Participatory Experiment(1)- Self-directed UI drawing
Figure 1: scenes of conducting participatory experiment with my classmates and faculties of MID program, RISD
Exploring potential user’s mind
For practical usability, communicating with actual or expectable users and inherently getting to know about their preference pattern of approaching GUI in daily life are significantly important to comprise of the overall structure and contents within. From this phase I started to think about the possibility that I encourage near people to engage in an experiment as participant and give them a time to manipulate the graphical environment into their own way just as a playful activity. What was the most successful, insightful outcomes during this participatory experiment was that I could experience their diverse, unexpected, even irrational approach of generating the idea for designing their own GUI on the small scaled-LEGO structure supposed as their living room in the experiment. During participating, it became to feature that depending on certain types of environmental situation or scenario participants thought of, what they were creating contextually contained different meanings. Ranged from the idea for necessity of what to deal with to the idea for playful activity, each participant’s concepts were closely based on their own actual needs for living.
Experiment procedure
To introduce the overall procedure, experiment consists of 3 parts: (1)detachable transparent sketchpad for drawing GUI (2)small scaled-interior made by using LEGO (3)notecard for brief description. After explaining experiment procedure, every participants were asked to draw 1 or 2 pieces of GUI sketches(Images on the left side are examples for someone who do not understand or struggle with drawing). After the work is done, drawings were peeled off from the transparent adhesive paper and attached to the blank wall placed in the left-middle of simulation structure. And the last, they briefly described the reason of drawing in a certain intention.
Figure 2: Preparation for experiment: Adhesive drawing pad and small scaled-simulation structure made by LEGO
Figure 3: scene of describing the reason of drawing GUI you intended on a notecard
Experiment with participants
Participant 1
Figure 4: A GUI drawing which constitutes interactive windows and puzzle patterned-wall
“ I really like to be in outdoor environment. So, I want to be able to see what is happening outside. It would be great if there is some kind of transparent puzzle on the wall, which is interactive when touching it.”
Figure 5: Virtual self makeover GUI
“ It would be funny if I can change my face.”
Participant 2
Figure 6: Virtual bookshelf GUI
“Add a level of function to a library to know what information should be accessible at different points”
Figure 7: Digital imaged curtain GUI. It virtually provides outside scenery in case of interactively doing the jesture of opening the projected curtain
“Add to open curtains to let light in when I am sitting on the couch”
Participant 3
Figure 8: Virtual self costume GUI
Figure 9: (Left)Virtual drawing pad GUI for kids who tend to draw a sketch with crayon on the wall
Figure 10: (Right)Interactive glittering disco lights GUI
Figure 11:(Left) GUI that tells user the estimated time arrival of user’s spouse
Figure 12: (Right) User centered-commercial GUI that offers optimal products expected to be suitable for user’s livingroom
Participant 4
Figure 13: Disco styled-Starwars GUI which is suitable for throwing a party in livingroom
“This is a scene that people are dancing on virtual reality game, Starwars. I intended people play this game with friends and have a vivid experience like they are floating in space!”
Participant 5
Figure 14: This participant’s GUI presents a little different perspective of throwing a party compared to Figure 13 . He intended to control the several application at once and wanted to simultaneously verify the live image of visitor in front of entrance during party, by overlapping its screen on background interaction.
