Reflection

Reflect on the process of making this project. What did you learn? What would you do differently?

• As someone who has zero coding experience, I learned how to apply basic arduino coding and prototyping skills to create this project. I created the code for my Home Hack by combining multiple different codes from the Particle tutorials such as the switch input tutorial, the PIR sensor tutorial, and the basic LED circuit tutorial.

• Although my product reports any movement, the PIR sensor may not always be accurate and sometimes tracks movement when there is nothing presented in front of it.

• If I had to do this project differently, I would definitely make the components more integrative with the room. Currently the switch is stuck to a photon board that I taped to the side of the closet.

• It would be better if the switch was actually integrated with the light switch, that way the user won’t have to flip two different switches when entering the room. In addition, the messy jumper cables currently look very disorderly and unattractive. Hiding everything under some sort of designed container could improve the aesthetics of the product. If it were possible to place the PIR sensor in a more invisible location in the room so it was not so blatantly sticking out of the wall, perhaps the user won’t feel like they’re being watched. However, since jumper cables can only be so long, the distance between the sensor and the switch is limited.