Wonder Document - INF4260
Høst
Geirr Sethre, Mads Tool, Henning Lundheim, Tommy Madsen
The Interactive Color Room
The Interactive Color Room 1
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The interactive color room is meant to be an application for relatively small children.
We hope to attract their interest by inviting them to explore colors and make basic
associations between colors and objects.
Problem space
The installation will consist of real physical objects as well as digital technology,
using a multitouch projector to track movements from the analogue artefacts we
integrate into the system.
To create interest for our installation, we will appeal to children's curiosity and their
desire to explore. We want the design to appeal to both sexes. The installation will be
appropriate for children that are old enough to coordinate their movements and cooperate to use the installation, but not so old that the idea of playing with colors
appears boring.
One of our main challenges, will be to balance the design process and the input from
our actual users, in this case the children, to design something they can actually use
and benefit from. The goal is that children will learn something about how primary
colors are building blocks in the color spectrum, and to associate colors with various
physical objects. A primary color is to be represented by an object (i.e. a red, blue
and yellow ball). This object should be intuitive to use and move around in a defined
space, so that multitouch projector technology can be able to identify the position of
each ball on the defined area, and thus produce a corresponding color.
How we shall tie the generated colors to real objects is an area we initially leave
open until we know more about the users. This also goes for what kind of objects that
will be colored.
Assumptions
We assume that kids like to play with colors, and that it is an important part of early
learning in a kids life. They like coloring objects on a piece of paper, so why wouldn’t
they like coloring objects in an interactive color room with a set of balls?
Kids learn by doing so we think that this concept would engage kids in having fun
and playing with different color-combinations. This concept invites kids to cooperate
with each other and motivation will come from trying this out with other kids who are
just as enthusiastic as themselves.
Our assumption is that this interactive color room will be a experience kids will
appreciate through trying out, co-operating and just having fun.
Conceptual model
Our conceptual model consist of two rooms, the color room and the exhibition room,
multiple colorable objects, a projector, a camera and three primary colored balls.
The color room will have a floor inspired by the color palette from the program paint.
On this floor the 3 balls can be placed at various locations. The placement of the 3
balls dictates the color of this room (colored by lights).
One corner[1] of the room represents maximum amount of color, while the opposite
corner[2] represents minimum amount of color. Another corner[3] will represent
amount of darkness(black), and the last corner[4] will represent the amount of
brightness(white).
This means that if the red ball is in corner 2, and the other two are in corner 1 the
room will be green(yellow + blue = green).
Furthermore, to enhance the user experience we want to give the users the
opportunity to give objects the color made in the room. To achieve this we wish to
create a platform where moveable objects can be placed. Once an object is placed
on the platform it shifts to the color of the room(internal light bulb/led light with the
ability to change colors).
When the object again is removed, we want it to keep its color by the aid of batteries.
The batteries can be recharged by integrating an adapter to the surface of the
platform and under the objects.
When the users have created the color of their choice they can carry it into the next
room – the exhibition room. Here there will be placed various statues and paintings
with platforms in front of them. All the statues and paintings here are able to change
color to the color of the object once the object is placed on the platform in front of it.
Goals
Our goal is to create a concept that can be used in the new children’s museum in
Oslo. We hope to engage kids in playing with colors in a different and enjoyable way.
Different kids with different cultural backgrounds can play with color-combinations
and place them on to objects through collaborating. This concept will hopefully get
the kids to see the interconnection between the primary colors, and to help stimulate
they’re creativity through placing different colors on a diversity of different objects.