iWhat? *easySplit*
2st semester (M.A.)
The challenge of the "iWhat?" project was to develop exciting apps for the Apple iPhone/iPod. The task was to develop a program that can either be already found in the App Store - but is improvable - or an app you personally would wish to exist.
Thus, I designed an app to help splitting distances and objects. Regular and irregular splittings are often a difficulty – above all it has to be accurate. I used the camera to create a live view and layers.
Prototype (Flash)
Alternative Displays *Trails*
1st semester (M.A.)
The objective was to create a concept and a hardware prototype of a non-conventional display. The developed concept "Trails" displays the motion of persons within a room. It displays their paths, dwell time and their haunts, but especially all their places of interest. Users can follow the paths of others and discover their favorite places. An important criterion was the display position. Trails are usually on the ground. But in a large room displays on the ceiling are visible for all people – for all ages and from everywhere. Thus, the ceiling is a good media for illustrating information of levels, gradients and transitions.
The interaction
Interaction: Several levels of rising and lowering cubes show the user how long and how many people have been standing below the display. The longer people stand under a cube the more it is winded up. If nobody stands under it the cube declines more slowly than it was winded up.
A perfect application is a museum.
Train stations, lobbies or other public spaces are conceivable places, too.
Animation (Cinema 4D)
In cooperation with a fellow student we build the prototype of "Trails".
Slabs on the ground operate as push-buttons. By entering one of the slabs the aluminum foil on the slab and on the ground contact and the resistance is declining out. This signal is read by the Arduino micro-controller. The Arduino transmits the signal to the TLC. The TLC activates the servo motor accordingly. The servo motors were disassembled and rebuilt. Thus, they rotate endless. A new potentiometer was added extern of the motor in order to determine the exact position of the cube. Discs ensure an adequate transmission of the covered distance.
The prototype
The prototype: Visitors trying out the prototype at the final exhibition at the end of that semester | The ceiling construction | The ground construction
Searching and finding pictures
Bachelor Thesis
Digital media and photography generate an enormous flood of images. Thus, a query in an image database often does not provide the desired results. My thesis provides a different approach for finding images. It allows to find adequate pictures faster and more efficiently.
Tagging and consequently categorising (just like popular image databases operate) allow to combine certain classes of pictures to groups. As we arrange pictures on a table to get an overview, it is possible to arrange pictures on a digital surface. It was found that humans only need to see one third of a picture in order to draw detailed conclusions on the rest of it.
This fact makes it easy to find pictures by browsing only in opposite to work through several pages of lists. The use of a tool that only works with scopes and parameters, assists with a very precisely search. I implemented this idea in my concept.
Simulation (Flash)
The first page is supposed to attract the users interest and to incite them to browse through the pictures and start a search. For this reason the last uploaded image in its category is shown. The user dips into different categories each time and he discovers new things over and over again. By clicking on a picture in the background, the background changes from blurred to sharp and the emphasized picture is now scaled to the size of the background pictures.
This view shows the categories. Scrolling is done by moving the cursor to the screens border (sensitive fields).
The amount of stored images can rise very quickly, so that an important feature to get in and out of an overview is necessary. This function is provided by a "rocket-feature": It enables the user to zoom out and get an overview of the surrounding images and categories. Being able to see the surrounding area without loosing the current view is a very useful tool for the orientation in space.
To handle a huge number of pictures it is necessary to have a menu that helps to apply different actions to the search result - a global menu. Button from left to right: Forward button; backward button; rocket function; view of categories and view of matrix.
For an exact or a loose search the window on the left screen border slides in. The lowest possible filtering is set by default. The pictures can be filtered by adjusting the parameters with the sliders.
An individual area provides the opportunity to memorize photos and queries. This enables the user to return quicker to specific searches.
By clicking on one of the images, a context menu with the options "Detail view" (also possible by drag&drop in the individual area), "Memorize the picture" and "Find similar pictures" is shown.
In the bottom area of the screen can be found the menu for the search result views . It is possible to choose between a view that arranges the pictures in categories or in a matrix. The allocation of the axes is variable by hindsight – the pictures arrange accordingly.
The detail view shows the selected image in an enlarged view with more information that is useful to find other pictures. In the detail view area pictures can be found that were downloaded or seen by other users who have shown an interest in the same detail-viewed picture.
By activating the detailed view of one of the pictures the other thumbnails are shaded and blurred. Additionally, the adjustable parameters in the window adapt to the detail-viewed picture.
Virtual crime scene
4th semester (B.A.)
This project was a close cooperation with the police university of applied sciences. We developed in teams of two (a computer scientist and an interaction designer) concepts for a program with virtual crime scenes.
Under consideration of tactic and forensic aspects, police students analyze a virtual crime scene within the scope of their classes or on their own.
Simulation (Flash)
Startscreen - login area.
Account - a chronological visualization of the already edited crime scenes.
By clicking on one of the folders/crime scenes a bird's eye view is presented to the police student.
Entering the crime scene. Tools to keep records: A camera, a sketchbook, a voice recorder, a case for the secured evidences to be stored, and plastic film to secure evidences like fingerprints.
Taking pictures in order to document details of the crime scene.
Objects can be analyzed by using a variety of criminalistic tools.
Marking an object for analyzing.
Fascinating technics
3rd semester (B.A.)
In this project, the challenge was to promote technical monuments in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In order to distinguish the regions public image from those of other regions, consistent print and web concepts were developed.
Web
The Website is based on the concept of different zoom factors. By clicking on one of the monuments the map zooms in. The top-left button can be used to zoom out to the initial view. Each level presents different information on the area that is currently shown. The user approaches the virtual monument by zooming in and he discovers further facts on each level. These information cover events, hotels, restaurants, playgrounds, gas stations and more.
This way the web site raises the visitors interest. The last level contains information such as historical facts, a description of the working principle, a photo gallery, business hours, address and directions.
The calendar on the top right facilitates the user to plan his individual tour: Interesting information can be moved to the calendar per drag and drop. Once finished planning the trip, the user can export the schedule as a PDF-File.
Visualization of the construction and the operation cycle of the ship lift in Magdeburg-Rothensee, Germany
Visualization of the telegraph station in Neuwegersleben, Germany
Other parts of the concept are print products are also print products like flyers and posters.
Eye-catching slogans raise the viewers interest.
The flyer serves as a further source of information. Every monument is presented in two brochures.
One brochure explains the operation cycle and the reason for it is fame in a nutshell.
The second one contains a collection of brilliant photos that make you want to visit the monument.
