Project Log
▪ Chat Grantt
I divided the work methodology into three phases: (1) the idea, here I include the research and the sketches, (2) the creation process, here I adress the definition of process, machines and the prototype, testing geometries, materials and the electronic system and (3) finally the creation of the final product, here I assemble the final prototype with the best possible quality and with the aesthetics that I want to capture. In this phase I included the final documentation and the presentation of the project.
▪ MidTerm Presentation ⏱️
I made some changes to the presentation after I presented it to the judges because I missed to include the prototypes that I had advanced so far (mainly the electronics with the lights and the sensor working) and also because I felt that I did not explain well the reason for my final design.
▪ About the comments 📝
I always appreciate each comment that people make about my work. So, I tried to analyze every comment from the session. I found very useful to get their feedback and also I learned a lot from other's projects.
Why I'm using the temperature sensor?
For making the neck piece glow, I got inspired from an article about Bodily Maps of Emotions I think is really interesting how our body manifests our different emotions. Whenever I experience a strong emotion in public, my neck turns red and my skin looks like I have an allergy. While this happens the temperature and the redness of this area increases rapidly, at first this was something I wanted to hide but now I want to use that to make the accessory react. For me it is important that the object to be used has a bidirectional communication with the user and therefore, my body temperature will cause there to be an action of the object (which will be light), and in response to that, I will know that I am glowing and everyone notices it. This will somehow make people focus their attention more on the light and the glow and no longer on my redness, which would make me more comfortable (I guess) but this is all part of the glow up.
Have I tested de sensor?
Before building the case I tested the sensor in my neck, attaching it with adhesive tape, I had to change several times the ranges of the programming because the temperatures were higher than other times. I left the system plugged in for at least 40 minutes while I was taking my university classes and there I realized that the sensor must be placed in a strategic point of the neck to make sense when measuring the redness and this helped me to get the most accurated ranges.
The sensor has a small contact surface so I could not place it anywhere on my neck because it will not be measuring the temperature increase. This could be very problematic when assembling the final product and placing the sensor. That is why I thought I would isolate the sensor from the main case and see how I could place it directly on my neck.
Why the design is like that?
Judges told me I should consider something smaller and elegant that matches more with introverted personalities. And I know that it would make a lot of sense because any introverted person will wear it. BUT, something I realized before is that I want to: break that mold. As I mentioned before, I don't want to change introverts into extroverts but, following this glow up goal, I want to make something that seems to be like "only and extrovert will use".
There is a misconception that introverts want to hide and to be appart from other people, but we only process stimulation and information in a different way, therefore we communicate and express ourselves in a different way. Also, introverted people are always associated with clothes with neutral, boring, dull colors and nothing extravagant, BUT personally I think those are very similar traits in introverts but it doesn't mean that we don't like colorful things or we don't like fancy things. And for the first time I want to get out of that, I want to wear something that they would say "is only for extroverts" but in reality it's not.
Galvanic Skin Sensor may be useful
I needed to make more tests with the LM35 sensor (even if it seems to be working good). I need to prototype more and if after all of that this sensor is not suitable for the project, I'll change to this sensor recommended by Anastasia. This one is interesting because it seems to read the body as an smart watch will do.
▪ What is GSR (galvanic skin response) and how does it work?
▪ Analyzing User Emotions via Physiology Signals
▪ Arduino and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) Sensor
▪ Instructables for Making Galvanic Skin Response Finger Electrodes
▪ Galvanic Skin Response powered by Arduino
▪ Storytelling ✍🏻
I was not clear about the way I wanted to show my project to the world so, instead of drawing it, I developed my script in a quick video
What is going on in this video:
- I started by choosing the song (which I actually liked a lot), maybe I could keep it or use another one. I like it because it "sounds like light or sparkles".
- Present the "who": a "real life scenario" where I'm in front of my computer or reading a book, with my headphones on, feeling overshadowed by the glow that only extroverts seem to have. I'm surrounded by more people and I try to get them to see my glow, but I don't succeed. People always have comments like, "introverts are very boring, antisocial, not funny, can't stand out, etc". And I start thinking: are we really like that, can't we shine?
- Present the "why" and "how": Introversion is not a bad thing, but people see it as something we should change (even because of a historical background that has made us always look for people who are more talkative, outgoing, etc.). Here I start to make an "introspection", and first I try to be more extroverted in order to fit in, but I realize that this is not working. And I "find" the accessory that will make me shine
- Present the product: what does the product do? - It takes something of the introverted person and transforms it into brightness (that brightness that no one seems to see but in reality has always been there).
- The body interaction: I put on the accessory and it starts to blink, but I don't notice it until more lights start to come on. When they are all on I feel like nothing else is bothering me anymore because now everyone can see my glow.
- Here I was thinking of a super bright background, like I'm already glowing and the whole place is filled with light.
NOTE: I do not want to " speak negatively" about extroverts or anything like that, because I really admire their way of communicating and expressing themselves, it's all more to empathize and say: "hey, introverts are here too and we can shine". It's not about making introverts become extroverts either, it's literally a glow-up and that's why I incorporated the glow.
At first I was planing to focus a lot on the product with this black background and so on, but then I change "radically" making a video more about me and the message of Glow (still don't now which is the best way to present the project)
References for the final video
▪ Crafting wearables: interaction design meets fashion design
▪ PROJECT PROXIMITY ‘Proximity Dress’
▪ Ligth
Useful Links
▪ Final Presentation
▪ About the comments 📝
Judges were happy with the aesthetic of the final outcome even if I had to fix somethings at the last moment and I'm happy with that too because I was worried when my board burned and I had to improvised. Also there were nice comments about the construction of the concept but maybe I need to polish it more just going deeper into the introverted personalities.
Some things that need to be checked:
▪ The input for the lights. Instead of the temperature sensor maybe getting other input from the enviroment or from the body
▪ The output. Even if the concept of glow is clear, maybe all introverts won't wear the accesory (except for a performance) so making a smaller accesory that "matches" better with introverts will be nice
▪ Apart from the glow, what are the other type os interactions that introverts can have with an accesory?. Which are other ways for the to communicate with others and to express themselves?
▪ Think about the trazability of the object, what things can I make different to make it more sustainable? Maybe I can start thinking about my stakeholders
But which I consider one of the most important things that need and answer ❗
▪ How do I feel after this? I need to answer the question I made myself at the beggining of the project: Are introverts really not shining? and why?
During this time I was trying to find a better definition for introverts, instead of the boring adjetives that people use to describe use. So I thought that we are like a stone that needs to be polished to bring out its shine. But perhaps it is not only that, I mean, it is not only a personal matter it's a collective one. So I thought that we are actually a diamond that takes time to be discovered. Just like when a page takes a long time to load and then you close it because you got tired of waiting. Introverts don't let people see their shine immediately and not all people wait for us to "finish loading", that's why they don't get to see our shine.
Another thing I discovered is that every once in a while I like to feel that I'm an outgoing person, and I have an extrovert mood or "extroverted preferences". This is also why I like lot of things about designing and I just think I still need to build my own style of designing.
More thoughts in this section
▪ BOM 💸
I looked at each material that may be useful for this electronic part, I found them locally and globally but mainly I want to use local materials that will be really more cheaper.
⚠️I won't use every item of this list, it's just to have knowledge of the components I looked at
| Items | Where to buy | Approx. price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| MLX90614 | Local (Quito) | 25.00 |
| MLX90614 | Global | 23.00 + shipping |
| LM35 | Local (Quito) | 3.00 / 4.00 |
| LM35 | Global | 10.00 + shipping |
| DHT11 / DHT22 | Local (Quito) | 4.00 / 10.00 |
| DHT11 / DHT22 | Global | 12.00 + shipping |
| Arduino Nano | Local (Quito) | 10.00 |
| Arduino Nano | Global | 20.00 + shipping |
| White LED diode 5mm | Local (Quito) | 0.20 |
| 224 ohms resistor | Local (Quito) | 0.03 |
▪ Total cost of the final prototype 💸
| Items | Units | Approx. price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| LM35 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Arduino Nano | 1 | 10.00 |
| White LEDs | 6 | 1.20 |
| 224 ohms resistor | 6 | 0.18 |
| 3d printed part 01 | 1 | - |
| 3d printed part 02 | 1 | - |
| 9v battery | 1 | 2.00 |
| chain | 1 | 2.00 |