Activity 2

For the second week activity we were introduced two applications to interact with the Arduino board, Protopie and Protopie Connect. In this activity we were given a more capable board with temperature and humidity sensors and a button. In these portions of the activity, we were tasked with taking code and uploading it into the Arduino board before connecting it to Protopie Connect and displaying the prototype application on our mobile devices. However, it was important to note that we had to disconnect the Arduino board from the IDE application before proceeding to connecting it with Protopie Connect as the board couldn’t automatically understand which program it should be interacting with on the computer. Afterwards we were then tasked with displaying the sensor information on our mobile devices via a wired connection or Wi-Fi through the Protopie Connect application. This was the key takeaway from this portion of the activity on how we were able to extend the Arduino into a mobile device and allowed us to further explore the capabilities of the Arduino board’s capabilities.

Afterwards Makey-Makey was used with Protopie to control the provided application where the colour of the corresponding rectangle would light up based on which key on the Makey-Makey was used. My initial thoughts were it wasn’t as interesting as the Arduino because the interaction was controlled based on key presses which could be easily replicated on a keyboard, however, upon further thinking I thought of previous projects where the Makey-Makey was connected to other affordances in previous years and could see the potential. But the most important takeaway would be from the Protopie application itself and how we could change values not in the code but rather in Protopie to change how information is displayed.

Activity 3

In the third week we were introduced to the application Touch Designer to further expand on how we could display data gathered from the Arduino Board. It was a much more complicated application compared to Protopie but showed much more capabilities. The tutorial we were given required us to recreate an interaction with the Arduino board where when we used the dial it would change the size of a sphere in Touch Designer. It was a simple concept, however, since there were so many options on Touch Designer there was a steep learning curve to how the interface worked. But working through the tutorial helped me understand how somewhat intuitive the application was how one component would interact with another and give me more understanding of what each node did. However, a video tutorial would have been much more helpful as I sometimes interpreted instructions wrong and was unable to find the right nodes or make the right connections.

After going through the tutorial, I made some small changes to it, changing the responsiveness of turning the dial via one of the components and the colour of the sphere via the ramp component. I tried changing the shape of the object from a sphere to a box but I was not well versed in the application enough to figure it out, but I would like to explore it further at a later time.

Overall, my key takeaway from using Touch Designer was that Arduino’s can be used with very complicated applications to display more intricate and interactive designs. In the future I would like to explore this application more since it is used with project mapping and that is a skill that I would like to learn.

Research Activity

WGSN Consumer Trend Research

Play Power
Play Power aims to promote joy, wellness, and amusement through interactive experiences both for the designers and the consumers to create an environment that is lighthearted and stress relieving. Play Power wants to levy that experience and environment into a consumer product to do things like promote global and local cultural influence, collaboration between different disciplines, and interactive and immersive platforms. Minutocorp, an Ecudor-based real estate developer, used Fortnite to show its Grand View apartment complex. This created an environment that was fun to play in but also informative and engaging way to explore potential homes that people would want. Being able to explore it virtually via a video game and then also in real life, or vice versa, gives a sense of familiarity and trust. 67% of Gen Z feel a disconnect between their on/offline identities, contributing to loneliness and anxiety with 49% finding self-expression easier online but 60% wishing for more open conversation with loved ones in real life.

Predictive Home Automation
Homes will become proactive , using AI to detect presence, anticipate needs, and autonomously execute household tasks based on behavioral patterns and machine learning. This technology reduces the mental and physical burden of household chores on consumers. It marks a shift from reactive to proactive technology, using invisible tech to respectfully enhance daily life and liberate consumer time. Its success hinges on transparent data usage and user control to build trust in automation.Google Nest Renew uses AI to optimize energy consumption by adjusting heating, cooling, and appliance schedules based on predictive usage patterns and weather forecasts. Only 16% of brands have the customer data they need to personalize experiences. This statistic highlights the challenge of personalized automation, leading me to focus on a Design Path project that uses physical sensors to gather simple, opt-in data (like presence or temperature) to earn trust and deliver localized, proactive service.

WGSN Personas Research

Privacy Keeper
Privacy Keepers have a big concern is feeling safe, usually regarding technology exploiting users via their information which results in a high skepticism and anxiety when using technology. The generations that Privacy Keepers impact are older Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers. The impact of this persona shows the importance of authenticity and transparency to gain trust of consumer as 62% of people globally say trust is a large factor in their engagement with a brand.

With Privacy Keepers some key things that would be important to note are that almost 4/5 of US adults trust themselves to make the right decision about their personal info, that nearly 2/5 increasingly appreciate the joy of missing out on technology, so people are fine with missing out on the hottest new tech trends in favour of a real life experience, and the strategies to help Privacy Keepers would be to earn trustworthiness with tech-sceptics, prioritise trust, and explore the merits of AI.

The Conventionalist
These consumers reject fast-paced hustle culture in favor of a slower rhythm of life and meaningful, community-based, real-life connections. They seek a Digital Detox and an analogue approach to tech that prioritizes longevity and repairability. This profile is strong across Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X globally. Younger members view slowing down as a radical approach that drives social progress and helps them cope with the pressures of the "polycrisis era".

Behaviours: They embrace the "Lofi state of mind" to satisfy their desire for simplicity and authenticity in the products they use.
Buying Priorities: They desire products that are designed for repairability and longevity, preferring future heirlooms over disposable goods.
Actions: Brands must prioritize 'physital' (physical-first) experiences over phygital (digital-first) experiences to evoke visceral feelings.

HMI Research

Play Power Privacy Keeper
Problems for this trend and persona would be that there is a stigma around being unproductive or wasteful with our time and also the over digitization of our leisure team. So based on that:

How might we create an experience that lessens the idea that users are being unproductive or wasteful with their time when using our product?

How might we create a more balanced experience between the digital and analogue aspects of our product to reduce tech fatigue?

1. Is it based on an existing problem or insight?
The stigma of being wasteful with time is based on a personal insight where there is a sense of guilt when playing as I feel I could be using my time more towards productivity when doing anything that can be described as “play” Digital aspect being over involved is a problem I have been noticing among people as I see on social media people actively searching for activities that are outside of the digital space.

2. Does it track a desired outcome?
Both track a desired outcome where the first HMI aims to find a way for users to feel less guilt about playing, tracking the after effects of the product and the second HMI aims to make the experience itself less digital in order to meet the growing demands to have a less digitally involved activity.

3. Is it written positively?
No, both are written more negatively as they addresses how to alleviate the negative aspects of the Tech Trend of Power Play rather than how to increase the positive aspects it.

4. Is it broad enough to ensure many creative ideas?
I believe both are written broadly enough to ensure different ideas as both have a destination or desired outcome to reach but how to go about getting there isn’t indicated.

5. Does it suggest a solution?
The first HMI does not as it just suggest creating an experience to reach a desired outcome but does not suggest what that experience should be or how to achieve that experience. However, the second HMI, may suggest a solution as it indicated that “balancing” the digital and analogue aspect of the experience may alleviate consumer concerns about an over digitalization of their leisure time.

Predictive Home Automation Conventionalist
Two possible problems for this trend and persona are are that interfaces for automation are often overly complex (apps, menus), preventing the Conventionalist from embracing the "Lofi state of mind" and simple, tangible control and that predictive automation hardware often requires frequent replacement, fundamentally clashing with the Conventionalist's core value of longevity and resourcefulness. So based on that two HMI questions could be:

How might we design a tangible, physical dial or key that allows the Conventionalist to program and override home automation schedules in a simple, satisfying "physital" interaction?

How might we create modular physical components for home tech that allow the Conventionalist to easily repair or upgrade their own device, extending its life cycle and reducing waste?

1. Is it based on an existing problem or insight?
Yes, it is based on the insight that Conventionalists find digital interfaces too complex therefore want a Digital Detox, and also the problem that tech often has a disposable nature and clashes with the Conventionalist's core value of longevity and resourcefulness.

2. Does it track a desired outcome?
Yes, the desired outcome is a simple and satisfying "physital" interaction that restores the feeling of control and avoids screen reliance as well as extending the device's life cycle and empowering the user to repair or upgrade their own tech.

3. Is it written positively?
Yes both are written positively as they are based on an open, positive framing that invites creative brainstorming and focuses the effort on a positive goal: empowerment and extension of product life, respectively.

4. Is it broad enough to ensure many creative ideas?
Yes, both are broad enough despite the first HMI specifies the interface type (physical dial/key) but leaves the mechanism (rotary encoder, toggle switch, RFID), the schedules, and the aesthetic open for ideation. The second also pecifies the need for modular physical components but leaves the function of the tech, the method of modularity (snap, screw, twist), and the type of upgrade open for exploration.

5. Does it suggest a solution?
No both do no suggest a solution. The first may suggests the type of interface (physical dial/key) but that doesn't define the final product, logic, or aesthetics, ensuring the creative process remains open. And while the second HMI suggests the design approach (modularity) but it also requires the team to brainstorm the specific product, mechanism, and the consumer interface for the upgrade/repair process.

Project Path

Play Power Privacy Keeper
Are you more interested in following an ART or DESIGN Path?
I am more biased towards ART as opposed to DESIGN for the Play Power as it emphasizes on creating an enjoyable experience first before achieving a tangible benefit for consumers and producers. However, I could see the DESIGN path creating a more structured path and more of a focused vision toward a goal.

Are you more interested in working INDIVDUALLY or COLLABORATIVELY?
I think COLLABORATIVELY would be more ideal with Play Power as it allows for more input especially for something that is supposed to be fun as one person’s idea of fun may not be for another. However, INDIVIDUALLY would create a less “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario and have a more singular goal rather than many different goals that go in different directions.

Two Possible Project Directions

One possible project could be a project map of a very modern space that would allow users to experience what it was perhaps used for by the indigenous communities before and allow them to explore the space with a different perspective. This follow the tech trend of Power Play as there is no stress play environment that promotes local cultures. This would alleviate Privacy Keepers skepticism in tech as it would require little to no data from them to experience. The project could also address any guilt associated with the experience as the project aims to expand users understanding of the indigenous groups before us and the land that we use today. The project would also alleviate an increasing digital monopoly of user leisure time as it aims for them to physically explore a location in real life. This project would be more of an ART path as it aims to create an experience rather than solve a problem via a design.

Another possible project could be a type of wearable where it would track the number of steps in an allotted time and users would come back to a “home base” location. At that “home base” a device would take the step count of two users, and they would go head to head to see who gathered more steps but instead of instantly revealing the step count, a screen would show an animation where two character would battle and the winner would show who had more steps and who did not. There would have to be varying animation to keep it fresh as well. This concept fits within the Power Play trend by making fitness tracking into a playful activity that emphasizes enjoyment and creativity over data and performance. It would also appeal to the Privacy Keeper persona, as it focuses on a local interaction without requiring sharing of data sharing or online connectivity. By encouraging physical play and social connection the experience gives a guilt-free, design-driven experience that combines technology, storytelling, and movement in an engaging and accessible way. This would be a DESIGN path it would aim to improve the exercise experience.

Predictive Home Automation Conventionalist
Are you more interested in following an ART or DESIGN Path?
I am most interested in the DESIGN Path because the project is driven by solving a functional and ethical problem: how to deliver the benefits of automation (convenience) without compromising the user's need for simplicity and control (Digital Detox). This requires the Design Path's focus on user testing and risk mitigation to ensure the HMI is truly simple and effective for the Conventionalist. I am less interested in the Art Path for this project. The Art Path prioritizes creative impulse and risk, but this project's success is dependent on reliability and clear functionality—aesthetics and experiential qualities must support simplification, not supersede it.

Are you more interested in working INDIVDUALLY or COLLABORATIVELY?
Working Collaboratively is the most strategic choice for this project. Successfully prototyping a Predictive Automation solution requires integrating an Arduino circuit/sensor for input data with a professional digital interface (ProtoPie) to visualize the automation logic. A team approach ensures both the physical computing/coding and the UI/UX design are executed well, leading to a more robust prototype. Working individually would pose a risk to the project scope, as it would be difficult to dedicate sufficient time to both the technical backend (microcontroller setup) and the required high-fidelity digital prototyping (ProtoPie).

Two Possible Project Directions

The Digital Anchor is a physical device that gives the Conventionalist tangible control over digital overload, enabling a screen-free Digital Detox.
Concept: A dedicated Lever Switch housed in a durable base. This physical lever acts as the master command for the home's digital environment.
Execution: An ESP32 reads the lever position and transmits the state (DETOX or FLOW) via USB Serial connection.
Detox Action: The transmitted signal triggers system automation (via ProtoPie/local software) to pause non-essential network access and activate "Do Not Disturb" on mobile devices.
Feedback: The lever's state change is confirmed by an Ambient LED Light (output) that shifts to a solid, calming Wax Paper color.
Value: Provides a single, satisfying physical action to achieve a mindful, system-wide digital disconnection.

The Physical Humidity Monitor : This idea provides a practical, analogue warning for resource preservation, helping the Conventionalist reduce waste and manage resources mindfully.
Core Concept: A screen-free gauge that monitors an invisible spoilage factor (humidity/temperature) in a stored resource, providing a continuous, tangible warning.
Input: A reliable Humidity/Temperature Sensor (input) monitors the air condition around a resource (e.g., bulk herbs).
Execution (Simplified): The ESP32 streams the sensor data via USB Serial. A servo motor (output) drives a needle across an Analogue "Freshness Meter" (a physical, color-coded dial).
Value: Gives the user continuous, trustworthy analogue warning of spoilage risk, moving crucial maintenance information out of a digital app into a direct, practical, and simple prompt.