positive for all parties, not just people, is one. Staying curious, open to new ideas, and giving myself time and space is another. Combined those ideas help me infuse my work with the meaning and purpose that extends beyond me.

Three areas I'm interested in contributing to are technological impact, social & economic systems, and sustainability. Design and technology shape our worldview so strongly, but often have needs and values disconnected from real people. As machine values subsume us they begin to damage our minds, bodies, and ultimately societies.

To dig into this I asked some friends how technology influences their communication with other people? We discussed the biological and emotional impact of face to face conversation, links between computer mediated discussions and feelings of isolation, and the magic of staying in touch with someone on the other side of the world. A key takeaway from these talks was that technology isn’t going away, so we need to strike a balance and work to pivot our relationship to and use of tech in more nurturing directions.

We also talked some about economic systems, specifically what people would change about our current economic system in the US? We identified that capitalism generally values money and products over people and environments. A result being people living within these systems come to assimilate those same values. This can be good and bad, but generally we agreed caused us to care less about our fellow citizens and people in general. One way to change the system would be to work at showing the links between the highest level economic and policy decisions by companies and politicians and the real-world impacts they have on everyone. Making this clearly visible might help build empathy that leads to a demand for better ways of being.

Our final topic was sustainability. I asked what the best way was for individuals to help protect the environment right now? We came up with some good ideas including eating less meat and trying to drive in situations where we might have otherwise flown. I noticed however that most people feel fairly fatalistic about this issue. They feel environmental calamity is inevitable and it's more or less out of their hands to stop it. We talked about this and agreed protection of our planet cannot be negotiated, as we have only one earth and one shot to get things right. One idea we did have is that the three issues discussed are linked. By shifting technological and political lenses we could build greater awareness of and involvement in the real mechanisms that march us towards destruction. It's about making that connection from me at the bottom to the whole bigger picture. 

Having this conversations was simultaneously illuminating, disheartening, and exciting. It's very potent that the challenges I see in solving these problems exist in the minds of others. It gives me hope that we do have the capability within us to get creative and find solutions. I'll be using my Why to do all of that while staying connected to purpose, mindfulness, and inclusivity.