Interactive Media Project Major 2

This week will look at the chapter  Time frames by Scott McCloud, from his book Understanding Comics which examines the various ways that comics embody time.

To view a Flash Based presentation of the key concepts of Time frames by McCloud click here.

We will also look at Chapter 3: Tiny Touchscreen from Josh Clark’s book on designing for the iPhone called Tapworthy. In this chapter he identifies ergonomic considerations and aesthetic approaches for the Iphone.

This week students will present the interface designs for their major projects.

Screen grab from Mari Soppela's Family Files

This week we will look at a couple of readings that make distinct observations regarding the way that particular visual forms can contain and shape our experience of time. The first reading titled, Nostalgia for a Digital Object: Regrets on the Quickening of Quicktime by Vivian Sobchack, examines early Quicktime movies in relation to the memory process and the work of artist Joseph Cornell. In this context we will look at the 1998 CD Rom art work Family Files by Mari Soppela which engages Quicktime movies and the poetics of 8mm home movies to create a touching meditation on memory. The second reading, Time frames by Scott McCloud, from his book Understanding Comics examines the various ways that comics embody time.

To download a presentation of the Sobchack article click here

To view a Flash Based presentation of the key concepts of Time frames by McCloud click here

And a neat little interactive narrative:

Polyphonic Spree – The Quest For The Rest

Display Strategies

John Wright
Mark Bradford
Kurylowicz & Associates
Matko Stankovic.com
Heiko Waechter
Dark Night of the Soul
We Fail

Games & Interactive Toys

Magnum Pleasure Hunt
An Event Apart
Hakim El Hattab

There will be no formal class this week instead students students are to work on the development of their projects. The coursework to be covered today will be rescheduled for later in the semester.

In this week’s class we will explore concepts related to effective interface design and apply these to a group based exercise. Using the following project as a case study we will examine the decisions that were made in the re-development of the interface of  Automatic Teller Machines for  the Wells Fargo bank.

http://physicalinterface.mypublicsquare.com/view/that-design-is-money

Also, consider these user -based observations:

http://www.elsonue.com/2008/03/best-atm-interface-yet.html

Group exercise

Working in groups of 3 or 4 you are asked to design a mock up of a touch-screen interface for an ATM. Your interface design should show a series of screens that make clear how a user would undertake typical transactions.  Your design should have as a bare minimum the following functionality:

• Withdrawal
• Balance
• Deposit
• Transfer

As well as any other additional functions you see as necessary or desirable. In addition to this you should also address the question of visual identity in the screen design – how will the user know what bank they are using?

In designing the interface the following factors should be evaluated in relation to your design decisions:

• Labelling
• Colour Choice
• Layout
• Graphic Elements (size, shape)
• Physical positioning  of screen – lines of site, ambient light etc.

Here is a short list of guidelines that addresses some of these design decisions:

http://www.atmnetwork.net/atmcompanynews/2010/01/07/designing-a-touch-screen-interface/

This week students will make the initial presentations for their major projects.

A diverse range of interactive projects that use narrative as a vital component. In each of these examples narrative is employed as a structural and/or conceptual imperative that shapes the user experience.

My Tribe is My Life
http://www.belgia.ru/
Remembering Boogle Chandler
99 Rooms
Ana Somnia
Shyalala
Red Interactive Agency
Samorost
6168.org
Pencil Rebel
The Secret Location
Simple Machines
ten trippy interactive narratives, come on down the rabbit hole
The Inanimate Alice

We will also look at ideas surrounding interactive narrative as outlined in the reading Interactive Narrative & Linear Narrative by Timothy Garrand. To view the lecture presentation click here. Taking this idea of interactive narrative as a starting point we will examine a diverse range of projects that use narrative as a vital component. We will consider how narrative is employed as a structural and/or conceptual imperative in these projects.

During class I will speak to everyone individually to check on the progress of their major project development.

The finalists in the 2012 SXSW Awards.

The winners in the 2011 SXSW Awards.

Submit your concept outline here by posting a comment. Please note this will take a little while to appear on the blog as all comments need to be moderated.

In this class we will begin the process of concept development for your major project. We will start by looking at a couple of course readings:

Dominic Stansberry, The Design Process in Interactive Media

Brian Blum, Guidelines for Interactive Media *

The complete texts are available as PDFs via the library website here:

http://opac.library.usyd.edu.au/search/r?SEARCH=mmde+5002

To view flash-based presentations of each text here:

Stansberry

Blum

Some Interactive Narrative based websites:

http://www.ony.ru/en/#/obrand/ 
http://www.luminalive.sg/v2/index.php 
http://www.pencilrebel.com/ 
http://www.thesecretlocation.com/ 
http://www.msichicago.org/fileadmin/Activities/Games/simple_machines/ 
http://www.ovaldesign.com.hk/ 
http://ecodazoo.com/