Tactile Playgrounds

WEEK 10

MAKING, AND MORE MAKING

I got my hands on the Bare Conductive Board toolkit, which not only included the board itself but also components such as conductive paint, a memory pin, wires, and more. It is a comprehensive toolkit and incredibly useful now that I have it.

Testing the Conductivity

I laser cut the yellow acrylic sheet and tested its conductivity with the foam shapes and conductive tape to assess the technical feasibility together with the design and functionality of the board.

Prior to conducting tests with the foam shapes, I made adjustments to the sounds on the bare Conductive board, I downloaded different sounds and replaced the existing ones with the new ones. I will change the sounds again later.

  • Checking if the board works after changing the sounds to different effects.

  • Laser cutting the acylic board.

  • Checking if the board works after changing the sounds to different effects.

  • Checking if the board works after changing the sounds to different effects.

FORM AND SKETCHES OF CLAY

When considering the objects, I have various concepts in mind. My aim is to create objects with a combination of tactiles and smooth surfaces. The smooth surface acts as an area where the user can touch to better feel the sensory cue, e.g. vibration. Covering an object entirely with tactile textures might hinder the sense of vibration. Therefore, I will opt to create each object with different textures so the user can flexibly touch wherever they prefer, either the tactile textures or the sensory cue.

Sculpey clay in different colors were used to make the objects.

Checking if the board works after changing the sounds to different effects.

Experimenting with clay, I found that the results were not visually appealing and lacked the organic quality I had envisioned. I also figured out that the shapes would feel and appear similar due their resemblance to each other, as seen in the sketch above.

The abstract shapes were made through playing around with the clay, with no limitations. This hands-on approach allowed me to directly observe and make adjustments to the objects, rather than solely relying on sketches. It highlighted the significance of tangible action over envisioning ideas solely through sketches and my own imagination.

LASER CUTTING + PROTOTYPE OF THE ACRYLIC FORMS

Lights are not able to show through alot of materials. As such, I will consider using something transparent, like acrylics. Initially, I was thinking about organic forms to maintain consistency with my clay forms, but assembling them would be challenging, hence why I will opt for geometric shapes instead.

After laser cutting.

  • The acrylic sheets were put together with super glue.

  • Touching the copper tape will acticate the LED light.

    Assembling them together was fairly easy, but one downside is that it looks messy because you can see the glue showing through the acrylics. Is there another way of putting the sheets together? Double sided tape? Glue gun?

DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATIONS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL CARDS

Having instructional cards can effectively inform users how to interact with the board and the purpose and function of each component.

Include:

  • 1.

    Each object’s representation (e.g. red one represents their home while the yellow one is an overhead bridge) and how many sensory cues each category has.

  • 2.

    Highlight that the user can change the objects based on their own needs and preferences.

  • 3.

    Emphasise the ability to switch sensory cues (sound, vibration, and lights).

  • 4.

    Enable users to assemble the map themselves and position the objects according to their own neighbourhood.

Design:

  • 1.

    Seek inspiration from the clay objects.

  • 2.

    Playful style that will appeal to children.

I will not make any adjustments to these until after Open Studio. However, I am aware that there is ample room for refinement, which I will likely do during week 13.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

My project is currently moving quickly as I have both articulated and started to experiment making the objects. I feel confident that I have ample time to bring these ideas to life before Open Studio, or at the very least, to have a good amount of things to show by that time. The technical aspects are falling into place smoothly, thanks to the Bare Conductive board. I have begun crafting the objects using both clay and acrylics, and I am also exploring the design of the third set. Everything is proceeding according to plan!