Ghaida Zahran ITGM 705 Interactive Design & Media Application\

Exercise 1 : Artist’s Statmentand Sketches

Summer 2010Professor David Meyers

Artist’s Statement

The Concept: A home entertainment device that utilizes the resources that are already available to people today. The device takes the idea of a digital photo frame to the next level; assigning digital sentimental value to any object in the room.

The Problem: A person may have their music collection stored on her iPod, her movies stored on their DVR, and their photos stored on her personal computer. This could result in an annoying number of controllers to tinker with when all the user wants is to listen to a song or watch a movie.

The Solution: A single controller in the form of a pointing device, not unlike the Nintendo Wiimote, but with a “scanning” ability. The user would point the device at an object that had been preassigned to start a certain task on a certain device, and the device would transmit the order to the device to start playing the media.

Example Scenario: On a first date with her significant other, the user had danced to “Beautiful Stranger” by Madonna. To remember the date she assigned a framed picture of her with her significant other to play “Beautiful Stranger” on her iPod. Thus every time she used the pointer on the picture frame her iPod would play “Beautiful Stranger”.

Artist’s Statement

The device exhibits procedeural, participatory, and spatial characteristics. The user must perform certain actions to turn ordinary objects into digital triggers. The device is also highly personal, for example the photo frame in the previous example carries sentimental value for that particular user but not to others. The device enables the user to digitally explore the spaces around then and not necessarily within the confines of the screen because any object could be interactive.

Sketches

1. The user points at the photo frame and the hand-held device transmits the trigger to the appropriate device.

2. The device receives the data and starts playing the pre-assigned media.

1. A child uses the scanner on a stuffed toy of his favorite TV character.

2. The DVR starts playing the latest recorded episode of the show, without the child having to navigate through complex menus.

The device will have a minmal number of buttons and a scanner in the front.