COURSE: Tangible Interaction “The Beauty of Waiting“, WS 13/14

TEACHERS: Steffen Klaue, Jan Vormann

URbandaudiovisual interactivity

in urban waiting

a design documenation by Oliver Jahn

Table of Contentspage Personal Approach

02 Explaining motivation and inspiration

page Implementation

10 Building a functional prototype

page Elevator Pitch

03 Summarizing the project

page Exhibition

12 Collecting picturespage Contact data

13 Getting into contact

page Creation Process

04 Developing the concept

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Having been a performing musician the idea was quite close to bring joy into waiting sit-uations by using music, sound and light. Everyone who ever watched a live show will understand the emotional power of music visualized by a light show.

As there is most likely no-one who has never imagined himself being a rock star or a DJ, an interactive music interface placed into ur-ban waiting situations came to my mind.

In short, it is an interactive way to inspire, to entertain, to educate and to communicate by music, as well for those who participate as for those who watch.

Personal Approach

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Elevator PitchURband combines music experience, sound visualisation and human communication. Re-garding this approach a wide field of applica-tion is thinkable, commercial and non-com-mercial.

URband’s main component is a central cylin-der whose sensors capture the presence of a person within a certain range. The nearer the person comes, the louder a song track is played accompanied by light visualisations. Coming very near a solo track is played bring-ing the related person into focus. Scaling the number of persons up to multiple people an interactive song with a complex polyphony can be created.

The positioning of URband should be set to urban places with a high concentration of people in diverse waiting situations such as Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz etc.

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Creation ProcessBrainstorming

In collaboration with my co-student Garla Gronwald the first step of developing the de-sign and feature concept was to brainstorm about possible orientations of URband. The applied method was a mind map based on the wording of “Ambient Waiting“ related to the course subject “The Beauty of Waiting“.

While brainstorming and discussing an inter-active tool to manipulate music and sound quickly came into mind. Another focus of the mind map related to urban furniture.

Splitting the further project development Carla cared for the second subject, while I focussed on creating and implementing an comprehensive and interactive relation be-tween sound and movement.

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Creation ProcessUser Research

Evaluating user interviews made at public places like Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz and Europaplatz it became clear that the ste-reotype user is younger than 50 years. The screenings showed that older users tend to decline this way of interaction or miss the re-lation to digital media.

URband will still be usable for older people, but they will not be considered in the further development of the concept.

Concerning physical challanges there is no separation between fully able and encum-bered people. URband reacts to all of them in the same way and can equally be used.

A further narrowing down of the users group is quite difficult, because urband can be used by a quite heterogenous group of ran-dom passerbies. URband should be usable to every level of education and skills. Shy people would be also able to use URband, and the same would be applied to those who would prefer no contact with other people.

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Creation ProcessPersonas

Before beginning the actual design steps it was necessary to get a better “grip“ on the user group. Based on the data from the user research interviews personas were created displaying stereotype users that separately stand for major parts of the user group.

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Sonja, 37teacher for history and philosophy likes Bach, classical soundtracks and Yann Tiersen

Martin, 26Club DJ,likes Skrillex, David Guetta and Lexy & K-Paul

Christian, 31Social Worker,

likes Green Day, Jay-Z and Freundeskreis

Creation ProcessProduct Design

First steps of visualizing the actual ap-pearence of URband’s outdoor use were made on sketch. It was the idea to have a tent of an organic shaping protecting the sensor pillar in the middle, the projection surface on the floor and naturally the users themselves from the weather.

Coming from the sketch a more realistic de-sign was created implementing the design concept into an urban scene.

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Creation ProcessAudio Editing

Having a solid basement of research and user personas it was possible to create suit-able song loops. By the use of Apple’s au-dio editing software GarageBand and sound and music samples, four tracks were made for each genre: classical music, Dubstep and Hip Hop. Each track plays a single or a bundle of instruments. For example the four classical tracks play bass, violins, piano and percussion playing all together a repetative, harmonic and polyphonic song.

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Creation ProcessImplementation Concept

Making first steps for the next phase the im-plementation concept of URband was mainly focussed on creating a fully functional indoor prototype for the exhibition “In Bewegung“ in February 2014.

The technical components of the installation were:

Æ Beamer projecting visual feedback on the floor

Æ Sphere shaped speaker Æ Ultrasonic sensors Æ Arduino device Æ Scaffolding and hull for the pillar Æ Umbrella stand filled with water Æ Foam coat to hide the base Æ Processing programme Æ Music tracks

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ImplemenationSensor mock up

To begin the actual implementation of the design and feature concept of URband ultra sonic sensors were connected to an Arduino device and taped onto a paper roll angled at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees.

Using the Java based programming language “Processing” a software interface was made to communicate between the sensor signals and the visual feedback of the projection.

During the last steps of preparation for the exhibition the Arduino device blew, As a consequence the prototype had to be con-trolled by acomputer mouse instead of the indended sensors.

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ImplemenationScaffolding & Hull

To create a stable base for the installation an umbrella stand was filled with water. Af-ter building a wooden scaffolding to carry a bendable plastic hull, its central staff was placed into the holding of the stand.

The final steps were made at the exhibition place coating the scaffolding with a benda-ble plastic surface that also carried the sen-sors.

At last the Arduino device was put into the pillar and connected to data und electricity cables, while the speaker finished the pillar on top of the scaffolding.

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Exhibition

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Contact DataOliver JahnMatrikulation number FHBOJ21081301

Interaction Design, Semester 4btk - Berliner Technische Kunsthochschule

oliver.jahn@btk-fh.de(01 70) 3 15 67 51

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