Reading notes of “what do the people do” by Tom Igoe
Summary
You can’t tell your audience what to do, rather you motive them.
Designer need to talk about the people for whom they are designing: who are they, what will they be expected to do with the installation, and why will they be motivated to do it.
Machines don’t read your intentions, only your actions.
Interactive art breaks the rules of traditional plastic arts. With painting and sculpture, we know our role as viewers. We look but don’t touch.
Interaction is about enhancing, rather than replacing, what we do best.
The things we make are less important than the relationships they support.
Goals of the creator of the project:
Expressive work: least directly interactive, because they’re usually about expressing an artistic point of view. Expressive projects are useful for learning about control of physical systems, the pacing and structure of and control of the story, and about the effects of aesthetic choices.
instruments (or tools): creators have made a clear aesthetic mark, yet the participants complete the work through their participation.
instructional works: These are works that are designed to convey an idea through direct experience.
Transduction
Transfuction is conversion of one form of energy into another:
Sensors: convert changes in light, heat, air pressure, and other forms of energy into electrical energy.
Actuators: electrical energy into light, heat, movement, and other forms of energy.
Transduction can be divided into two groups:
Digital: binary, can sense or control two states, on or off.
Analog: sense or control a continually varying range of states.
Physical interaction:
Explicit: the participant’s action is primarily intended to send the computer a message: pushbuttons, knobs, sliders, keys, card swipers
Implicit: has some other primary purpose, and sending the computer a message is a secondary effect. Doorway entry sensors, automatic faucet sensors, and other motion detectors can support implicit interaction: door entry sensors, floor triggers, faucet sensors, motion detectors
Ways to Generate Action:
Use active verbs: what to do
Break Down Inhibitions: positive reinforcement, make participants feel comfortable and safe so that we could break down their inhibitions and get them more engaged.
Give people reasons to cooperate: make excuses for people to make contact with each other, to have a conversation.
Give people reasons to compete: make sure the competitors get to focus on each other.
Find the moment between decision and action. Engage.
You can’t enforce interaction
Use the whole body: more fun
Give people reasons to use the whole space
My thoughts:
The guitar story is very touching! Always remember the intention to create something.
[1] “What do the people do”, Tom Igoe
