Assignment 2

Emerging Technology Prototyping

Presentation and files due before class Thursday March 6.

The second assignment gives you an opportunity to learn about unfamiliar emerging technologies by creating prototypes for use in the context of the future of design.

At the end of this project you ideally should have a better appreciation of alternatives for approaching new technologies, will gain awareness of new technology prototyping skills and strategies, and will have created work that should impact your thinking about the role of technology in design.

For this project you will need to CHOOSE an unfamiliar technology to learn about through making. This does not need to be the same technology you examined for the first assignment, but it could be.

As in the previous assignment, you’ll have several options for HOW you can do your work and control over WHAT you want to learn. This flexibility is intended to be helpful and useful to you. If it ever feels like TOO much freedom, let me know and I can suggest additional constraints.

The intent of this project is that you dive into something that seems really interesting and potentially useful that you have ZERO idea about. The primary learning goal is not for you to quickly master that technology and use it to design something amazing, but rather for you to pay attention to your process of learning to use a new technology.

As in the previous assignment, the technologies selected will be considered in the context of possible use cases within the future of design. Please do not allow “immediately apparent applications for the future of design” to influence your technology choices.

Also, do NOT rule out any technologies because you don’t know how you’d study it, because there may be prototyping/simulation/etc options you are currently unaware of. We can likely find ways for you to learn about, and make use of, any emerging technology that interests you (e.g., virtually.)

We will consider analog, digital, established, and emerging prototyping strategies, including alternatives that vary in cost, time, expertise, and quality.

Constraints / opportunities:

You will need to create and visualize one or more embodied prototyping experiences. I want you to:

1. Create and use physical prototype components (e.g. handheld, worn, devices, physical versions of AR elements, etc.)
2. Create and use digital prototype assets
3. Create a system diagram showing how such a system might work.
4. Create photo and video documentation of the experience(s), showing both what was experienced, and people seeing it.

Please only use yourself and/or other students in this class in your visual documentation.

Presentation format

Prepare a presentation communicating your group’s work: research, discoveries, and creations:

• Presentation format:
  • 5 minutes to transition groups and get set up
  • 15-20 minutes for each group to present work
    • show and discuss your what you made and did
    • discuss your process
    • reflect on your findings
    • everyone should present something
    • doesn’t need to be equal time for everyone
  • 5 minutes for questions and discussion
  • 10 minute break at halfway point

File submission

First, one group member should be chosen to upload all the group’s presentation files to Carmen in one zipped folder. The group files that should be submitted in this zipped folder are:

• the presentation slides as a powerpoint or PDF file (do NOT submit a link to an online presentation)
• a PDF file describing all the work done for this project
• any additional files you’d like to share including videos produced, process sketches, photos, etc.
• Groups should not submit files created for specific programs like revit, blender, unity, etc.
• Talk to me before submitting any large video files. Carmen gets tricky if everyone submits GBs of data. I’ll probably ask you to share that file with me through Teams/OneDrive.

Second, each group member should individually upload a PDF file that describes your individual work on the project (e.g., “We all worked pretty equally on X; I did all the Y, and I helped a little with Z.”) Also please write a brief reflection on how the project went for you (e.g., “I’d hoped to work more on X, but I’m glad that I learned Y, and I’m super proud of Z!”)

Evaluation

You will be graded based on the following, listed by priority:

1. (45%) Hands-on learning about technology by making and “using” it. What did you learn about the technology? Examples might include:
   • implications (what might this technology impact/mean?)
   • capabilities (what can/can’t it do?)
   • applications (what is it good/bad for?)
   • expectations (what surprised you?)
2. (30%) Learning about learning about emerging technologies
   • what resources/methods for learning were explored?
   • design and document your actual learning processes
   • reflect on your learning process
3. (15%) Outcomes aligning with your design interests and goals:
   • how did you make good use of this opportunity?
   • what did you learn that might be useful for your future?
4. (10%) Presentation/files/directions/documentation

All requirements minimally completed will result in a “B” base grade.

• Grades can be raised by exceptional attention to:
  • creative problem solving
  • visual design
  • interesting ideas
  • documentation
  • collaboration
• Grades will be reduced if your work:
  • doesn’t satisfy a requirement
  • is difficult to understand
  • includes significant design decisions that appear arbitrary
  • quantity and quality are not appropriate for expected time investment
  • lacks consistent weekly progress
  • uses your classmates’ presentation time

Advice

• Demonstrate breadth of investigation instead of One Perfectly Crafted Solution.

  • Make, evaluate, adjust, and repeat - instead of careful advanced planning.
  • Get it minimally done, then make it better.
  • Seek help or go around problems, instead of grinding with no progress.

• Projected or printed text should be readable by audience, not just look good on your screen.

• Show your work: Make it easy to understand what you’ve tried, accomplished, and discovered.

• Save versions of your work instead of overwriting the same file.

• Always have multiple backups.

• 9 hours/week total work is expected for 3 credits: 4.5 hours/week of outside work.