IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Reflection and Evaluation

'Goodness...'

Evaluating a project is often the most important part to help you improve on your future projects and to take a closer look at what you thought about the overall outcome. Obviously we didn't actually create our installation so I cannot do a full evaluation with reviews and opinions from different people but I can evaluate the areas of the project that I completed and give my own views and opinions on my work.

Overall I thought this was a good project to begin the term with. It helped to introduce me to all the different areas involved in planning and designing an interactive installation and seeing as I had never done anything on this scale before it gave me a good insight into an industry style project. Before I did this project I had never realised all the different areas that I was required to complete in order to design and carry out a project like this, such as the environmental and contextual studies that I had to complete. I enjoyed completing the project, it was good to have creative freedom and be able to design something completely new with few constraints such as expenses.

Our choice of space definitely challenged us when it came to thinking what we could install into it. The space is not very big and is very busy especially on the weekend. The space already contained an attraction, which was the wooden animals, so we had to think carefully about what we could install into it. However I am quite glad we chose this space, it's not the first place that comes to mind when thinking about where to install an interactive installation but this challenged us and allowed us to expand our ideas and think more critically about what we could design. Also it's in a popular area so was the ideal place to install something that lots of people would be able to use.

Success Criteria

Our success criteria depends on whether we fulfilled our requirements;

• Must contain some form of media that allows users to interact with it with an appropriate device- although our installation doesn't have a device for interaction, it is interactive as the screen has an overlay that allows the users steps to be detected and this in turn produces a reaction.

• Must allow participants to engage with the space and support the activities that already take place within space- Our installation ties in with the theme of the space; the jungle animals, because of the balloons which contain the RFID tags.

• Installation must have aesthetic, conceptual and sensory qualities as well as functional.- Aesthetic qualities include the image on the screen when the RFID tag tracks appear on the screen and show the balloons moving around the screen. It completes the main concept of the project which is to create an interactive installation in a social space. I wouldn't really say the interaction has many sensory qualities other than being visually appealing. The installation will be functional within the space.

• Technology must be able to work under any weather condition- The touch foil overlay that we can put over the screen to make it interactive is waterproof so this will ensure it can work in any weather condition.

• Technology must be able to withstand a large and prolonged amount of use- The screen that we are going to buy will be very durable and they last for a long amount of time which is what we need to ensure that the screen works for a long time as our chosen area is very popular.

• There are space limitations with the chosen area so installation size must be relative to the size of the area- The installation will fit into the floor of the space so the only issue that we will have to sort out is making sure we get a screen that is the correct size and fits into the middle of the space.

• Installation must not be in the way of pedestrians.- The installation will be put on the floor as it is a flat screen so there is no issues with the installation being in the way of people walking through the area as this is one of the main features of the screen so has been designed for people to walk over it.  

• Installation must produce sound but must not be too noisy that it distracts other passersby.- The installation does not produce any sound as we thought this would be too noisy for the space as it is outside in an area that is already very popular so will be loud already.

• Installation must be a completely new design and not resemble any of the other technologies currently installed in the shopping centre.- Our screen is unique and does not resemble any of the other technical installations in and outside of the shopping centre.

• Installation must use as little cables as possible to ensure the optimum area can be chosen and there are not too many wires around that could become broken or damaged.- We are unsure yet of the amount of cables we need to use because we have not created the installation but we hope for most of the technology to be wireless therefore we will be able to cut back on the amount of cables we need to use.

• Must use light effects to ensure it can be used at night.- The screen lights up so will be able to be used during the evening and night time.

• Must be secure so pieces cannot be stolen.- The screen will be fixed to the floor and the balloons are designed for people to take.

As you can see from our requirements we have completed most of them and I am happy with the final outcome of our project in relation to these requirements. I think we worked well as a group and it shows with the way we were able to make sure we completed these requirements, for those we did not complete like the sound one, we have a valid reason why we did not and I think the work we produced was to the best of our abilities.

In my personal opinion I think our installation was well thought out and designed. From our original idea of using RFID tags I think we expanded our ideas well and came up with a good idea that allowed us to fulfil all our requirements.

However there are always areas for improvement that we could have done better on;

• I thought we could have done more research at the start of the project to look at more options of what we could do in terms of interactive devices. I did some research into interactive floors and screens but as a group I think we should have found some more information on different technologies before making a firm decision on our final choice.

• I thought we could have been a bit more proactive as a group as we did not meet up very often to discuss ideas and relied more on our blogs and the portal to share our ideas.

Overall I think this was a successful project. I think we developed and expanded our ideas well and adapted them to fit in with the requirements of the project. As a group I think we performed quite well, as I said before we could have met up a bit more and discussed our ideas together in more detail but overall I think we worked well together and had some good ideas. I think our final idea is really good and I have thoroughly enjoyed completing this project.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Deployment

Plan For Deployment : We need to carefully plan out how we are going to install our interactive installation into the area. 

• From the research we have done the space tends to be very busy during the day so prefered time of installation would be the evening/ night when there are less people around and the shops would be closed, therefore we wouldn't cause as much disruption.
• We need to ensure the software is in order and working, this envolves coding the programs and making sure the RFID tags are connected to the program.
• The screen will have to be as thin as possible as we cannot place it into the ground as we do not want to disrupt the brick work thats already been layed. We may have to taper the edges of the screen if it does sit too high above the ground to ensure that people walking by do not trip over the edges.
• The RFID tags need to be placed into the balloons and ensure that they work and send information back to the computer when they are in the entire area. This would involve tests that need to be carried out before we install our screen.
• We need to plan out where the equipment will be placed, such as the computer, to ensure it is in range of all the equipment.  

Timetable : We can't make a specific timetable just yet because we do not know the length of time we would need to set up all our equipement as we do not have any of it yet. Hopefully it would not take too long to set up because all the programs and RFID tags would be set up and ready to go before we had got to the space. We would have to go to our space in the evening as well as this when the space is quiet so we would not cause too much disruption to those walking through the centre. I've created a mock up timetable of what we could do but this would be open to change ;

19:00- Arrive at space, ensure the area is ready to be used, clean etc
19:15- Unload the van
19:30- Start to set up the equipement
19:40- Lay screen and ensure that it is flat against the floor with no outstanding edges that someone could fall over
20:40- Connect the screen to the computer
20:55- Set up RFID tags and put the balloons in the correct place
21:00- Ensure that RFID tags work and are connected to the computer
21:15- Test an RFID tag to ensure the tag, screen and computer program work
21:30- Ensure all the wires are away and covered
21:45- Clear area of all excess equipment
22:00- Pack up and leave. (Come back the next day to run the screen)


What Needs To Be Purchased : There are a number of items that need to be purchased before we can install our equipment:

• Screen, or monitor, large enought to fit into our space, with an interactive foil overlay that would allow us to make the screen interactive for those who stood on it. A company such as arcsream av would be able to supply what we would need, http://www.arcstreamav.com/living-image/
• RFID tags, these need to bought and could be very expensive, I found one website, http://www.buyrfid.com/catalog/ , that sells RFID tags and all the equipment to go with them but they are very expensive so we may have to look elsewhere, could possibly do a deal for advertising to get some discount if we bought in bulk.
• Animal balloons so that we can put the RFID tags into them and allow people to take them around the town centre.

Work That Needs To Be Done :

• The program needs to be coded or installed to ensure that the screen and computer are linked up and the movement of the RFID tags shows up on the screen. Also need to make sure that the screen is touch sensitive and that when it is touched it responds to the program.
• Balloons need to be bought and tags inserted into the them so that passersby can take them.
• Screen needs to be purchased and tested to make sure it works.

Possible Problems : There are a number of different problems that we could face when installing our interactive installation into town so we need to be aware of the possible problems and what we can do to prevent them happening.

• Forgetting to bring some equipment- the night before we need to do a mock set up of all the equipment and pack it all away at the same time to ensure we take everything we need. Probably best to pack multiple items of the same thing such as the cables and wires just incase they don't work when we get to our space.
• Program doesn't work- We need to ensure that the program works before we leave. If possible we should try and find mulitple versions of software that we could use in the event of our main program failing.
• Screen doesn't work- The screen is going to be quite expensive so we can't reallty bring two with us incase it fails because we wouldn't be able to afford it. The only way we could get around this problem is to ensure that we test the screen before we go to space to make sure it works.
• RFID tags will not cover the area in terms of range and sending information- When buying the RFID tags we need to make sure they cover the entire area of the shopping centre and link back to our computer. We will have to measure how far the longest RFID tag will go and make sure that it still shows up on our screen. It is also important that we base our computer as central as possible in the shopping centre to make sure the RFID's cover the area.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Video

As well as creating a photoshop mock up of our chosen space I decided to try and attempt to do a motion stop frame animation to demonstate the way our screen works. I've never made a professional movie before so I tried it the old school way and used some paper and scissors. Here is my attempt:



I think I did a pretty good job considering it took me about an hour to take all the photos and move all the individual bits of paper! This demonstates how our screen works, the coloured squares show the tracking of the RFID tags as the people holding the balloons move round the shopping centre. The shoes indicate someone walking over the screen and the reaction of their feet touching the screen; the squares scatter away from the pressure points.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Photoshop Mock Up

I have made a Photoshop mock up of the installation in the space. As you can see from the photo the screen will be installed in the centre of the space, in the middle of the walkway so that it is in the optimum position for people to walk over and interact with. The balloons are in the top corner and are available for people to take, the RFID tags will be contained within the balloons and will track the people as they walk round the shopping centre and this trace will appear on the screen as they walk. The idea is that when the screen is walked over the small tracks made by the RFID tags will scatter from the point that the screen is touched. There will be pressure sensors in the screen to detect the pressure made by someone walking over it. This will supply information to the computer which will then cause the tracks to scatter.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Video

I went on http://www.arcstreamav.com/living-image/?gclid=CLuYj6ict6UCFYIe4QodP3EJWw and found a video of some of the interactive walls and flooring that they have installed. A couple of the examples on the video show the kind of idea that we are hoping to achieve.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Interactive Devices Research

For our installation we want to use an interactive screen mounted on the floor so that when people walk over it, it produces a reaction. But before we can plan this out we need to do some background research on interactive screens and flooring to look at the technology itself and see what options we have available to us and decide what would fit best into the space.

Interactive Screens can be used in a number of different locations and for many different purposes. Some shops use them on the front of their windows as advertsing that people can go up to and touch to find out more information about the products, and they can also be used in schools on the interactive white boards.

There are several methods used to install and run these screens, two of the main ones are projection and LED screen with a touch foil overlay.

Projection: A projector is installed into the ceiling that projects an image onto a surface, a camera above the projector then detects the movement and location of the person using the projected image and allows interaction between the user and the surface that the image is being projected on to. In this photo you can see the projector is displaying a computer screen onto the surface and the person is able to type the letters on the projected keyboard so they appear on  the screen.

LED Screen: : An LED screen like a television or computer screen can be converted into an interactive screen using interactive touch overlay foil. This is the same foil used to make walls and floors interactive. It is a simple procedure, the overlay is stuck to the front of the window and this allows interaction with the media on the other side of the glass. The computer detects the point at which the overlay is pressed and transfers this to the program that is running on the screen, which then produces the required reaction.

For the purpose of our project we will have to use the touch foil overlay because our screen is going to be mounted on the floor and it is outside so a projector won't be practical as there is nowhere to attatch it too.

Present Use

Interactive screens are used all over the place now a days. From advertising to education they are becoming a more popular way of communicating information.

Interactive screens have revolusionised the advertising industry. They give customers the possibility of finding out more indepth information about the products, sometimes without even entering the shop! It also adds quite a fun aspect to shopping, being able to flick through the products on the outside of the window and some shops even have games that you can play. Some stores even have interactive screens on the floor which react when a customer walks over it.

 

 

Advantages

• There are multiple methods that can be used to make an interactive screen which means that can be set up in most locations, as either of the methods can be used.
• They are very durable and can withstand a prolonged amount of use.
• Screens that use the foil overlay can work in most weather conditions as the technology is contained on the other side of the glass that is not open to the elements.

Disadvantages

• The screens are very expensive to buy and install because of the technology they use.
• Depending on the type of screen used, durability can be an issue because of the sensitivity of the technology.
• Some screens only allow a single user to touch them at any one time.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation RFID Tag Research

RFID stands for Radio-frequency identification and these tags use electromagnetic waves to transmit data to a terminal from the point which they are attached to.
Most consist of two parts, an integrated circuit that that stores and processes the information and an antenna that receives and transmits the signal.

There are 3 different types of RFID tags,

• Passive RFID tags which have no power source, and require an electromagnetic field to create a signal.
• Active RFID tags  which contain a battery and are active once an external source has been identified.
• Battery Assisted Passive RFID tags which require a battery to power them up but can work at a higher range.

RFID tags vary in size, the original tag was about 5cmx5cm but as technology has progressed they have become smaller and smaller, some have even been developed that can barely been seen by the naked eye.

History
The first RFID tag was designed in 1973 by Mario Cardullo for use as a electronic toll collector. The original design was presented in 1969 for use in transportation, medical, security and banking. Today you can see how RFID tags have been incorporating into these fields such as GPS tracking, electronic credit cards and personal identification.

Present Use

RFID tags used to be and still are used in transportation, such as GPS tracking, electronic license plate registration and electronic toll collection. Today their uses are getting more and more advanced. Mobile phone technology is incorporating the tags into handsets to allow the users to link to their bank accounts from their phone. A couple of companies have introduced a reward/ loyalty card system to allow their customers to receive coupons for money off. The tags are attached to the phone and they receive the information via a download which then can read by a specialised device in store.

One of the main uses of the RFID tags is for tracking packages and this was only introduced a couple of years ago. Originally the entire container was tracked using GPS and even then it was mystery where your package was in the days between sending it and receiving it. GPS was too expensive to put into each individual package so RFID tags were used. They can carry a larger amount of information and do not need to visually scanned in order to be registered.

In 2003 the London Underground introduced the Oyster Card to allow uses of the underground prepay for use of the underground. The card is the size of a normal credit card and contact less technology is used to scan the card and register the ticket value the card contains. Passengers can use their home computers and mobile phones to top up the card before they use the underground, so they can go straight down to the platforms after swiping the cards. The Oyster Card contains a tiny RFID tag in the bottom right corner of the card that holds the information.

Another slightly weirder use for RFID tags is human implants. A night club owner who ran night clubs in Barcelona and Rotterdam offered RFID tags implants to those on the VIP list at the club to allow them quicker access to the club and as a quicker payment method at the bar.

Future Uses
In the future RFID tags are set to become more and more popular and commonplace in many areas. IBM, a leading business in the technology market, created this commercial to demonstrate the 'evolution of supermarkets' through the use of RFID tags.



This clever advertisement shows how RFID can make simple everyday tasks, such as shopping, quicker and easier for us to complete.  

Advantages

• They are very small so can be implanted and placed almost anywhere including into humans and animals. This makes them perfect for concealing into packages to help track them without adding the size or weight of the package.
• They can hold a larger amount of information compared to similar technology like GPS tracking. Information can include lots of details of the item that RFID is attached to. 
• They are very secure and not very easily to replicate which increases the security of the product.

Disadvantages

• RFID technology can be very expensive, they are costly to install which only makes the financially beneficial to large businesses.
• Tags require certain conditions for them to be read. If they are placed in liquids or metal they are impossible to read as the material blocks the electromagnetic field.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Creation and Realisation

'Implementation Vision'

One idea that we decided to expand on was the use of RFID tags. Our idea was to put these RFID tags into balloons that we give away at the children's play area. We would make them shaped like the animals in the area to keep with theme, e.g. elephant, zebra etc. The RFID would be contained within the balloon.

This is an example of the balloons we could use and the RFID tages would be contained inside them. ------------------>









The RFID tags are able to track the movement of the item they are attached to. Once a person takes the balloon we will be able to see where they move to within a certain area, e.g. within the shopping centre and the surrounding shops. These tracks will then appear on a screen moving as the RFID tag moves. We could then put a screen in our chosen area that shows the movement of these tags, therefore creating a visual image that moves with different colours. An idea we had was to place this screen on the floor, in the middle of the shopping centre so that it can be walked over and people can look down and see the patterns moving.

Our installation has to be interactive so an idea we had was to make the installation contain pressure sensors so that when it was walked over the screen would move and react to the pressure.

Here is a copy of the image we are trying to create, with the backdrop of google maps so the concept is clear, and the one without so you can see what the final screen would look like. This is just a quick representation of what the final screen would look like, hopefully if it was created it would be moving and there would be more tags.

There may be some security issues regarding the RFID tags tracking people as they walk around the shopping centre. This is the reason we made sure that the installation does not show the actual layout of the shopping centre. Once there are enough people walking around with the balloons there will be a lot of trackers on the screen.

To make our screen more interactive we had the idea of using pressure sensors and a multi touch screen so that when someone walks over the screen it reacts to the person. We had the idea of making all the line segments scatter away from the pressure point and then slowly returning back to the original shape.

'Meeting the requirements'

• The location is within the children's play area and the installation adds to the area as it incorporates the jungle animals with the theme of the balloons.
• If the screen is installed into the floor it will be covered with a waterproof sheet which will protect it from the elements.
• It will be covered with heavy duty plastic to allow for persistent use and people walking over it.
• The floor is the largest area of the location so allows for a bigger screen and therefore more interaction, and because it is in the floor it does not get in the way of any of the pedestrians walking by as they can simply walk over it.
• It's unique and individual compared to the other interactive installations within Plymouth.
• The cables can be drilled into the floor so that they can be connected to electricity sources from the nearby shops.
• The screen will be large and lit up so the installation will work in the dark.
• The screen is embedded in the ground so no parts of it can be stolen and the only interactive device needed is the RFID which are really cheap to buy and are biodegradable so will disappear when the balloon pops.

I found some images on google of a similar idea that we are trying to create. London can be seen from a satellite at night and it gives a similar effect to what we want to create. These photos will hopefully show the kind of thing we want to achieve.

This photo shows the Isle Of Wight using GPS trackers to show how people have moved around the island.



I found a video on YouTube that shows the type of screen we want to create and the program we want to show on it. There's an example in the video of someone walking over the screen with flowers on it. The flowers move out of the way as the guy walks over them, this is the idea we are thinking of when someone walks over our screen, the RFID tag tracks are supposed to disperse when someone walks over them. Here is the video which will help to demonstrate our ideas.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Requirements and Specification

Requirements for Interactive Installation:

• Must contain some form of media that allows users to interact with it with an appropriate device.

• Must allow participants to engage with the space and support the activities that already take place within space.

• Installation must have aesthetic, conceptual and sensory qualities as well as functional.

• Technology must be able to work under any weather condition.

• Technology must be able to withstand a large and prolonged amount of use.

• There are space limitations with the chosen area so installation size must be relative to the size of the area.

• Installation must not be in the way of pedestrians.

• Installation must produce sound but must not be too noisy that it distracts other passersby.

• Installation must be a completely new design and not resemble any of the other technologies currently installed in the shopping centre.

• Installation must use as little cables as possible to ensure the optimum area can be chosen and there are not too many wires around that could become broken or damaged.

• Must use light effects to ensure it can be used at night.

• Must be secure so pieces cannot be stolen.

Our requirements aim to help us achieve the main goals of our installation. Our main goals are:

• Ensure the interaction adds to the aesthetics of the area.
• Make the space more interactive.
• Increase the number of people who visit the space.
• Make the space fun and enjoyable for those who are within it.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Environmental and Contextual Observations

We went down to the children's jungle area when the space was relatively quiet to record some environmental observations. We can use these to help us plan the type of installation we want to put into our space and take into account the environment around it such as the type of shops that surround it, the space dimensions, the objects currently within the space etc.

Floor Plan : To begin with I made up a floor plan of the area so that we can clearly see what is within the space and the areas that we could use as the location for our installation.

The space is located in the centre of a long street in the centre of town. The street begins at the main shopping centre, Drake Circus, and continues all the way down to the bottom where it ends at a road. The walkway has a dissection running through it which is located along from our chosen space and this is where the sun dial is located.

Location : The space is located in the centre of this walk way with shops opposite on two sides and the walk way running through the middle. Around the edges of the area there are four brick flowerbeds that contain a number of different plants. These flowerbeds incorporate some seating at the sides presumable for pedestrians to sit down for their lunch or parents to use when they are watching their children on the play animals. There are also two poles located at either side of the area which contain advertisements for the shopping centre at the top and street lights.

Content/Social Interaction : The main attraction of the space are the children's play animals that are located at the sides. There seems to be a theme of jungle animals that could be incorporated into our idea for the interactive installation. The main attraction of the space seems to be the animals although whilst doing our observations we noticed that nearly everyone who entered the space did not purposely go there for the children's animals, most were passing through and did not stop. However the only people who did stop were those with children who wanted to play on the animals. We could aim our installation at this target audience as these are the people who are most likely to stop and use it and they may be more inclined to use it if they are waiting for their children playing on the animals. We found that those people who were not walking through the space were generally clustered around the animals at the two sides. This gave a clear gap down the middle so this is a possible location for our installation as it is the least busy area of the space therefore people will be able to group there whilst using our installation.

Dimensions : Because of the location of the space there is a limit on the size of the installation that we could install. The area is quite small and compact and very busy during the day time especially with parents and children. Our installation would have to be small and we would need to ensure that it did not get in the way of people walking and interacting with the area and our installation.


Utilities : There may also be a problem with the utilities we have available to us such as a power supply. We may be able to tackle this problem by basing our location as near as possible to the shop fronts and feed a cable from the shops to our installation but we would need permission. There is also the possibility of using the shop fronts as a location for our installation such as touch screens on the windows but again we would need the permission of the companies. 

Limitations/Constraints Imposed By The Environment : As the location is outside we would have to deal with different weather conditions. There is some shelter from the shops around from the wind and rain but the main area is still in the open so our installation would definitely feel the effects of the weather. This may also cause problems with light sources, although there is lighting set up in the walk way it would not be too bright so we may have to provide extra lighting to ensure that our installation could be used day and night. Security may also be an issue. This area is a very popular area day and night because of the shops and attractions like clubs that surround it so there will be people walking through it all the time. There is security in the main street but we would have to ensure that our installation was secure and could not be stolen.

Noise may also be an issue so we would need to address this whilst we were planning our installation. The space gets a lot of activity so there is always the buzz of people walking and talking and we noticed that often people are using mobile phones and Ipods, introducing a new noise into the space may disrupt people who simply want to pass through so a noiseless installation would probably be a better idea. If we did incorporate sound into our ideas we would have to ensure that the sound could be heard to those people immediately around the installation but would not disrupt those walking through.

The area is very dull and gray. There does not seem to be much going on in this space other than the children playing on the animals and it was not really a pleasant experience standing around observing for a long period of time especially when the weather was gray and cold. Adding a fun new installation into this space may encourage people to move out into this main street and make the street brighter and more attractive to shoppers. This could have a benefit on not only the shops but also the environment.

Movement of Individuals : We also noticed the flow of the pedestrians and people walking through the space. There was a larger number of people walking down the two sides of the space rather than through the middle. This area seemed constantly busy so putting our installation here may not be a good idea because it could get in the way. The central walkway was not that busy so putting out installation in this area would be better as people would be able to access it easily rather than stopping in the middle of the street.

I went to the space for the day and documented the number of people that went in and out of the area so get a rough idea of the flow of individuals within the entire space. I thought representing this data in a bar chart would be the easiest way to see how many people were in our space at a given time. I went to the space 5 times over the period of 8 hours, between 9 and 5, as I thought these would be the most popular hours of the day. I did this research on a Thursday, but I can estimate the the number of people in the space on a Friday or Saturday would be marginally higher. From this I can tell that the durability of our installation would have to be very high as there was a large number of people walking through the area at most times of the day as would be expected in the centre of town.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Research

Before we start thinking of ideas for our interactive installation we need to do some research looking at similar technology placed in the same area we are looking at. Our area is outdoors and located near to a major shopping centre so we focused our research on areas similar to this.

To begin my research I focused on installations currently within Plymouth to gain inspiration from these and the type of technology they used but also to try and expand from their ideas and create something individual and unique. I looked on http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/bigblueprint which is the main Plymouth council site. They have an ongoing project called the 'Big BluePrint'.

The 'Big BluePrint' is the collaboration of the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, The BBC, and the City Centre Company. Their aim is to celebrate the ambition for the Olympics and the local Olympians from Plymouth as well as developing the cultural aspects of the city.

TV screen

Plymouth Council control all aspects of digital media that are installed into the city so our installation would need to comply with their aims of the big blue print:

      ·       Welcoming the world- drawing on the unique international history of Plymouth

      ·       Animate and humanise public space- excellence and innovation

      ·       Increase cultural offer and participation in  different locations each as focal points for interaction.

South facing side of the large TV screen 

Interactive media that have been installed into the city centre include the large TV screen which also contains a large scale painting from a local artist on the south facing side of the screen. The shops around the local area where the screen is located are allowed to vote on the photo on the back of the screen. 

After looking at the installations around Plymouth I widened my search to look at other work which focused on the way that the public interact with the different technologies that are placed in different areas. I found a paper wrote by some students that focused on 'socializing interactive installation for the urban environment'.

This group created ‘The LEDs Urban Carpet Project’ which was a sheet of LEDs that were activated when the user stood on them.

From their research and findings I can see that they have some useful information about social interaction between the user and the installation in a public space which can help us develop an installation that would increase interaction.

'We have noticed that users need to learn the interaction rules in order to avoid

social awkwardness and embarrassment around the public display. During this period, the public gathered

around the prototype and watched how others interacted with it before participating, people tend to step over

the perimeter of the carpet, until they are familiarised with the display.'

They also had some good ideas on the location of the installation and the amount of use it would get relative to the amount of people that walked through the location during the day.

'the test sessions have shown that the movement flow of passers-by and activities happening near

the locations has a direct impact in the interactive installation final performance; when the display was

located in an area with a higher rate of pedestrian traffic it was more difficult to catch people’s attention than

in locations where the speed flow tended to decrease due to the spatial characteristics of the physical

environment and people activity (e.g.: window shopping).'

The information from this paper will help us develop our ideas not only with the type of installation we design but also taking in more information about the location with put it in and using this to help us design an installation that is more attractive to our audience.

http://eprints.ucl.ac.uk/7459/1/7459.pdf



From looking at student papers I moved on to researching some companies that produce the type of installation we are thinking of creating. I looked at http://www.arcstreamav.com/ which is a company that have worked with the likes of 'Aero', 'Sony', and 'MTV' to name a few. They specialize in the 'latest cutting edge visual products, providing statement, interactive technologies for events and permanent installation.'

Some of the products they create include 'multi touch tables' that can be used for all types of interactive media such as viewing videos and photos, collecting data and playing games and promotional activities. They are most popular in locations such as galleries and exhibitions so they may not be the most suitable product for use in our installation outside, there may be difficulties with ensuring the tables do not get damaged by changing weather conditions and the amount of use they could get could cause them to malfunction.


Alongside looking for information about similar installations that use the type of technology we are going use, I also looked into the area that we are using to see if I could find out anymore useful information about the space. Unfortunately because our space is quite a small area and is not one of the main attractions in the centre there is no specific information on the area, so any data we need will have to be produced by ourselves. I think this is because the space is not very big and there are other, more attractive areas around Plymouth for people to visit.
I think it's a good idea that we chose this space for that reason, the space is not very popular at the moment for any specific reason so I think adding an installation there will help to attract more people to the area and in turn bring more business to the surrounding shops and overall make the shopping area more attractive and appealing to those who use it.

IDAT101 Group Project Interactive Installation Location Options

When we we're first given our brief we discussed the possible ideas of the location of our installation and the positives and negatives of using each place as our main location:

The Hoe
     +

• It is a large open space so there are not many spacial limitations allowing us to think of different possibilities for our installation regardless of size
• The Hoe is a really popular with our target audience
• Popular area of Plymouth where people often spend lots of time relaxing so they would have time to use our installation and watch others use it

   -

• Popular choice for others groups, we want somewhere more original and unique to our group
• Weather limitations, the Hoe tends only to be busy when the weather is nice, would be a risk to put an installation there when there may not be many people there during bad weather

  Drake Circus
   +

• Popular area for members of our target audience
• There are a number of different places that we could use for the location of our installation depending on its function so we can play around with lots of ideas

   -

• Already has a number of interactive installations installed within it from other companies and designers so may have trouble thinking of something original that draws out audience away from the other installations
• Again, could be a popular choice with other groups
• People shopping in this area may be more interested in going into the shops rather than standing outside using our installation
• This is a very popular area, could be too busy for people to be able to stop and use our installation especially on a Saturday when the shopping centre is very busy

Sun Dial
   +

• This is a popular area for people to sit and eat their lunch on their breaks or whilst shopping so there would be a lot of people standing around
• Popular area for teenagers, most of which are very computer literate so they could be quite keen to use our installation

  -

• This area is already popular for various temporary technological installations so the addition of another one may not get the attention of the audience

Royal Parade
   +

• This area is very popular with many people because of the various bus stops along this road which are connected to every bus route in Plymouth
• People waiting for the bus do not have much to look at anyway so adding an installation here may prove popular

   -

• Although the area is often busy with people waiting for the bus they may not be too keen in interacting with our installation as they may be waiting in a long bus queue and do not want to lose their space or may not have time to try out our product whilst waiting for the bus
• There are not many popular shops along this street as the audience is limited because they are not attracted to the area already

Children's Playarea
   +

• This area is popular with many ages, children who are playing in the area, their parents, people walking past through the shops, so it is accessed by our target audience
• This area is in the middle of the main shops outside, although it is not in the main shopping centre this area can still be busy at peak times of the day especially lunch time as many people walk past it to Tescos
• There is already a theme within the playarea which is the jungle animals, this could be incorporated into our installation to make the playarea more interactive to the children and the passersby
• The playarea is surrounded by popular shops like HMV and House Of Fraiser which would encourage people to come to the shops where they would see the installation and maybe try it out

   -

• Popular shops are nearby which could distract our audience
• This area is in a small densely packed location so we would have to adapt our installation to suit these conditions

Our final choice of location was the children's playarea, we thought this location would receive the largest number of our target audience throughout the day because of the shops surrounding it and it is an interesting space so we would be able expand our ideas into what we could design and install. It already has a theme so we can adapt this to our own ideas. The space is highly social because of all the people walking through it and there is a high volume of people around during the day. Most of the people walking through the space are probably shopping so may take some time out to use our installation especially if they have children as it is located in the children's play area. Next we need to do some research other technological work in a similar area to what we want to design and see if we can gain some inspiration from other pieces of work.