spatial media – final
May 15th, 2009 admin
The goal of this project is to create a passive information display that dynamically adapts to the users level of attention. The information shown on the display is represented in 3 distinct states representative of the users position from the display surface. It is assumed that when the user is in close proximity to the display surface, they will be interested in a detailed representation, where a more subtle view is desired when the user is away from the display screen.
The content selected for this display was chosen due to the frequency in which one generally surveys this data and is comprised of the following information sources: email, sms messages, in-bound phone calls, relevant news feeds. These varied sources of information are aquired through an application written for the android platform that automatically connects the users internet enabled phone to the target data network when possible. This allows for the user to deposit their phone anywhere within wireless range, and still be able to remain aware of the various forms of communication and information flowing towards them.
The ideal location for this of display is a semi-private space such as a home or personal office. It is thought that one should have direct access to this type of information when desired, yet it should remain hidden when not appropriate to be shown.
Programatically, the detail level of the display is mediated by a camera tracking system that searches for the face of a given user. The camera searching for the face is positioned such that a face is only recognized when the users is actually looking towards the display. This detection system allows for 2 levels of user analysis: 1. is the user looking for information (based on their gaze towards the display), 2. at what distance is the user looking from (based on the size of the users face). The distance of the users face is smoothed through an averaging routine, allowing for gradual and more realistic state changes in an attempt to prevent sudden or abrupt shifts in visual states.
It should be noted that the information displayed is not intended to replace the computer as a means of interacting with these forms of digital content, but have been designed to allow for a more harmonious co-existance with the ever increasing emphasis and importance on this type of information awareness.
The most subtle level of detail (’detail level 1′) is the default state of the data representation, and can be seen in figure 1. This state is triggered when the users is either not looking at the display, or is simply beyond a threshold distance relevant to the space in which the display is installed. In this state, the data is visualized by the a thin solid colored bar which vibrates in relation to the amount of data accumulating in the users various data streams. The goal of this visualization is to provide a subtle representation of the data waiting for the user, allowing one to have an awareness of valuable data without providing a significant distraction.
‘Detail level 2′ allows the user to obtain a slightly deeper level of understanding their data pool through a catagorical representation of the various types of waiting data. Each stream of data is color coded (as defined by the user), while the size of the catagorical representation is determined by the amount of data associated with that particular category. An example representation of this state can be seen in figure 2.
‘Detail level 3′ assumes the user is now in a state where they can benefit from seeing a higher level of detail. The categories that were described in the previous state in their abstracted geometric representations are now seen in a grid like system allowing for a through understanding their personalized information streams.
Posted in spatial media | No Comments »