Digital Specialisation

My name is Gabby. I am part of a Digital Interaction group project at RMIT, with a semester-long focus on conceptualising an Augmented Reality application.

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Group member Abdullah has created an User Interface demonstration video, utilising group member Lena’s mockup designs for the LightBoard application.

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Future Possibilities...

The video below is an example of how we could display our LightMan target image in the future; sans the animated component (to ensure successful scan + trigger of AR content.)

Using a 16 x 16 grid (256 pixels), and RGB LED lights, Jeremy Williams has created an LED animated pixel box, which displays classic pixelated characters from retro games.

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LIGHTBOARD ADVERTISEMENT 

My final rationale 

This advertisement’s purpose is to promote the LightBoard experience on the RMIT City Campus.

The advertisement features:

RMIT + NAS Branding

Explanations for the Application - seen above and below the LightBoard logo

Call to action - students invited to visit the site outside Building 9 on Bowen Street, and the prompt to download the application via Apple Store & Google Play

LightBoard branding - featuring the logo and mascot

The advertisement is in-keeping with our retro arcade aesthetic featuring our pixelated mascot LightMan.

The angular shapes which feature on either side of our mascot represent the physical hoarding. One of these triangles is overlaid with a maze, which is the key feature of our Augmented Reality game.

The background of this poster is overlaid with a brick texture to communicate the experience’s interaction with the real world.

The colour scheme is made up of white, shades of black/greys, gold and reds. This palette maintains cohesion between the design of the LightMan mascot + RMIT Branding.

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Final Hoarding Mockups

Group member Lena re-invisioned the mockups for the physical aspect of the LightBoard experience, (which features on the hoarding,) in response to the feedback we received in our previous presentation (Assignment 2).

This reworking of the design makes for a more intuitive experience.

Section 1: An eye-catching neon sign featuring the LightBoard logo.

Section 2: Beneath the neon sign is the rectangular Player Placement Viewer. It communicates to observers of the physical LightBoard aspect the ranking of players participating in the game, as a means of determining who is in the lead of the game.

Section 3: The Instructions. The instructions for using LightBoard are summarised in 5 simple steps with the added aid of symbols.

Section 4: The LightMan target image with the cue to “Scan Me”

Section 5: The Leaderboard which displays the current Top 4 ranking of LightBoard players.

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Our Final LIGHTBOARD Logo

Font entitled Neon Font sourced by Lena via dafont.com

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Final Iteration of LIGHTMAN

LightMan is the central mascot of our Augmented Reality game entitled LightBoard. He also serves as our target image which will trigger virtual content within the AR experience.

LightMan is a pixelated character. I designed LightMan with the intention of emulating the retro 1980′s arcade aesthetic. LightMan embodies friendly competition as communicated by his peace hand gesture and his snazzy red sneakers.

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A video Lena filmed + screenshots of me trying out an early target image iteration in Unity with the intention to trigger digital AR content. It was a success! 

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Final target image of our mascot LightMan & our poster to advertise our AR application LightBoard - which I mounted on foam-core.

If I were to change anything in the future it would be that I would rectify the variation between the blacks in the advertisement/poster. In printing, the design displayed a lack of visual nuances in comparison to the digital version. In the printed version, you see above, the blacks have a lack of differentiation and so viewers would find it difficult to distinguish the shapes, overlays and textures which feature in the poster. 

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Homework Week 11

Article 1: The persistent appeal of Augmented Reality  Question: The idea of “AR 2.0” - increased computing allowing us to move on from target based AR to potentially more intuitive modes (locative, increasingly embodied) How could your App make use of the concept of Persistance?  My Answer: According to the article the concept of Persistance is the ability, in an Augmented Reality experience, to place objects in the real world, which stay where they are, even as the player moves around them. An example of how we could make use of this in our LightBoard experience could be enabling users’ with the aid of an AR Headset, the ability to roam around the campus and interact with various levels of AR mazes available in specific areas on campus which are viewable/available for interaction no matter the angle or position the user finds themselves in.

Article 2: The Real Promise of Augmented Reality  Question: Considering the requirements for locative, real time AR experiences - utilising motion tracking (movement thru space), area learning (mapping an environment) and depth sensing (understanding distance). What body metaphor do these AR experiences use - what are the cameras trying to be?  My Answer: The cameras of these AR experiences are using the body metaphor of the human eye. Ours eyes can determine size shape and distance as well as the speed and position of objects within our current environment.

Article 3: Design for Fingers, Touch, and People, Part 1  Question: Describe the ‘touch friendly model’ - how do we use primary, secondary and tertiary areas of the screen? 

My Answer: According to the article, users’ initial focus is on the centre of the screen so the author recommends placing primary content in the centre with list or grid views, as users will successfully interact with these layout styles. He then recommends secondary actions be placed on the top section and bottom edges of the screen. Tertiary functions should be found behind menus in the corner sections of the screen.

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Displayed above are varying iterations of the LightBoard advertisement. This collection does not feature the final version; which will be displayed on a seperate post.

The first iteration was based off the sketches the group made and the features we discussed and decided upon at one of our group meetings.

 After composing the poster digitally though, I observed that that the design was quite plain, seemed incomplete and the colour scheme repetitive. I didn’t see this advertisement promoting the AR experience effectively and so as iterations progressed I adjusted the poster’s structure, colour scheme and the appearance of Lightman to be more embossed so that he can subtly ‘pop’ from the poster.

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Inspiration for Advertisement

I gathered visual inspiration for the LightBoard Advertisement on a Pinterest board.

The pinned posters contain one or several of the following -

RMIT Branding

Retro Themes

Polygonal designs 

These styles all feature in the final version of the advertisement.

 See Pinterest Board Here.

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During our class this week we drew up some basic sketch templates of our poster/advertisement design for Lightboard. We decided that this advertisement will be displayed around the RMIT City Campus; as our goal has been to promote the AR experience to RMIT students.

As the target audience for this AR game is RMIT Students we agreed that the poster needs to feature the RMIT University Logo as well as branding relating to the New Academic Street.

We are maintaining a retro arcade aesthetic in the design of this poster, in-keeping with the UI design and physical design of the hoarding. A variation of our pixel-art character / target image LightMan will feature - running across the poster. He is running because he is participating in the game.The poster will also feature a maze visual to communicate that the game involves a maze to solve.

We also re-invisioned the design of the hoarding. It will display instructions, the scannable target image, a leader board, and visuals for onlookers to be able to locate the user’s position in game in comparison to the other players.

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A video exploring pixel art which has assisted me in designing our target image character: LightMan.

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Design Sprint - Week 10

by Paddy & Gabby Concept

New-ture is an augmented reality app that works with local retailers. It discusses the future possibilities within the community of Newport in Hobsons Bay. The content of the app is accessible within the surrounding areas of The Substation in Newport. Using signage, users can scan and learn about the future products, experiences and motivations of local retailers via an interactive Augmented Reality App. For example: at Leroy’s cafe around the corner from the Substation, after scanning the menu sign pinned to the store window, a coffee cup character will appear on the user’s device screen and will discuss, with the aid of visuals, the future of this cafe (i.e. Augmented Reality Menus.)

Delivery:

3 Examples linked to local businesses.

Seagulls hotel:

Scan ‘code of conduct’ signage outside pub

Seagull waiter character pops up

Character xplains future plans of pub; which includes robotic waiters / bartenders 

Visual examples are displayed

Leroy’s cafe:

Scan menu on cafe window

Leroy the latte pops up

Explains AR menus of the future

Visuals appear of futuristic AR menus which will pop from a device

Vinnies store:

Scan Vinnies Symbol Signage

Vinnies bin character pops up

Vinnies Game appears

User ‘throws’ clothing / bric-a-brac items, via a swipe of a finger, into bin character’s mouth

Meanwhile bin character gives tidbits on how your donation supports the future of those

Visual Aesthetic Inspiration

The visual aesthetic of this app is a digital, futuristic and holographic with a neon colour scheme.

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Above are pixel art iterations of our character and target image LightMan.

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Homework - Week 9

Below is a homework task responding to questions based on the content found within the Meta Spatial Interface Design: Augmented Reality and Neuroscience guide PDF.

1. The term ‘prior’ refers to a user’s mental model that is followed when carrying out tasks; an example being that the first instinct of a user is to look for an element which represents a tool associated with the task they are carrying out. 

Though I haven’t encountered the term ‘prior’ itself, I have encountered the concept it refers to whilst exploring skeuomorphism and material design.

2 & 3. According to the guide, holographic furniture / filing utilises the brain’s spatial memory - the brain’s natural ability to efficiently sense and track objects within our surroundings. The document proposes, “by arranging tools and content within the user’s personal space, organisation becomes an intrinsic byproduct of spatial memory, bypassing the need for abstract decoding(...)” I see this idea referencing the design standard of skueomorphism, with a more spatial emphasis, as it focuses on the use of real-world appearances to aid the user’s interaction and understanding of virtual content.

4. ‘Proximity feedback’ is the cues which indicate whether a user has / is interacting with virtual content or objects. The guide references glows and subtle audio cues as an effective way of providing proximity of feedback.

5.  The use of realistic physics ensures that clarity is maintained, through intuitive object interactions and behaviours, as the user participates within the AR experience. “Slight deviations from real-world physics can be used to creative, practical, or even ergonomic effect—but only when handled with moderation. Beyond a certain threshold, exaggeration or abstraction becomes confusing.”

7. A wearable AR experience frees the hands to interact with virtual content within a spacial interface. The Meta documentation explains that our brains have evolved to think spatially, thus such natural 3D interfaces are what our brains have evolved to understand rather than abstract 2D interfaces which require being taught to our brains.

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My iterations of our character LightMan which will become our scannable target image.