Port Authority Prototyping
Interaction Design, User Interface Design
2012
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.
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.
- Date / Spring 2011Class / Prototyping User Experiences with Clay Wiedemann, Jeff Hoefs, Josh Musick, Robert FabricantView / Process / User Journey Map
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. 
Organizing observational research from the New York Port Authority bus station into a user journey map
Detail of the user journey map
Sketching interfaces for a navigational bus ticket
Rough paper prototype of an e-ink bus ticket
Paper prototype of an e-ink navigational bus ticket
Creating a kiosk prototype out of foamcore and paper
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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.Design, Interaction Design2012 -
The service sector makes up nearly 70% of the U.S. economy, yet customers are often frustrated by their service experiences and companies don’t always recognize the role design can play in crafting their service offering. How does one design something as intangible as a service? Our team chose to work within the tourism & hospitality industry, applying the principles of openness, transparency, reliability and community to our service.
Our service became known as Streamline, a company that empowers locals to rent their idle goods to tourists who want to travel lightly. It seeks to connect travelers’ destination needs to shared resources in a local community. By helping locals capitalize on their underused goods (and save space in their home too), Streamline creates opportunity by providing luggage-free travel as well as offering an alternative to existing storage options.
Streamline allows locals to post, promote, and lend their idle goods. They are inventivized to participate because they can store their unused items for a reasonable one-time fee, and make money at the same time. Tourists, on the other hand, can avoid the hassle of traveling with large, bulky items by renting through Streamline. By selecting from a variety of goods located right at their travel destination, tourists can have items delivered right to their place of stay for use during their vacation. When returning for home, they can simply leave behind the places they rented instead of packing them up.Interaction Design, Service Design2012 -
The final project asked us to visualize a personal collection. When I was younger, I collected everything from Pez dispensers and coins to kachinas and bottle tops. I spent a weekend searching my parent's attic for my matchbook collection – one that dated back to my grandfather's business trips around the U.S. I catalogued as many data points as possible and produced two hardcover, french-fold books, one for Nicholas and one for myself.Data Visualization, Graphic Design, Design2011 -
Our class was given access to a Nike Plus data set for 1,000 runs in New York City. Having explored Processing and Google Refine earlier in the semester, we had 3 weeks to play around with the data and present our visualizations to guest critics.
At first, I mapped the runs in succession, creating a layered map of the city. Next, I targeted each individual run by building a click-thru map, noting run distance. As I played with the data a bit more, I wanted to explore form over function. I then scrubbed the data for outliers, finding 920 runs and separated distance (yellow), time (orange), and pace (teal). Using a pie chart as my base, length and time determined the radius of each pie slice, and circle area represent pace, with each run's circle bisecting its arc.Data Visualization2011 -
LoremEntrepreneurship, Design, Business Development2011 -
For our final project, we were asked to develop a new business concept for an interactive product or service and a comprehensive business plan. We had to consider the concept from multiple angles, including problem/solution, defining the market and existing competition, economic viability, potential risks, and the team to make it all happen. On the last day of class, Allison and I had 10 minutes to pitch our idea to potential 'investors'.
Through market and competitor research in the $5.6 billion bicycle industry, we uncovered two areas of where cyclists were being underserved: bicycle security and collecting/sharing ride data. Our solution was Setrabike – a GPS device that installs directly into your bike’s seat post, acting as both a stat and performance tracking device as well as a security system. If stolen, the unit would activate and broadcast its location to its owner through a cellular connection. Similar to Nike Plus for runners, the Setrabike system is a simple integrated platform that allows cyclists to track, share, and compare the stories of their rides with a larger online community.
At the core, we proposed a quality tracking and communication module with long lasting battery life that easily pairs with smartphone and web based applications.Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Business Development2011 -
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.Interaction Design, User Interface Design2011 -
This 3-week midterm project asked us to create a potential entry for the New York City's Big Apps competition, utilizing data from the city's DataMine platform. I noticed that many entrants created apps that sorted and filtered the deluge of events and entertainment options in New York, but very few of the apps had emotional resonance. I wanted to use data to augment the experience of exploring New York and focused on the overlooked roadside memorials of ghost bikes.
While ghost bikes are intended to preserve the memory of killed cyclists and create awareness for bike safety, their permanence is jeopardized as time passes. The Ghost Bike iPhone app serves as a resource to memorialize NYC cyclists and document ghost bikes beyond their physical installation, allowing users to locate ghost bikes, read cyclist stories, and place virtual mementos such as letters, flowers, or candles. When visiting a ghost bike, the user is able to see other visitor’s mementos through an augmented reality view. In the unfortunate event that a ghost bike has been vandalized or removed, the user would still be able to see the bike as it once was.Interaction Design, User Interface Design, Design2011 -
For our final project, we were tasked to create a mobile application for Museum of Modern Art visitors. The 5-week project taught us key tenants in research methods such as basic ethnographic research, KJ Analysis, user persona development, task analysis, interviews, and usability testing.
Our team’s core concept was to utilize the visitors’ urge to document their museum experience by taking photos and allow them to create a custom keepsake. Rather than a prescriptive application, our team wanted to design a simple, all-in-one tool that allows visitors to document and publish their museum experience in different ways. With the caveat of single use, visitors can take photos, customize them with basic editing tools, add text, and organize content into simple page templates. Finally, they can order a hardbound book from MoMA’s Design Store or create a pdf to share from their iPhone.Interaction Design2011 -
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.Interaction Design, data visualization2012 -
loremGraphic Design, Design2011
