Week 4, Day 18, 28 September 2011

Structure flow for next week presentation: 


1. Concept
How to this concept get to our propose?

Guideline:
Talk about our intent.
What is communication?
What is inter-personal communication?
Have a direct and clear intent.


2. Propose (Overall idea)
i.e: Our web application, servicing


3*. Concept + Propose
How does the concept and propose come together?
Why do the propose answered to our concept?

Guideline: 
Reference back to new (digital) communication.
Comparison between digital & analog.
We want to make use of digital media to bring back personal touch and the preciousness of analog.
Linking back to Facebook.


4. Details of our propose (More focus of our application)
i.e: Augmented reality; How does it work in our website?
How people experience this Augmented Reality?

Guideline: 
Use of Augmented Reality to conceal the message (bringing the mysterious to recipient).
Interesting way of using the Augmented Reality.
*Making use of the domain name for our website.


5. Storyboard, Flowchart, Moodboard


6. Demonstration of the web application
E.g: Paper prototype


7. Conclusion
After this project, what do we learn?
(Our observation of people using this servicing.)


8. Future iteration.


-----------------------

Comments for interactive storyboard:

1. Hidden message
Try to keep it simple.
The use of video for the message may be too much due to our time constrain.


2. The length of the message.
The length of the messge may vary from a person.
E.g: Close friend tend to have shorter messages (e.g blessing, wishes, etc) sent to you compare to a friend who hasn't been in contact with you for a long time.


3. Digital mockup of the postcard
Find out what kind of marker are available in the internet.
Research about marker-less AR for Actionscript 3.0.
Play existing AR application in the website.

Suggestion:
Our marker can be a collage. (Like a puzzle)

Recipient have to collect the parts in order to collage it into a shape to decode the message.

OR

It can be separated into bits and given to a group of people.
Recipient have to come together in order to reveal the message from the sender.

Perhaps each person who sign up the web application has a fixed marker.

Signing off,
Karen.

Week 4, Day 17, 27 September 2011

Hello! It had been a month since we had started on this project!
Today was pretty productive as we managed to finish the wireframe for
the user interface, digitalize logo, website wireframe guide and lijia borrowed
more books to enhance the style guide she is working on.

Digitalized logos

User Interface Wireframe One

User Interface Wireframe Two

Landing Page

The creators page 

About this project page

documentation

per entry

The latest mood board i tried to do on retro with a bit of vintage feel

 as Ayu the another main designer is on leave from job.

*insert ljia's borrow

-jinyu

Week 4, Day 16, 26 September 2011

HELLO GUYS! IT'S ME AGAIN!

We finally started on the project, way dah' go man! Jinyu & Karen was researching on the Marker & Markerless postcard, and also the other possible postcard that we are able to create instead of just the normal hard piece of postcard and a picture on the front page. They have also finalize the flow chart of how the receiver and sender receive and send the postcard.

Ayu and I were decided on the logo and styleguide. After much discussion, we all agree on the direction of Retro. Thanks to Karen and Jinyu, they went to the school library to grab some good inspiring books. It helped a lot. The books are, "We are paper toys!" , "Origami card craft" , "Interactive" , "loslogos" , "1000 more greetings"

Here are the logo sketches

And this is the final logo inspired by seal wax

With a gist of retro & vintage design

- Li Jia

Week 3, Day 15, 23 September 2011

We start off the day by discussing on how it will look like and how is it going to work, basically refine our ideas. After discussing we then do our own work.

Ayu did the final moodboard on the look and feel for our project.

*insert lijia colour scheme and fonts

 Lijia did the colour scheme and fonts..

Karen and Jinyu did research on the programming part. After we had our lunch, the whole of FYPJ3 students did a photo shoot. It was fun and awesome!

Check out our video here (insert link)

Credits to shah :)

Enjoy your weekends!

-Ayuuu 

Week 3, Day 14, 22 September 2011

As the mini presentation took place in FYP lab during the morning, it was hard for us to accept the fact that one of our concept was being "used" as an idea for the first group.
Nevertheless, we presented two of the concept.



First Concept: Facebook photo (Postcard)
Brief description: Make use of webcam to silently capture sender face while he/she is reading something humorous, collect friend tagged photos from Facebook and collage photo to sender candid shot after sender finishes his/her messages to friend. Sender will choose to online print or save it to their computer.

Comment:
- It will be better to be used as a mail service. (For us to obtain our intent.)
- Do more test treatment, color and size for the collage.
- Too similar to group 1 finishing product, even though both group have different purpose and intent.

For us to take note:
Our commentary on Facebook. 'We want to cherish, personal memories.'

Suggestion: 

- The longer you know this person, the more 'wash out' effect it will be on the photo. 

(To enhance the value of the postcard.)

- Perhaps, let user choose their preference color effect.



Second Concept: Augmented Reality (Postcard)
Brief description: Sender record message through video and customize video background. He/she enters receiver name and choose to online print or save it to their computer. He/she finishes off with written address before mailing it to receiver.
Receiver required to surf a website as instructed after receiving the postcard and make use of webcam to 'scan' the printed marker to see unknown sender and message.

Comment:
- Make use of the back of the postcard for branding and instruction.
- Do more real example of mock-ups for the postcard and process to survey.
- It can be a website or application for the customization.
- Markers can be more than black and white image.

Suggestion: 

- Enhance the marker. 

(A reward in this marker; Something that they can keep it, that is unique. )

Mess around with the perspective. Play around with shapes.

Can it be a jigsaw puzzle or paper fold (origami)?

- Make use of Facebook to be serve as a database for the video and pictures.

Do research:

- Why is there marker and mark-less type? What are the different between it?

- Marker generator.

- Use of Facebook api to upload video and pictures.

Even though they did not give us a specify answer to work on, we clearly know that we had to choose the second concept, to prevent any conflict. At the end of the day, we still feel upset that the first concept we worked so hard for 3 weeks, was given away just a split second. 

What if we were the first group to present, will there be a different outcome?

Well... Who knows.

We'll just let fate decide.

Signing off,

Karen.

Week 3, Day 13, 21 September 2011

Today we mainly did researches only trying to get inspired for the third idea.

As we are stuck with how we can further develop the ideas, we had a consultation with
the lecturer.

Idea One

prototype on how the postcard roughly look like (front and back)

Feedback: 

What do we want to say about Analog and Digital communication?

Our selling point for this project that using social media(facebook),

user can generate a montage that is only special to the sender and recipient.

What is the point of the mosaic/montage ?

We should try out the different possible postcard design.

How are we choosing the photos?

Does print resolution matters?

How can we brand the application?

emotion/commercial??? 

How to retain the meaningful purpose of hand written letter?

Idea Two

How to emphasize the importance of the process?

Is the process needed?

What can the marker do?

What should the recipient be able to see?(what's the surprise/ the content?)

How about do mark-less augmented reality with unique image?

Find out how to create the  marker?

That's all, with these questions, we decided to redo both storyboard and the flow chart thus resulting 

the final ones above.

- Jin Yu

Week 3, Day 12, 20 September 2011

Today's Agenda:

1) Gantt Chart (updated version)
2) Moodboard
3) Flow Chart
4) Storyboard
5) 3rd idea and refine 1st and 2nd idea

Today is basically finishing up all of the above. And each of us has been given a job to do so we actually spend the whole day doing and preparing our stuff for tomorrow presentation..

Updated version of our Gantt Chart 

Flowchart for idea 1 version 1

Flowchart for idea 1 version 2

Flowchart for idea 1 version 3

Flowchart for idea 1 version 4

(finalize idea 1)

A draft layout on how the GUI for the idea 1 will looks like

Flowchart for idea 2

Storyboard for idea 2

We are still left with the idea 3 concept and a finalize storyboard for idea 1. 

For the 3rd idea we wanted to created that traditional feel for the user like vintage kind but we have not yet execute on that idea ..

- Ayuuu

Week 3, Day 11, 19 September 2011

Yay! Another day of thinking. Indeed, we have been brainstorming for the past two weeks. Non-stop. Some of the points that I think we need to be aware of.

• Do we still want Facebook? What are the problems/good of Facebook?
• Will our 'product' be just an installation for a period of time? Will it be a long term installation?
• What do people think about the current society? What do they think about the past?
• What will be the obstacle faced when programing? Will it take a lot of time to learn?
• How to make the user explore easier & faster?

________________________________________________________________________

JOB SCOPE

Moodboard: Ayu

Style Guide: Ayu & Lijia

Flowchart: Lijia

Storyboard: Lijia

Website Coding: JinYu

Documentation Website Coding: JinYu

Website Graphic: Ayu & Lijia

Documentation Website Graphic:  Ayu & Lijia

Survey: All together!!!!

Paper Prototype: ---

Coding for Flash: ---

GUI design: ---

*Physical Product: ---

Video documentation & Editing: Karen

________________________________________________________________________

I decided that we choose between three different moodboard/look & feel

• Sentimental & Romantic (Calm and relaxing)

• Happiness & Joy

• Bubbly (circle, light and cute. But not really cute. Bubbly colors)

• Old & Traditional (coffee papers, coffee marks, old post letters, stamps etc)

________________________________________________________________________

These add-on are just some random thoughts and ideas I thought off. Maybe you can generate some ideas from these.

• Writing on sands. When the sea water wash up the words are disappeared
• Maps. Able to locate two people together. Or maybe more.
• Dreams. Everybody dream differently.
• Time. Time from two different place. Maybe two time will add up to a new time.
• Sound & Smell. Uniquely only to two person. Maybe in a cafe or maybe some where in a corner of the street.
• Weather. Sharing the environment of two different time and space. Weather is able to express your feeling at times.
• Train. The sound of the lonely running train. Everybody is living in their own space, however they are all sharing the same universe.

- Lijia :3

Week 2, Day 10, 16 September 2011

While all of the team were waiting for consultation with the lecturers, it was a great time for us to spend time together with the others to share each individual group concept, giving comment and feedback that may help us to conceptualize the idea further.


These were some of the comment given from our classmates:

(Topic: Complain)
Is it reasonable to complain?
Are we assuming there's a lack of communication?
It can be subjective.

(Topic: Bringing Strangers Together)
How will the person find the same chord to harmonise?

Before the start of the consultation, we decided to pitch our idea in the order of most favorite to the least, counted by the votes from our classmates accordingly.  


Consultation Time
Feedback for:

Concept 4 (Bringing Strangers Together)
- Explore more about friendship.
- What is the significant being a friend?
- Is it worth it?
- It may be superficial.
- What do you want them to experience when they come togsther?


- Might be difficult to engage people to participant. 
- How will it bring people together? How will it start?
- Does the sound able to detect someone's emotional? How will it change?
- How will it be located?


- Where is the edge (i.e special point) of this installation that will engage to participant?
- How will it break down the language barrier?
- The installation must be something that they can bring home. 
(i.e to contribute something that they can bring home the experience from the installation)


Concept 2 (Complain)
- Similarity with Talking Tom (app).
- Go research on confession booth, eliza robot and argument clinic.


Concept 3 (Traditional Communication)


Propose idea: 
A service for people to send cards.
User will type a keyword (e.g. LOVE) on to the screen (probably a website/screen/widget) and the program will automatically print out the template on a nice decorated paper.
Lastly, it will be send (mailed) directly accordingly to the address that the sender provided. 


- It's more like a single dimension. 
- How will this apply in China?
- How will the people value them, get emotions with it?
- How much will they cherish it?


Concept 1 (Artificial Singapore)
- Too political.
- Not safe to be done as a installation.



Final feedback from the lecturers:

- Concept 3 is the most potential one among all the concept.
- Find out more about the social network used in China.
- How to get Facebook photo on a third party platform. (Research on Api for Flash ActionScript 3.0)
- Provide 2 more ideas for the servicing, other than the use of Facebook photo.
- Digital mock up of the idea. (i.e How it will work and look like.)


Things to be done before next Wednesday final review:
- Final pitch of idea.
- Timeline for the project.
- Roles of each team member.



Surprisingly, concept 3 on Traditional Communication was picked the best among all the concept we had. It has been a overdrive week for us to develop each concept, not knowing which one will be approve. It feels great to finally have a direction for us to focus on.
Looking forward to next week!

Signing off,
Karen.

Week 2, Day 9, 15 September 2011

today's agenda

Due to not much progress to the concepts, we are unable to move on from day nine

However today we pretty much decided how we want our ideas to be executed.

---

Concept One( Artificial Singapore )
Metaphor: Jewel Box

Boxes on display

Idea one:  Different size of boxes on display,

When the viewers opens them, they will see different

projection in it.

Idea two: Insert token of fines to installation to see how a 

                           country slowly evolves and change.

idea three: Planting a nation. The water sound becomes money sound

With planting a plant logic, too much water, the plant will die

                    but too little, the plant cant grow.



Idea four: The mirror turns foggy due to the hot steam.

the message are hidden.

 However when the mirror fog up,  the hidden message will be revealed.

---

Concept Two ( Complaints )

Metaphor: Echo

Idea one: A installation that mimic

what the user did. To allow them to feel

how he/she looks like when complaining

and might be annoying.

Idea three: Reflect upon yourself.

When you complaints, a machine will take a picture 

of you, to remind you how ugly you looks when you complaints.

Idea four: Smelly

When you complained, a smelly odor will be produced.

---

Concept Three ( Bringing Strangers Together )

Metaphor: -




Idea one: Play tag
Using shadows, the catcher with shadow need to
tag another person to be released from the shadow.


Idea two: Paralanguage
a mutual collaboration of sound communication

Example: The microphones are installed with different default sounds 

however the user can control the volume and pitch with their input of sound.

~ the default sounds can be musical instruments/ environment???

---

Concept Four ( Traditional Communication )
Metaphor: -

Target group: Teenagers who communicate with acquaintance 

                          using modern technology. 

Ideas: None

However we found some research that are quite meaningful

Forms of traditional communication

Why need traditional communication

- J I N Y U