Graduate school is awesome and requires no sleep. As with the majority of an interaction designer's work, our school assignments tend not be "portfolio-ready". Sketching on a whiteboard, in code, or using hardware, my classmates and I are developing tools to create, prototype, test, and eventually build new user experiences.

Beyond adding to our toolkit and honing our craft, we are learning how to communicate new ideas and concepts to teammates, clients, or larger audiences to get everyone excited, and understand new experiences that come with the design of an interface, service, or system.

Below are some snapshots of projects from the past year and a half at SVA, in various stages of development and polish.

Our Prototyping User Experiences class was divided into three sections: storytelling, prototyping techniques, and sketching in hardware. For the first six weeks of the semester, we were assigned teams and had to choose a transportation issue in New York City. My team selected the ominous Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th and 42nd. In order to identify pain points in the traveler experience, we observed and documented facility layout, information and interaction touchpoints, and user behavior on-site. We synthesized our findings into a user journey map and developed an initial solution: reusable, e-ink tickets that acted as both navigation aids and bus ticket for the passenger.

After a few rounds of paper prototyping and class feedback, we abandoned the e-ink ticket for a larger solution that integrated all bus companies into one ticketing system - instating user accounts, mobile and online access, and redesigned kisoks at the bus terminal. Having recently learned video and user journey techniques, we created several iterations of a user journey video to present our concept to the class. Once we began the prototyping phase of the class, we split from our groups to focus on different types of prototyping and user testing techniques. I chose to use Flash to develop a bouncing ball demo of the interface as well as a foamcore kiosk and the usability application Silverback for user testing.

For the final phase of the class, we could continue to prototype solutions for our selected topic or take our hardware sketches in a different direction. After trying out various sensors, I really enjoyed playing with RFID and developed an RFID jukebox that allowed users to create a playlist from physical representations of songs.

The final project asked students to create a future digital product using technology available within the next 5 years. Our process consisted of initial idea generation, research, design iteration, and production. This project was a great opportunity to try out different storytelling techniques using keyed-gestures, Flash, and After Effects.

With INTouch, the team wanted to explore the idea of mutli-touch tables as part of an integrated system of networked devices in a restaurant. Rather than replace the waitstaff, the table seeks to augment and support communication between guests, servers, and the kitchen and bar by offering solutions to certain dining inconveniences. Features include allowing guests to sort the menu based on dietary preference, sharing food items with the rest of the table, and dividing bills for group dining with smartphone payment.

Visualizing.org hosted their first annual 24-hour visualization competition at the Eyebeam Art & Technology Center in New York City. Twenty teams from eight different design schools were challenged to visualize theimpact of humanity’s footprint on Spaceship Earth. We received an Honorable Mention for our visualization.

The chart highlights the eight global indicators of planetary health: ozone depletion, atmospheric CO2 levels, phosphorus and nitrogen runoff, ocean acidity, biodiversity, land use and freshwater use. These values all have scientifically proven boundaries, beyond which there is an increased risk of detriment to life on earth. This chart to provides a summary view of these indicators juxtaposed against total world population data and extrapolated over time. It demonstrates that we are approaching or have already exceeded several of these bounds. Finally, each indicator is paired with a “microcosmic” story suggesting just one of may ways in which individual behavior can bear influence on the global scale.