Project 2C - Storyboards

 Storyboard #1

Storyboard #2

Project Two B - Development

I have decided to keep the colour scheme that I had developed and also the visual explanation instead of statistical.
Because of this change, I have decided to add a 'Stats' page so that if users can understand the energy consumption by the statistics, they can also view them on a different page.

So there is no confusion about what the visual representation of the energy usage is of each appliance, there is a screen near the beginning of the startup of the interface, I have added a 'Key' to.

I have also added a settings option so the user can enter what four appliances they wish to observe and how bright they want the screen to be.

Project Two B - Development

Some of the main points from the crit on Friday were to add more colour and have visual results rather that textual. I have been playing around with adding some colour and changing the results to have a visual effect. Changing the results to visually, I would want to add another screen into the interface that has just the textual information incase the user wants to know and understands how much power the appliances are using by text.

Project Two B - Final Animation

Project Two B - Final Interface

Project Two B - Development

Changes:

I have added a 'return' button to the start screen of the interface so that in presentation I can go back to the animation if I accidentally press the next button when my group wants to see the animation replayed.

Project Two B - Development

Changes:
I have taken away the 'Back' button because the back button was taking the user to the 'Home' screen, threfore there is no need to have both buttons.

 

Project Two B - Development

Changes:
I have decided to change the way that the user views the comparison to the other appliances that are being used. My original idea was that the user could touch the appliance that they wanted to compare the current observation against which would take them to another screen. I have decided to show the comparison in the same place that the choice of appliance to compare to so the user does not have to press so many buttons possibly resulting in annoyance. 

Project Two B - Development

Changes:
I have changed the way that the compare to area on the interface looks to having just the symbol instead of just the wording of the appliances that can be compared to the current.
I have also changed the colour of the alarm clock because the red may put users off because the red could symbolise that the energy use is high when it is not. Using these colours matches the rest of the logos as well.

Project Two B - Development

Interface changes from proposal:

- Appliance logo as well as appliance name.

- Position of appliances being measured.

- Home button.

- Back button.

- Colour added.

Project Two B - Planning

Flash Movie Sketches

Animation Planning -

 

Interface Planning -

Project Two B -Interface and Transmitter Research

Compact Wireless Energy Monitor.
http://www.weiku.com/products/3596747/Wireless_Energy_Monitor_Compact.html

Elite Energy Monitor.
http://www.nusun.com/Energy-Monitor-p/nn%20020810a.htm

 Wireless Energy Monitor
http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=energy+wireless+transmitter&um=1&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=629&tbm=isch&tbnid=6agvIh81czOrjM:&imgrefurl=http://www.wholesale-electrical-electronics.com/p-wireless-energy-monitor-ha102-1187242.html&docid=oY6lQLwXLMqVEM&w=752&h=731&ei=msR_TuPqMcX-mAXw5vmiBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=171&vpy=141&dur=182&hovh=221&hovw=228&tx=130&ty=102&page=2&tbnh=127&tbnw=129&start=21&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:21

PROJECT TWO - PART B

Project Two A - Final Written Description

I am going to create an energy-recording device that informs people about how much power appliances in the home or office use when on stand-by or just on. The device will work by one small plug-in device that is the recorder of consumption of WATTS and AMP that the appliance chosen is using and how much that is costing the user. When the small device is plugged in and recording the energy that an appliance is using, the edge of it will be lit with a blue LED light. The recorder then wirelessly transfers the data to the LCD screen that is placed on the desk, bench or desired obvious position in the building for the user to see all the time. The LCD screen has the options of what appliances you wish to record and you can also choose to compare that appliance to another appliance that is being recorded too. The LCD screen has an easy navigation system with a touch screen for ease, and large readable figures and is also powered by batteries. Depending on the use-age of the appliance, the figures on the screen will stay black unless the use-age of the appliance is high, then the figures will be red to help the user realise the amount of energy that the appliance is using. The aim of my energy-saving device is mostly to make people realise how much energy is being wasted when appliances are left on stand-by.

Project Two A - Final Prototype

Project Development - Sketches

Concept Sketches

Comparing Recordings of Appliances

Through my recordings of different appliances, I found some interesting outcomes that I have compared against each other.
For example, my stereo used only slightly more power than the TV when it was on stand-by.  I found this interesting because the stereo was using all the power that it needed to run and play my music, but the TV wasn’t exactly doing anything therefore doesn’t really need to use as much power as it did. I found this comparison interesting as it has opened my eyes to how much power appliances use when they are only on standby.

The TV and PlayStation had the same usage when on standby.  I found this interesting but also predictable as when both appliances are on standby, they aren’t running any disks or displaying images. I was quite surprised at how much power these appliances used when on standby but I guess it is semi reasonable in the fact that they need to be semi running and ready to respond to the remote when the user wants to use the appliance.

When the TV is on, it uses more power than the PlayStation but not a significant amount. I found this recording interesting in the fact that a PlayStation also needs power to send the signals through the cords that are attached to controllers, but then the TV also needs the ability to present the image on the screen and send the commands from the remote to the TV. Over all it makes more sense that the TV uses more power than the PlayStation.  

Energy Consumption Diary

Research - The Wattson & Ambient Energy Meter (Guest Lecturer Recommendations)

The Wattson -
I personally liked the Wattson device out of the these two that I have researched. I liked this design because it was simple looking, modern and neat. I found the way that the Wattson worked was very well designed in the fact that it was easy installed into the connections of your energy meter of your home. On the display unit, I liked that the figures were large and easy to read. I also like the interaction with the display unit as you tilt it, the display changes. I overall found this one to be my favourite and have used some the Wattson ideas towards my proposal.


Ambient Energy Meter -
I found this energy meter very visually pleasing but I couldn't really understand how it actually worked. I do like the idea of it, but I stil found the Wattson to be more understandable and easier to use. I also found the Wattson to be more interactive.

Research - Energy Technology

Wave Energy Technology - a wave energy device that maximises engineering efficiency through the novel use of direct-drive and adaptive response to changes in wave motion. The majority of the device is submerged but floating and is designed to operate in transitional / deepwater waves (20-100 m). It will seek to harness both kinetic and potential energy from passing waves.Reference: 
Wave Energy. (2010). Introduction. Available: http://www.wavenergy.co.nz/1. Last accessed 1st September 2011.


Wind Turbines NZ - They supply about 4% of New Zealand’s annual electricity generation, which is about the same amount of electricity as 180,000 New Zealand homes use in a year.
Reference:
NZ Wind Energy Association. (2011). NZ Wind Farms. Available: http://windenergy.org.nz/nz-wind-farms/nz-wind-farms. Last accessed 1st September 2011.

Research - Energy Use-age

Energy Consumption-
In 2009, world energy consumption decreased for the first time in 30 years (-1.1%) or 130 Megaton oil equivalent, as a result of the financial and economic crisis. In 2008, total world energy consumption was 474 exajoules (474×10¹⁸ J=132,000 TWh). This is equivalent to an average energy consumption rate of 15 terawatts (1.504×10¹³ W)
Reference:
Wikipedia. (27 July 2011). Energy Consumption. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_consumption. Last accessed 1st September 2011.
How to be energy efficient-

Appliances use about a third of the average home's electricity bill. This amount is growing as we continue to buy more appliances and use them for more hours every day.
Appliances in our homes include:

• Fridges and freezers
• TVs, DVD players, stereo systems, gaming consoles
• Computers, printers and faxes
• Cooking equipment
• Washing machines and dryers.

When it's time to replace your old appliances choosing more efficient models is a good way to save on your appliance electricity bill. You can also save money by using your appliances sensibly and switching them off when you aren't using them.

Reference:
Energy Wise. (2011). Appliances. Available: http://www.energywise.govt.nz/how-to-be-energy-efficient/appliances. Last accessed 1st September 2011.

Project Two - Studio One - Group Research

PROJECT TWO - ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Project 1b - Final Written Description

DSDN 112 – Interactive Design

Lauren Humphrey

300221920

Project 1B

Alex R – Stream B

For this project I have created an interactive object that engages the user’s touch and hearing sense. The user needs to engage in these senses to complete the task of guessing what the cubes contain by shaking, rotating and feeling the weight of each cube. The user’s hearing sense will help them as they listen carefully to the sounds that the materials inside the cubes produce. The touch sense is also helpful for this task as the user will be able to feel the weight of the materials in the cubes and will help them justify their decision. The idea of this task is to help the user realise that just because of the weight or the sound that the materials produce by being shaken around inside the cubes, doesn’t mean that it is what they think that it sounds or feels like. I have designed these cubes to help the user realise how you can perceive a sound to be something else because you relate it to another sound that you have heard before. The design of the cubes is to trick the user’s hearing sense to enhance the perception of sound.

Project 1b - Final Photos

Project Development

As I started to begin making my final model, I came up with an alternative to shutting the boxes easily rather than just closing the lid of the box as the user may not be able to find out where the actual opening is on the box as all the sides look the same. I tested this concept on one of my final concepts shown below. To shut the box, I have decided to use a thumb tack with the tack removed and a small rubberband that is tied into the lid of the box.

Through the process of making my final model/s, I came across some areas that needed to be changed. Once I had made the plain cardboard boxes, I realised that I didn't actually need the tabs that sat underneath the lid so decided to cut them off. The same situation came along with the cork lined boxes but I accidentally didn't think about the fact that the cork makes the sides of the boxes thicker so the tabs wouldn't fold into the inside of the boxes easily so decided that I would be able to glue the box together without the tabs on the cork boxes.

Concept Development

 I have sketched some possible other shapes for the boxes I intend to be creating for project one as I wanted to think about other forms that could manipulate the sounds that come from inside the cubes to kind of trick the user into what material is inside the cubes, or other shapes. After sketching these, I decided to stick with just cubes as this is what I tested using card and think that it is the best option.

I have developed my initial idea so that now in a second box containing the same material as the first box, there will be a smaller box inside the big box that will contain the material. This gives a semi-different sound and therefore should distract the user from the first guess of material in the first box.

Interactive Cube Research

Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube
Interactive cube teaches how sounds, harp, French horn, piano, flute, and violin, combine to create music, in this case Mozart or any spontaneous compositions. Baby safe construction.

Testing - Different Thicknesses of Cardboard

I have experimented with different thicknesses of cardboard to see if there is any difference in the sound with the same material inside. From this test I found that the thicker cardboard has a louder, stronger sound.

Research - Hearing Sense

Hearing (or audition; adjectival form: "auditory" or "aural") is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. It is one of the traditional five senses. The inability to hear is called deafness.

In humans and other vertebrates, hearing is performed primarily by the auditory system: vibrations are detected by the ear and transduced into nerve impulses that are perceived by the brain (primarily in the temporal lobe). Like touch, audition requires sensitivity to the movement of molecules in the world outside the organism. Both hearing and touch are types of mechanosensation.

The eardrum of an ear simplifies incoming air pressure waves to a single channel of amplitude. In the inner ear, the distribution of vibrations along the length of the basilar membrane is detected by hair cells. The location and intensity of vibrations in the basilar membrane is transmitted to the brain through the auditory nerve.
Hearing can be measured by behavioral tests using an audiometer. Electrophysiological tests of hearing can provide accurate measurements of hearing thresholds even in unconscious subjects. Such tests include auditory brainstem evoked potentials (ABR), otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and electrocochleography (EchoG). Technical advances in these tests have allowed hearing screening for infants to become widespread.

Research - Sound Definition

Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.
Sound is a sequence of waves of pressure that propagates through compressible media such as air or water. (Sound can propagate through solids as well, but there are additional modes of propagation). During propagation, waves can be reflected, refracted, or attenuated by the medium.

The behavior of sound propagation is generally affected by three things:

• A relationship between density and pressure. This relationship, affected by temperature, determines the speed of sound within the medium.
• The propagation is also affected by the motion of the medium itself. For example, sound moving through wind. Independent of the motion of sound through the medium, if the medium is moving, the sound is further transported.
• The viscosity of the medium also affects the motion of sound waves. It determines the rate at which sound is attenuated. For many media, such as air or water, attenuation due to viscosity is negligible.

When sound is moving through a medium that does not have constant physical properties, it may be refracted (either dispersed or focused).

Concept Research

After some testing of different thicknesses of cardboard for my final design, I decided to research different forms of box templates. 

This first image is similar to the one that I have used for my testing of cardboard but it has less glue tabs which is better for me, as I found that once I came to put my box together, I had too many tabs which made it harder to stay and fit in together properly.

I decided to research these two images in-case I wanted to replace the axle that I had in mind with a handle on the box instead.

Final Story Board

Lauren Humphrey
300221920
DSDN 112
Project 1 – Part A

Interaction Design Project One; Explanation

For this project I have created an object that engages the user’s touch and hearing senses. The user needs to engage in these senses to complete the task of guessing what the materials are inside the cubes. I am going to make the cubes out of cardboard using a box pattern and glue. The user needs to rotate the cubes using the axles on the cubes and by rotating and shaking the cubes that do not have axles. The user needs to engage in their touch sense to feel the weight of the materials and cubes to help them guess what materials are inside the cubes. Their hearing senses will help the user to listen carefully to the sounds that each material produces while being shaken around and their touch sense will help them justify their guess by feeling the weight of the material in the cube and also match it up to the sounds sense. The idea of these cubes is to help the user realise that just because of the weight or the sound that a material makes, doesn’t mean that it is what it sounds or feel like.