How We See

This was my senior thesis project at SUNY Purchase. It explored interaction and interface design. The wall is covered in motion sensitive lighting panels. Each panel is connected to a microcontroller that runs the entire wall. The controller is being powered by a seperate computer running Max MSP. The reason for the somewhat complicated nature of controlling the lights was simply that: Control. If I had made each one a stand alone unit that would respond individually to motion the experiment would have ended with that. By using a program to define a set of rules I was able not only to record how people used the wall, but alter the rules and then compare the results. For instance, I could change the useres experience by creating different kinds of dealys between when the motion was detected and when the light was turned on. This delay created an interesting feel to the wall, more of a human timing and also triggered an uncertainty in the user as to how exactly the wall reacts. This gave them cause to experiment and play.

Most people wondered if it was sound or movement that controlled the lights. Peoples reactions were really what the project was about. It made them have a dialog with the wall and to play with it as though it were another person instead of just a game or tool.

The way we as a species interact with our enivironment was originally what interested me. I changed my focus to our interaction with technology because our everyday environments have become completely overrun with computers. How we learn to experience things on a daily basis is constantly changing. How many different kinds of credit card scanners have you seen at supermarkets? Each time I goto a store with one I have to relearn how to use it. It may seem like a simple thing but now there seems to be a learning curve with everything we do. Buying a metro card involves navigating an interface. Doing laundry requires buying a special card from an automated machine. Even renting movies now has become more complicated than simply picking it out at a store. The way we learn to use this new public technology is an important field that I hope to delve into more.