CMU Environments: Project One
Prototyping Lab – Environments [Climate Change]
Tuesday, 8/27–Introduction to Mood Boards/Storyboarding
The first part of the project began with deciding between what route to take. Choosing between an artists’ exhibition or climate change was challenging, but I decided to go with the latter due to its relevance.
With this in mind, I decided to go see the Anthropocene Living Room out in the Carnegie National History Museum. I had seen the Anthropocene exhibit from last year, and the living room was an interesting version of the previous exhibit. Stepping inside, I felt oddly calm–something I wasn’t expecting to feel due to the context. According to the website, the living room is a space “meant for reflection and discussion of the Anthropocene and how it is related to all of the exhibits within the museum,” according to the website.
Thursday, 8/29–Introduction to Mood Boards/Storyboarding
In class today, we talked about various atmospheric elements to influence the “feeling” someone has while interacting with the environment. In the Anthropocene Living Room, it felt strange to be in a space talking about such an impending issue with quiet music, dimmed lights, and couches. However, the contradiction was meant to draw people in to have discussions and learn about an issue more rationally, more calmly.
To grasp this concept, we were to make moodboards consistent with the mood we’re trying to set. With accents of blue/earthy tones, I’m going for a more minimal and spacious scene set with modern type. I think that will engage the viewer without overwhelming them with too much information, as the topic of climate change can be very intimidating. I’m trying to minimize that feeling with as much minimalism as I can.
We were also asked to design a storyboard to pair with our moodboard, so I drew up a fairly basic representation of how I would like the viewer to interact in the space. It was through this process of putting pencil down on paper when I realized that I was naturally focusing on animal extinction and endangerment. I’d like for the viewer to look at (and interact with) visuals of what types of species are being endangered, how climate change is threatening their population, and what we can do to help.
Tuesday, 9/3 — Mood Boards and Parti Designs
The mood boards posted on the board really helped me in terms of my own project. I liked how you could clearly envision the project each person was going for, and I especially admired how Elizabeth’s project was meant to inspire people and look at the future positively.
After talking with Daphne, I officially narrowed my topic down to how animals are being affected by climate change.
1. Information on species / effects of climate change
2. Pieces done by artists / how they tie into the exhibit
3. Solution: what does the viewer take away from the exhibit?
We also played around with Little Bits, which I found really difficult. I managed to piece together a thermostat, but I had never done anything like that. Even in high school, I had very limited experience with robotics and things of the like. Figuring out how I’m going to implement that aspect into my design is going to be pretty challenging.
The thermostat is composed with a slide dimmer, a temperature sensor, and a value counter. When set on “read values,” the counter is able to take information from the temperature sensor and convert that data into numbers. So, it’s telling you that it’s currently 82 degrees inside. What I found interesting that you can manipulate the temperature by putting a fan to the sensor to make the numbers decrease.
Tuesday, 9/5 — Constructing the Model
For my initial parti diagram, I integrated steps one, two, and three into my design just to get a basic idea of the amount of space each section had. After plotting each part, I was glad to notice everything is distributed equally.
However, after walking around and viewing each project, I realized that I wasn’t using the space to its capacity. People had implemented walls to illustrate a path, others had ideas about the interaction in all sorts of places I hadn’t thought of–and I realized that’s something that I would want to consider doing, as well.
Although I’m going to keep my three basic variables, I’m definitely going to start brainstorming about how to make it more engaging. For example, questions I asked myself today in class included:
1. How does the viewer know where to start the path?
2. How does the user know to interact with particular objects?
3. What do I want the user to take away from the experience?
Building the Model
After dividing my prototype into three parts, I began to construct the model with Illustrator and began to piece things together. As I mentioned previously, the space has three “main” elements, so I pieced some things in my sketchbook and implemented those changes onto my Illustrator file.
One of the things I focused on was how to bring the user into the exhibit with visual cues. I designed the floor with Photoshop and Illustrator, and placed polar bear paws on the floor to take you through the exhibit. The pawprints are actually lifesize to your footsteps. I wanted the viewer to put themselves in the animal's shoes…paws!
I also began to think about the biggest “interactive” piece, and I decided that would be a table in the middle of the exhibit. For the table, the idea was to have it be a place where people stood around and could manipulate the holographic which was presented.
In terms of the art pieces, I thought I would feature four of them. For the panels, I’m going to discuss the artist’s intention behind each piece, give a little information about the artist, and why these pieces are relevant.
In terms of the art pieces, I thought I would feature four of them. For the panels, I’m going to discuss the artist’s intention behind each piece, give a little information about the artist, and why these pieces are relevant.
Overall, I think that my prototype came out alright for a first step. However, it’s very empty. In Illustrator it felt a lot tighter together. Now that I’m looking at it in a physical format, I’m beginning to see that there are a lot of changes I can make to use the space to its potential.
Reflections After the Crit
Once I walked around and saw everyone’s pieces, I noticed that mine still wasn’t utilizing the space to the best of its ability. I had a conversation with Peter about how putting a wall or two up will divide the space up and make it a more comfortable experience for the viewer. I’m still working off of my three main pillars, but I’m splitting them up a little differently.
Because I noticed that the pawprints on the floor may be too distracting, I decided to bring them through the entrance and a little outside. I’m going to keep the floor the same color (for now) because it remains part of the experience I’m trying to create.
I also added a vertical wall in the middle of the space to divide it up slightly more, and I added a small doorway to create the idea that there are multiple experiences to be viewed.
As the viewer begins to follow the paw steps, they’re taken to the left corner of the map. Instead of that being the welcome sign, I decided to make it a large, touch-screen map which the viewer can interact with. It acts as an introductory piece, so the map is an overview of how different parts of the world have been affected by climate change. You can zoom in on what part of the world you’d like, and when you’ve settled on a map-view of a particular terrain, it will generate visuals and convey how our world has been affected by these changes.
Once the viewer moves on to the endangerment piece, I decided to split the screens up into two basic categories: water and land animals. In front of you is a touchpad which triggers a much larger screen (there are two of these, one for each category). You can pick which animal you’d like to have information on, and it will generate pictures, where it lives, and how it’s being affected by climate change.
Lastly, this is where the viewer wraps around to the hologram piece. I haven’t changed much about this since I last posted about it except location and table shape. I also put it against a wall so it feels more stationary, and it will have the colored support behind it.
As the viewer enters the “solutions” room, there’s a section on the left that talks about famous artists who have helped spread climate change awareness. I’m debating where I should have multiple pieces or just talk about the Alexis Rockman piece I’m including.
Lastly, I wanted an interaction that was more than digital. On the right of the solutions, I have a box marked as “pledge.” Although I haven’t implemented this into my sketchup (yet), I’m going to remove the circular wall of that section and put the pledge behind it.
I would like to have viewers write their name on a petition so we can see how many people are interested in doing something about climate change after the exhibition is finished.
The Little Bits Final
I decided to work off the of the thermostat idea I had earlier because I thought the concept fit in nicely with the climate change exhibition (shifts in climate, temperature drops, etc.)
However, the problem I encountered was that the fan I was using was my own personal fan. I wanted to figure out a way to shift the temperature within the Little Bits piece without resorting to an external source.
I grabbed the small fan and the button in order to turn the fan on. And although that worked, I wanted something more versatile than just a button saying “on” and “off.” Looking for more pieces, I found a pressure sensor. Plugging this into the number counter and sticking the fan piece on after created something rather interesting. The amount of pressure you put on the sensor dictates how fast or slow the fan operates.
Little Bits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L3huazo-FY&feature=youtu.be
9/17 — Constructing the Final
After talking to Daphne, she suggested I begin to refine my idea by narrowing down the topic of my exhibit. This seemed like a daunting task because I felt that it was already pretty narrow…but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was hard to showcase all of the reasons why animals are being endangered. It would feel completely overwhelming for the viewer to be inside an exhibit like that, and it certainly wouldn’t be a positive experience.
With all this in mind, I decided to focus on the topic of sea life being affected by plastic pollution. I’m particularly interested in this topic myself, and I feel like it’s something the viewer can grab a hold of without feeling overwhelmed.
However, changing the idea from animals to sealife created an interesting challenge aesthetically. I had to turn my snowy/light color palette into something more saturated and dark.
Overall, I’m keeping some of the basic concepts. On the left is the interactive map, and in the other room is the solutions room. The pledge still remains, and Penelope Davis’s piece will also be immediately to the right, and it feels a lot more suited for this particular exhibit. The plastic jellyfish is almost too perfect!
One of the things that I’ve revised was the interactive pieces. One idea I had was the “Plastic Aquarium.”
The idea is that it’s a clear, glass structure (very much like an aquarium) featured with sand, grass, etc. However, instead of fish and other sea life, the things floating inside are the most common plastics found in the ocean. I think this idea is one of the more emotional parts of the exhibit because you’re actually seeing the physical evidence of the damaged we’ve caused.
Another part of the exhibit that I introduced is the idea of the “species wall.” In the other room, the wall is featured with silhouettes of popular sea life being affected by our plastics. However, I think it would be interesting for the viewer to put on glasses that would reveal the plastic contaminating the animals’ stomachs. The metaphor for this is that we often like to pretend when something is out of sight, it’s out of mind…but this isn’t the philosophy we should use in our day-to-day lives.
9/19 — Critiquing
When talking with Peter, he and I went over a few things in my Sketchup model that he suggested I revise a couple of things. Firstly, he discussed how having both the kiosk and the glasses would be pretty redundant, and that I should decide which experience is best for the user. One of the first things I did was address this in my SketchUp model.
Before, I had a kiosk that controlled which animal they wanted to see – something physical they change with their hands. After listening to Peter’s suggestions, however, I thought about how I could have the same system, just with a different interaction.
On the left is my new species selector (name = work in progress). The idea is that the person steps on one of the species icons on the ground, and information on how that species is being impacted by climate change is shown on the screen. In terms of the plastic icons, those are still to be played with, because the point of them was to go with the glasses.
However, I still think they contain a metaphorical value, as every species on the board has ingested plastic. That’s one of the main issues which the exhibition addresses.
Peter and I also discussed the issue of the touchscreen map. One of the problems was that, when it used to be parallel to the wall, it would create problems for people of different heights. As he and I discussed this, he suggested something on the ground. However, as I already had a ground interaction with my other piece, I decided to create something which compromised both ideas.
The last panel being the final, I decided to use the touch screen idea, but I kept it at table height. This way, it has its own space apart from the species selector, and it’s a more straightforward way of viewing the impact of plastics on the globe.
The idea is that there are pre-programmed spots where the user can tap, and the projection will zoom in one that circle and give information on which parts of the ocean are being most affected by plastic pollution.
One of the most important changes I made was the connection I brought back to CMU students. In a lot of climate change exhibits, sometimes it’s hard to place yourself in the shoes of someone who can help, because exhibits tend to be broad and encompass a wide area of conflict.
However, something I decided to do in my exhibit was take the information and bring it back to the individual CMU student. In the solution room, I have an area dedicated in the corner which collected the amount of plastic one CMU student went through in a month.
On the left, I also put in “Recyclemania,” an event that CMU students participate in to report on their recycling and increase awareness on how to recycle more. However, I know that recycling isn’t enough. On the right is a video for students to sit and learn about how they can take action to become Zero Waste, one of the most effective ways to tackle the issue of plastic pollution.
One of the last things Peter and I covered was my idea of the pledge. He mentioned how pledging to a cause has to require somewhat of an incentive, and the cause must be mentioned in that space. The pledge space went from being a large wall where a bunch of signatures were projected onto a screen, to more of an intimate experience for the user without the pressure of a giant wall in front of you.
In the model, I make sure to mention on a sign that says you’ll get emails with tips on how to go Zero Waste, and you’ll also receive a free reusable thermos. By adding these elements, the user can take away something both physical and digital with them, and they’ll have a reminder of their visit to the exhibition.
The Final Product — 9/23
On Tuesday, September 23rd, the physical model was due, as well as a presentation. I found that the presentation allowed me to view the progress that I had made throughout my piece.
For instance, I completely changed gears about halfway through, when Daphne had mentioned I should consider narrowing my topic down to something more specific. By doing so, I encountered two things:
- Aesthetic changes followed suit, but they were far more connected to the topic. They also made more visual sense (sea theme: blue plexiglass, dark floor, earth-toned wood walls)
- By narrowing the topic down, the experience of the user felt far more contained and applicable to a person’s life. When I had the endangered species topic, it was most likely to be overwhelming to the viewer, as there are so many reasons for climate change-affected species.
Takeaways
I noticed that throughout my design process, I felt the most inspired when I had received the most constructive criticism. Knowing that improvements could be made on my piece motivated me to keep trying, keep creating until I felt confident with my project. I talked about this in my reflection, but I’ll write it here because I think it’s important.
“One of my favorite parts of the project was figuring out how the visual elements could create a mood/atmosphere for the viewer. I really began to understand this when I looked at my first model: I previously had a blue/white floor to represent a snowy landscape. Compared to my final piece, where the floor was a dark blue and the exhibit was covered with blue plexiglass, it felt like a much darker and more immersive experience. The previous model felt cold and isolated, whereas in my final, I felt the colors accurately reflected the interactive experience I wanted to create.”
Researching was also one of my favorite parts of the project. One of my favorite quotes from this topic was Anne Marie Bonneau’s idea that zero waste doesn’t have to be this perfect ideal, but rather, multiple steps we can all take to overwhelmingly change the way see and view plastic materials. I think she sums it up pretty well.
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
Sketchup: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/julia-sanders-exhibit-577af187185f49feb6f7b04cd8381601