This Project is a Process
After a serious of experiments, reading, talking, creating and recreating, a whole month has passed by. The project got quite a workout. So here is a brief update on the design journey, so far.
The Starting Point
I started with the aim of exploring as many possibilities as I could. To be more specific, what ways can I implement visual, audio or haptic and how ? The permutations and combinations of these alone are insane. Figuring out how to do most of these was really interesting to say the least.
Trying prototype haptic interactions the the help of vibrations was one interesting problem to solve. It partially drove me insane but looking back now, I learnt quite a bit .Sadly the only two “successful” attempts was using my Fitbit’s relaxation app and a neck massager. I did reach out to my game developer friends and other people from different professions but the most viable option would be using an Arduino board but the question was is this really the time to be doing this? This was a really good indicator that I need to move on.
The rest of the journey…
Linear and went as planned are two things the journey wasn’t. Unexpected and full of questions paints a more apt picture of the journey.
It’s amazing how the medium of conversation or interaction, changes the dialogue, visuals and experience of a designed artifact. I remember a point where I couldn’t really move on to designing a hi-fi prototype because I wasn’t sure how my AI should look to embody the qualities of a mentor. My design fixation on that one aspect alone took a while. Thank god for my mentor ;).
From color to motion, it opens more opportunities and questions. It becomes really hard to avoid rabbit holes or know when to stop. Putting these explorations to words or showing the many findings is insanely hard. Mostly because I’m not sure I’d do justice to quantifying work that is put in and the learning outcomes that come from making. I also imagine it would be confusing watching the constant back and forth between different studies because a new hurdle pops up.
To be honest, I’m really glad I ran into all those road bumps. The limitations of different prototyping tools and devices, made me look at alternatives and often designing new ways to implement the same content. It is quite astounding how prototyping the same sequence on Invision, XD and Principle had 3 different experiences even through the content was the same, It just excited me about the versatility and opportunities an AI system, which is critical in creating a dynamic system for uniqueness of each individual with autism. I even got opportunities to try different tools like voice flow and test devices like Myo Connect.
