Kinetic and Interactive Typography: Physical Prototyping + Iteration

The Control

An Affordance for Closing the Circuit

To get to the final iteration of the palette box, I went through several phases of failed laser cutting, failed plans, and rethought the affordance to complete the circuit via the MakeyMakey in an elegant way. I started with holding the earth cable, then soldered a ring the user could wear while choosing their colors, but it did not match the aesthetic of the palette. In a word — it looked junky.

A smaller version?

I also laser cut a smaller version, which I planned to line with metal to complete the circuit, matching the affordances of a real paint palette, but the MakeyMakey would not fit on the back at that size. It could not be bigger because the user had to be able to touch up to three colors with just one hand with that design. I decided to go back to the box.

Copper Lining

I realized that the user could touch the edge of the finger hole in the box with their thumb and still interact with the paint pots easily. It was an elegant solution that pointed to the affordance of a real paint palette, while also keeping the aesthetic of the box consistent.

Wiring the MakeyMakey

I also learned about circuits and electricity, because I needed to learn how to wire the makey makey that would reduce its height (so it would fit in the box) without soldering to it (to prevent ruining the makey makey). Screws and nuts with bent leads were the easiest solution in this case.

Building the Final Box

Building the box was also challenging, so I used tacky glue so I could easily take it part at the end. The playdoh must be removed when not in use so it doesn’t dry out, but the leads touch the playdoh in every pot and map correctly to the key commands coded in processing.