Reinterpreting

Approach 

When checking in on a friend we often ask them how are they feeling. Taking the idea of an ambient device that lets the other know you are thinking of them, we reinterpreted this idea in the form of a window and bird. In the way we think about a person, we often look out the window, taking this symbolic gesture, we took the form of a window and our connotations around weather and emotions, as a way to communicate how we are feeling to friend. With a bird on a window sill, the way in which you treat the bird, replicated your emotional state. The happier, the more likely you are to be friendly with the bird, as opposed being upset, you might want to squeeze the bird harder. Based on how lightly or harshly you squeeze, the weather will replicate these feelings, a good day is sunny, a bad is stormy and so forth. We chose to use weather as our way to communicate emotion, because we often associate the weather with the thoughts, looking out on a rainy day, we feel sad. It also serves in the gesture of checking in on someone, asking how's someone feeling, like a rain check, it acts as an initiative to check in on a friend.  

We envisioned Lumi Touch as a system that could scale to additional contexts, such as team collaboration or mental health monitoring. Exploring weather as a metaphor allowed for universal emotional representation.

Process

• Iteration 1: Explored additional moods represented by weather states (e.g., thunderstorms for distress).

• Iteration 2: Developed multiple prototypes to simulate group interactions (e.g., syncing two devices).

Reflection

In looking back on our design, I think the biggest think I would want to change about it, is making the device have a setting at default for one person to make the initial question, instead of simply broadcasting your emotion out from the blue, by adding this initial asking setting with a different light and pattern, would also allow for the feeling of being thought of more evident. In this way the interaction would also feel a little less cold and self centered, and really emphasis the connection of thinking of someone. This would also require the light setting once responding to last through the day, so that this does not remain as only live feedback. 

Conceptual Design

How's the Weather:

An interactive IoT device for meaningful connections. Check in with a friend's mood and share yours through touch and light. 

Design concept: An Interactive IoT device that allows you to check in with a friend about their current mood and how they are feeling, and tell them how you are doing.

[Figure 3: How's weather Design Concept Storyboard]

Prototype:

Circuit Diagram:

Workflow Diagram: