Introduction

The 1000 Journals Project seems a great place to start this compilation of interactive experiences. I have written this entry before we were given directions of how to perform EUO so it mainly details my prior view. Looking back at it with the tools we learned I found that I gained a new tool to look at design work. Thanks for this exercise, I hope you will enjoy this collection of stories and experiences.

Background

It’s been a while since I have written a journal. I started my first one when I was about 5 years old (I still have it!). It was a collection of short poems that I wrote in Hebrew. When my notebook was done, I started my second journal when I was 9 years old, it had poems about the holocaust (I remember that the topic had a strong influence on me), poems about my dolls and a short story about an orphan girl inspired by little women and Ann of Green Gables.

When I think back about it, I have written a journal anytime I started a new era in life: when I moved to a new school schools, when I entered military service, when I embarked on a one year adventurous trip oversees. But for some reason, when I moved to Canada 8 years ago, I just stopped. I think it was because I had to deal with a new language, I suddenly started to loose some of Hebrew vocabulary and at the same time English was still a struggle when I wanted to express deep thoughts and feelings. Stuck between these two worlds, , I decided to let it go of it for a while. I also started to experiment with digital platforms and experimented with other ways of storytelling like video, design, and motion graphics, which filled up my creative needs.

Object

I become really excited about journaling again when I came across The 1000 Journals Project. It’s truly inspiring to find projects that weaves together the physical and the digital world, especially when done so elegantly. This is why it one of my favorite projects of all times. It originated in 2000, when an artist who call himself Someguy distributed 1000 empty journals around San Fransisco. They were left in cafes, on buses, in bar bathrooms and some given to friends and strangers. There were no rules other then an open message to contribute and an ask to move them to others after a while. As the word about the 1000 journals began to spread, people began to express interest and the 1000 journals started to travel all over the world.

Each journal had a story: some journals came to rest in hostels, cafes, low offices, some were lost and found, abandoned and stolen. Some journals were never found and some traveled across countries, moving through war zones and even traveled back to Someguy.

During the process, people began to scan their entries and posted them online. A community was formed, and a network of journal’s writers had an opportunity to come together and share their intimate stories. As a result an ‘official’ website was formed http://www.1000journals.com, where writers could sign up in a list to receive the journals and they were also able to track their location in real time.

The continuous interest led to the development of 1001 project- http://www.1001journals.com/ a participatory network dedicated to writing and sharing journal- weather it’s a an individual, a company or a group journal. Journals are created based on specific location (if it’s left in a café, shop, bookstore etc). There are personal journals and traveling journals- a theme based journal which is mailed to a list of people who sign up to receive it.

In addition a book called The 1000 Journals Project was published in 2007, which includes a compilation of work from the original 1000 journals. There is also a documentary recently produced by Andrea Kreuzhage, which follows the lives and stories of the random people who shared their experience through the traveling journals.

Users

Users of the 1000 journals are people who came across it or it reached them. They are also users who write their own journals and would like to share it with others. Users who also like to sketch, draw and film participated in this experience.
For the 1001 Journals Project it became a bit more focused; users could write travel journals, journals that are related to one location and personal journals.

Environment

The environment is both physical and virtual. The journals were found in various locations in different cities around the world. Users write/sketch their entry in a physical booklet and then scan it and upload to the site. The great thing about writing a journal is that it can be written anywhere and anytime. It’s about creating a space where users can write freely and openly about their life experiences.

Synthesis

One of the core ideas of the 1000 Journals Project and the reason that it captured the mind and hearts of many, is the unique opportunity to share anonymous stories globally. It’s a safe place for conversation, where similarly to graffiti, private messages are shared and becomes a space for discussion and interaction. A journal offers an even more intimate experience by interconnecting the physical, digital, body , mind, global, personal. It’s also interesting that there was no particular intention to the way this project would develop and this physical crowdsourcing translated so naturally to the digital world as the users share their stories with each other.

The opportunity to interact with the journals and to find them unexpectedly in random places add a surprising and interesting layer to this project. It automatically engages users . They can choose to be involved right there on the spot. If they happened to come across the journal or someone who came across it they will also become aware of the website- which is another space to interact with the journals and to find the in real time.

After adding their entry, users have an opportunity to share it if they chose to. It’s interesting to see that most people wanted to share and began to scan their entry to the website.

Someguy managed to transform the intimate act of writing a private journal to global, shared experience by providing a platform for so they can share it. The sharing revealed this remarkable thing- We all share similar experiences, deal with similar challenges and overcome similar conflicts. The 1000 Journals Project is a visceral reflection of the seamless human thread that ties us all together.

My Pregnancy App is an information guide that can be used by expectant mothers on the go. It allows users to track their pregnancy day by day, learn how their body is changing and connect them to a community of expecting mothers. It’s features include:

• Fetal development images and videos that document what the baby looks like each week.
• Reminders about medical appointments and shared health tips that are relevant to each stage of the pregnancy.
• An opportunity to connect with other pregnant women that are due around the same time through the community forum
• A nutrition guide that supports pregnant women and provides weight gain tips and recipes for controlling weight.
• A calendar that tracks the progress of the pregnancy on a daily basis.
• A check-list that allows users to track their own pregnancy and mark recommended activities and tips on the calendar.
• Access to a huge database of baby names.
• Access to expert information and advice on health, labor and birth issues.
• A due date calculator and notifications (optional) at the start of each new week with tips and information.

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Environment

My Pregnancy App is designed to be used on a mobile device. The same features can also be modified to fit a large screen, but the mobility function provides an opportunity to interact with it on the go (explained in the interaction analysis section). It can be accessed anywhere, but some extra features need a wireless access to be activated. This means that it can be viewed while at work, school, home, during leisure time and during your commute.

Users

Based on the personal product reviews, the primary users are pregnant women in all stages of pregnancy. There are also women in their second or third (and even fifth) pregnancy who are using this application. Secondary users are family members (mostly spouses) who download this application and support their pregnant partner. Another target audience can also be women trying to conceive and interested to learn more about the various stages of pregnancy. I haven’t encountered this group of users from the reviews but it is a possibility that they find this app relevant as well.

Synthesis

Despite the attention surrounding pregnant women during pregnancy, it seems to be a very individual experience, especially during the first trimester. The body and mood changes can be seen and explained, but can only be felt by the pregnant woman herself.  The movement of the baby begins with feeling flutters, which are internal and not easy to feel on the surface of the belly. The interesting thing about My Pregnancy App is that it allows women to share their pregnancy with others. The weekly notifications about the stage of the pregnancy, as well as images and videos surrounding it, can be easily shared with family. It creates a sense of closeness and also allows them to be a part of this process before the baby is born.

In addition, this app functions like a resourceful ‘pregnancy buddy’ and transforms what can be a very lonely feeling to a collective one. It allows pregnant women to connect to each other and empowers them with the knowledge and motivation to deal with their physical and emotional changes. Living in a fast pace environment can destruct us from being connected to our bodies. A friendly reminder to users of how far you are in your pregnancy journey, teaches users to be attentive, to learn to accept it and to remember to treat it well, especially during this important time.

It’s interesting to see that users who have been through the process of pregnancy find this application helpful and use it for their 2^nd, 3^rd… and more. It proves that this information is valuable and will always stay relevant in our culture, not matter which environment we live in. My Pregnancy App manages to use technology to share information, create a community and therefore enhance user experience. It connects the virtual world to a physical journey.

Note Float is an interactive musical experience  that enables players to learn notes and play music collectively. The installation is based on pentatonic scale of 6 notes and 4 octaves that creates a melody when played simultaneously. Note Float was build and designed by Maayan Cohen and Cathy Chen as a final project for the Creation and Computation course at the Digital Futures Masters Program at OCAD.

Note Float was inspired by Andre Michelle’s Tone Matrix grid  http://lab.andre-michelle.com/tonematrix. Our goal was to create a fun interactive and playful experience for children and break the boundaries of a traditional board-game grid.

Note Float includes a main board made of commercial felt and conductive fabric. Every 2 close pieces of fabric are connected via metal snaps to electric wires that are inserted to an Arduino Mega board. Every two wires create one particular note.

There are also colorful felt pieces in different shapes (rectangle, triangle and circle). At the back of every piece there conductive fabric attached via conductive thread to an LED light and a battery. The felt piece is filled with sponges for softness and stones to give it weight. As the pieces are placed on the main board, the electrical circuit is closed, the LED turns on and a particular note is heard. When a piece is lifted from the board, the light turns off and the note stops playing.

The interesting things about Note Float is the collective melody; the notes are played one after the other in a loop so for instance if the note ‘Do’ ‘Me’ are activated, the player will hear ’Do’ ‘Me”Do’ ‘Me”Do’ ‘Me’ until they lift the pieces off the board. As more notes are placed on the board, the nicer the melody becomes.

Click on the link to see a video of Note Float in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hppUBC-6Utc

Environment

Note Float is designed to be placed in an light elevated surface so the electronics can be hidden underneath it. It can be played in a gallery, a communal space, a kindergarten, at home and even in a children room (if electronics safely secured). It was originally designed to be placed on the floor as a soft carpet that children can sit on and can easily be modified to this setting. It can also be placed outdoors (but not on the ground) to keep it from taring.

The environment for Note Float should provide an open atmosphere for play where children and adult can fully enjoy an interaction. It is best if placed indoors in a relatively quiet place so the sound can be heard  clear. It is most enjoyable if played with 3-10 people so there are more opportunities to create various sounds with a variety of players simultaneously.

Users

Note Float is designed especially for children; we chose to use soft material that feel nice to touch and light to move around, squeeze, throw, and even eat so children of all ages can play it safely. It can be used in all ages but our main target audience are kids between ages 3-7. We found that adults enjoy it as well and this can be a great interactive tool not only for children to play with each other but also for children to play with their parents.

Interaction Analysis

Note Float was placed in an open space environment in the OCAD studio at the 6th floor for 3 hours.  Unfortunately we didn’t have an opportunity to bring children interact with it yet, but It was interesting to see how adults used it. There was no description on how to play it so users approached the board and started to move the pieces around. The majority of users lifted the pieces and placed them immediately across the two conductive lines on the main board. When one piece was placed most users took another piece and started filling up the board. The minority kept lifting one piece up and down thinking that moving it around changes the rhythm of the melody.  Only when explained they realized that lifting the piece results in the sound stops (I believe that the reason for it was that many people played on the board and it was hard to hear which piece makes which sound).

Another interesting aspect was the observation factor. Since this is a multiplayer game, players observed each other and learn from each other how to move the pieces around the board. It was interesting to see the joy on people’s faces as the music became full with more and more notes. It was very fulfilling to see that players didn’t want to stop playing the game and only left when had to. It was interesting to observe the urge to keep playing the board and how hard it was to bring it back to the beginning point – where no notes is playing and all is silence. Whenever users collectively started to take notes off the board, there was one users who kept putting it all back. It seems that the players found it gratifying to hear an instant reaction based on the physical movement.

Another interesting aspect was that occasionally one or two people approached the board and played Note Float by themselves, as the sound spread through the room more users started to join them and slowly the table was surrounded with 5 or 6 players.

As a result of the interaction, we realized the power of collective play. It will be interesting to see how children react to a social piece such as this. We also found that the simplest actions can be extremely gratifying and how effective it is to use sound as a playful signal. Based on this experience I think that   there is a great opportunity to extend the project and introduce various melodies, and more sounds. This can enrich the musical experience and keep engaging for a long period of time.

Object

The In-flight entertainment (IFE) began in 1921 with the first movie called “Howdy Chicago”, shown on Aeromarine Airways to its passengers as the airplane flew around Chicago. Since then, the advancement in technology has created more advanced IFE systems, using touch screen technology, personal touch screens and in-flight connectivity. That including such services as Internet browsing, text messaging, cell phone usage (where permitted) and emailing. I chose to focus on Air Canada’s IFE system since I encounter it often and recently engaged with it during a 12-hour flight to Israel.

The touch screen system is installed on every seat in the aircraft, enabling users to make their own choice on how to entertain themsleves during the flight. The system includes hundreds of hours of audio and video on-demand programming, among them recent and classic movies. The system also offers television channels selection, television shows on demand, satellite radio stations, a vast music library, games, and an activity section dedicated for kids

More features:

• Each movie contains a short synopsis and a quick 2-3 minute preview.
• There is a button for volume, and brightness on the screen.
• Movies can be seen in ‘full-screen’ mode or fit to the screen.
• Playback buttons that allow three speeds for fast forward and rewind.
• Language support- all movies can be viewed in English or French and some have Spanish as an option.

The system also offers a map feature that shows the flight journey in real-time. The journey is presented on a world map and shows the remaining time and distance to destination, as well as local time and temperature throughout the flight. There is an automatic button that allows rotating between these features. The information is updated every 2-3 minutes.

For a video demonstration of the IFE system in action please click here 

Environment

The airplane environment usually includes a first class section, a business section and an economy section. They all receive different services; first class is considered the most prestige and economy class is basic. The type of food, drink, space and service depends on the type of seat chosen. There are also a few bathrooms on the plane, depending on its size, space for luggage, emergency exists, rows of chairs, and luminescent strips along the floor that light up in case of emergency. There are thin corridors between the rows where flight attendance’s pass through with food, drink and optional duty-free items for purchase.

Air Canada’s IFE is installed in all of Air Canada’s planes, besides three Boing 767 planes that don’t have it. The only way to access these screens is to take an Air Canada flight. Both domestic and international flights will have the IFE system installed, unless the flight is operated by Air Canada Jazz, in which case the planes are not equipped with the system. However, the content can be viewed or listened to through many other interfaces such as – computers, satellite radio, television and more.

It’s also worth mentioning that other airlines may also have IFE systems of their own on their aircraft. Although each one has different features, they are similar in their general functionality, aesthetic, shape and form.

Users

Since the screens are only accessible on Air Canada aircrafts, the primary users are Air Canada’s passengers. The users vary in age, from very young children (about 2 years old) to elders (99+). The IFE system is designed to entertain a wide variety of passengers. However, since the content is offered in only three languages, the IFE system doesn’t answer the need of all potential users.

Synthesis

The improvement of IFE systems has completely changed the flying experience. Squeezing hundreds of people together in a contained space for a long period of time can be challenging and cause stress for passengers, particularly young children, who need to be able to play, move and entertain themselves. They often find it difficult to sit still for a long time.  The IFE system in Air Canada provides a solution for these needs by creating a personal entertaining experience for it’s the passengers.

Each user can choose if and when they would like to watch a film, their favorite television show, listen to music, or even play a game. The system also has a USB connector and electricity socket (1 per row) where passengers can recharge the computers or mobile phones. Other then very young children (less then 2 years old) and those who chose to sleep or read, the majority of passengers on the plane were interacting with the IFE system. On my recent flight, where most passengers were English speakers, I noticed that the majority chose to watch movies. In fact, most of passengers viewed more then 1 film during the flight. As this was a night flight, the environment on the plane was very calm and cozy. Standing at the back of the plane made one feel as if they were entering someone’s private leaving room. The experience might have been a bit different during the day, when passengers may choose to read or work using their personal computers.

The interface of the IFE system is user friendly; it is easy to navigate through the menu and to access the wide selection of content available. One of the great features is the opportunity to watch a preview before choosing to watch the film. This function is very similar to VOD systems where users have the options to browse films before committing to one in particular.

Similar to other free programs, before watching a movie on the IFE system, there are 10-15 minutes of advertisements. During that time, the passenger can’t interact with the screen, change the volume or abort the system. This is an unfortunate part of the interaction, and it is confusing and frustrating. Especially when considering that it’s the only part of the interface when touching the screen doesn’t register any response from the system.

The unique environment on an aircraft creates many disturbances: when there is a passenger announcement from the aircraft crew, the IFE system stops, the screen becomes black and the announcement is broadcasted through the speakers and headphones in a high volume. Since each announcement is repeated in two languages, it can take a few minutes until all of them are read and the IFE system is back in action.

Air turbulence can also cause disturbances, dizziness and fear among users. Usually the IFE system will stay on during turbulence, unless there is a passenger announcement. It’s a great calming mechanism to preoccupy users who suffer from flying phobia’s.

Although the content on the IFE system is provided in English, French and sometimes in Spanish, the interface is designed in English, so passengers need to know how to read in English in order to navigate the system. A way to resolve this could be the use of international icons to assist in navigation as well as adding more language options to the interface.

It’s interesting to see that the functionality of the personal screens isn’t only to entertain but also to inform. The security demonstration, once performed by the flight attendants before each and every takeoff, is now shown in the form of a compelling video instead. On my flight, the passengers mostly ignored this demonstration, and depending on seat location, it was often hard to see the flight attendants perform the security demonstration.

One more interesting thing I noticed is how the IFE system has changed passenger’s habits. Before installing personalized IFE systems there was one movie shown through the plane and passengers could watch it if their seat was close enough to the television screens on the plane. As a result many other passengers had to find other ways to entertain themselves, so reading, socializing and playing games were more common activities. Have IFE systems reduced our need to socialize in these situations? Is it changing our reading habits?

On my latest flight the passenger who sat next to me couldn’t operate his personal IFE system because it had a malfunction. He started reading a book, and after a few minutes opened his laptop and began watching movies on it. Other then the passengers who slept, there were no passengers who didn’t have their personal computers or watched something on the IFE system. It might be interesting to think about a way of interacting between the screens, such as with a multiple player game while flying.

Object

Heart of Stars is an interactive installation that allows users to become 3D avatars made of points of light and float through space. The installation includes a large flat screen and speakers for sound. The interface is hands-free and uses an infrared array to allow users to control the motion and organization of the starts in space.

When a user stands in a specific distance in front of the screen the cosmic interface suddenly begins to change. The starts float and organize together to trace the physical form of the users. As the users move their hands the stars follow the movement and organize themselves around the new location of the hands. Once users attract enough “stars” they eventually become a single star themselves and transform into glowing beings.The stars can detect a few users at a time and create a few avatars moving in space. After around 10 minutes or so, it restarts, new starts are form and the avatar create begins again.

The installation is accompanied by soft vocals and sound that support the space-like atmosphere.

Environment

The Heart of Start was presented at StoryWorld , a first of its kind transmedia conference in Parc 55 Hotel in San Fransisco in November. The installation was presented during a 2 hours networking reception at the end of the first day of the conference. There were mostly adults ages 25+ and around 300 delegates in the room. It was a casual, informal setting, hosted in a large open space. There was no music (other then the one coming from the exhibit) but the noise level in the room was high.

The Heart of stars was also presented in Nuit Blanche, Bata Shoe Museum and internal CFC exhibits.

Users

Users of all ages can interact with this exhibit. I have mostly seen adult interact with the exhibit in a conference settings but I believe that children ages 3 and more will find it very engaging as well.

I imagine that for children there will either be an elevated space for them to stand on or the screen will need to be tilted down so they can view it clearly.

Synthesis

The StoryWorld Conference was probably didn’t offer the ideal environment for this type of installation.  This was the first day of the conference and delegates were more interested to get to know each other then to interact with the exhibit. There were maybe a hand full of people who interacted with the installation in the 2 hours it was presented. The appealing visuals and sound was extremely inviting but there was not a lot of space to move around when standing close to the screen.

It was interesting to see users interaction; users were fascinated by the stars and the way they formed shapes around their bodies, making their avatar float in space. Most of the users interacted with the piece for at least 10 minutes or more and didn’t take their eyes off the screen. During the interaction users moved a lot back and forth, lifted their hands and even did a little dance to see if the stars were still following their movement.

When there were two people or more interacting with the screen, they talked amongst themselves and started to move together to form interesting shapes using their avatars. Some performed a little dance, other moved their hands together, and also moved closer and further away from the screen.

There is something magical about stars and the idea of other forms of existence. The installation brought to light that every person can find a trace of themselves in this beautiful galaxy and its us who shape the skies of our world. It was also a way to start a conversation and connect to other delegates in the conference. I particularly liked the random interactions that happened while users found each other on the screen and started to form shapes together.

The sound was a bit load , competing with the noise level of the room. It would probably be lower if situated in gallery settings.

Object

Love Letters to the Future was launched on November 11, 2009 as a global initiative to gather a worldwide community around the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in December 2009.

International celebrities, actors, experts and artists invited the public to participate by submitting their own unique love letter to future generations, in a form of 140 character tweet like message, a meaning full image or a video message. The goal was to collect critical mass of love letters and to present them during the UN climate conference in Copenhagen.

In only a few weeks, there were thousands of letters submitted from more then 128 countries . The top 100 letters with the highest number of votes were selected to enter a specially constructed time capsule and to be preserved for the next 100 years.

In the midst of this global campaign, the public stumbled upon mysterious letters, marked with a red Japanese symbol and signed by a young woman named Maya from the year 2109. Clicking on the symbol directed the visitors to a stunning portal buried artfully in the site where a mystery was waiting to unfold.

This
 compelling
 narrative
 turned
 the
 public
 into
 active
 participants
 as
 hundreds
 across
 the 
globe
 collaborated
 to
 solve
 the
 mystery
 of
 the
 strange
 portal
 and
 its
 cryptic
 and
 haunting 
glimpses 
of
 100 years into Maya’s
 future.

Unlocking the final transmission challenged the players to participate in a real life collaborating experience. Clues were distributed in 13 cities while players were given online coordinates in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Toronto, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Mumbai, Cork, Istanbul, Beijing, Rotterdam, Sao Paulo, Washington DC and Buenos Aires.

In every location Maya’s symbol was attached to a local phone number either as a graffiti painting or as a 3D augmented reality image on a mobile phone. By calling a local number players heard a looping voice message from Maya that revealed how our world will look like if we don’t act now against climate change.

The interactive experience includes:

• A website- for submitting letter to the future
• An online game- to reveal Maya’s videos
• A locative game- for the final reveal
• A live event- in Copenhagen when the final video is shown.

To watch a video walk-through of the project click here.

Environment

There are a few different environment for interaction:

• Online- www.loveletterstothefuture.com website for letter submission, clues and Maya’s portal.
• Mobile phone- in order to discover the final video transmission
• Urban- in order to discover the clues hidden inside the cities. The cities include: Stockholm, Bueno Aires, Hong-Kong, Cork, Mumbai, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Washington DC, Copenhagen, Beijing and Rotterdam.
• Downtown Copenhagen- in order to take part in the live event celebration.

Users

There were two different users group who took part in the project:

1. Green enthusiast-Greenpeace and climate change supporters.

2. Game Enthusiast- active ARG game players

Synthesis

Users interacted differently with the different environments. The green enthusiast were  invested in the topic and engaged with writing letters on the website. They arrived to the site from Greenpeace newsletters and invited their network to vote for their letter they wrote. came back to the website to check the status of their letter and promoted it so it enters the time capsule.

The games interacted mostly with the game element of the site. They arrived to the site from game and ARG blogs that promoted it. They started playing the game online, went through Maya’s clues and letters and shared their thoughts with other on game forums. As a result a community of gamers formed, they came together to solve the cryptic clues and to engage in game play.

It was surprising to see how far reaching was the website and how many  users were actively engaged in it for a very short period of time (6 weeks). The website became a live canvas and a collection of memories, thoughts and ideas about the future of the planet. The visuals and words shared were personal, sentimental and eye opening. Browsing all the crowd sourced letters were impaction, and after collecting a few hundreds letters, the message started to spread quickly.

The game part in the site was designed for extreme users. The game and clues became more challenging with time and the transition between the video transmission and the clues were also challenging to navigate. As a result there were less games participating then users who wrote letters.

The locative game that took place in various urban environments was an interesting physical addition to this virtual experience. There should have been more connection between the different locations to facilitate a stronger feeling of community. Also time played a big role in this, having more time to play would strengthen the connection between players online.

Overall this was a unique interactive experience that was well executed for the purpose of the conference. The project was successful in raising awareness  for climate change in general and for the conference in particular.

Object

Contact dance is a 39-old dance form based on improvisation and a points of physical contact that provides the starting point for exploration through the movement. The first performance work recognized as Contact Improvisation is Steve Paxton’s Magnesium (1972) which was performed by Paxton and dance students at Oberlin College at Warner Main in Warner Center. Five months after Magnesium Paxton led the first Contact Improvisation performance series at the John Weber Art Gallery in New York City where dancers performed Contact Improvisation in marathon fashion on mats.

Contact Improvisation is practiced as both a performance and social dance form. In the performance context, Contact Improvisation is used either as a dance practice as a way to develop and identify a new set choreography. There are classes and workshops in Contact Improvisation offered around the world and one of the most common practice are weekly meetings that take place world-wide and called contact jams, where experience and new dancers are invited to take part.

During a jam session dancers work with different partners or groups in order to enhance their dance vocabulary and improvisation skills.
Although there is now an established Contact Improvisation Fundamentals technique, this unique dance vocabulary is open keeps contributing to its vocabulary. Another interesting part of this dance form is that dancers usually stay touching or in physical contact for much of a dance. With that said contact dance can occur even when partners never touch but there is a clear “listening” and energetic intention that creates the connection the their dance.

Click here to watch a video of a jam session.

Environment

The contact jam in Toronto takes place every Sunday at the Dovercourt House. The jam co-directors are John Oswald and Pam Johnson and they have been running it since 1978. The Dovercourt house is a large space with high selling and hard-wood floor. The space is used for dance classes on a regular basis during the week and is given in-kind to the contact jam community.

The contact jam usually takes place without music so the room is pretty quiet other then the sound of movement on the wooden floor. There is another contact jam dance session that takes place once a week on Wednesday where musicians are also welcome and accompany the dancers in a jam of their own.

There are also jam sessions that takes place outdoors in the summer- such as Kensington Market and Toronto Centre Island. The important thing is to have relatively soft surface to fall and lay on the floor so the dancers can engage in spontaneous exploration in various levels of movement (lifts, floor, etc).

Users

The contact jam welcomes everyone – from experienced dancers to those who never danced before. Since contact dance is based an improvised movement and relatively intuitive to learn, it is open to newcomers. The openness of this dance form breaks boundries and bridges the gap between recreational and professional dancers. It allows dance to become more accessible and inspire people to become more connected with their body.

Contact dance is often used as a therapeutic art form technique, so users can come from a wide ranges of experiences, cultures, abilities and communities.

Synthesis

Contact jams in Toronto usually begin with a physical warm up that collects all the participants and functions as an entry point to the jam. Usually the person who does the warm up also talks about personal boudries in the dance and the importance of listening to the body during movement. Since contact dance involves physical touch it’s important to explain this so newcomers to the jam will be aware of it.

The warm up usually takes place either standing or on the floor. Dancers are spread around the room and do not touch each other. The is an emphasis on the connection to the ground and the awareness to weight and space in the room. If the warm up started on the floor, dancers will end up standing and will slowly start connecting with one person. This will usually end up being their first contact dance partner.

When one of the couple feels they want to move on, they will leave the dance and find another partner. This transition will happen through movement. Sometimes the dancer will leave the dance all together and go back to the side and sometimes new dancers will come in to the space. Sometimes they will be dancers that dance alone in the space and sometimes it may be groups of 3 and more.

The opportunity to dance in an open environment truly shapes the experience of the jam. The openness in the room leads to openness in the heart which invites acceptance, changes and new encounters. The jam is not only about gaining technical skills in improvisation but it is also about learning skills that can be applied in life. It’s an interesting mirror on how one acts in a group and an indication of ones personal confidence. It’s also about learning to depart from situations and connections and about how to create new ones. It is also about listening to the other and learning how to move together and navigate through space.

It’s interesting to see how different users influence the jam and change its nature. When more professional dancers come, the expectation level is higher and sometimes the newcomers will be more self conscious and sometimes even decide to take a break or leave. Best jams are those who facilitate equality and allow dancers to focus on their own dance partners and not on the rest of the room. Most of the times experienced dancers enjoy dancing with newcomers because it’s way more challenging to do so then dancing with experienced dancers.

One of the important things about the contact dance experience is that it teaches the user the balance between listening and talking. This balance shifts depending on the dance partner, and the space it takes place but when this is achieved the movement becomes more fluid and there is trust between the dancers. This trust naturally brings more lifts and challenging movement into the dance and enriches the experience.

Object

The International Design Network Magazine (IDN) is an international publication for creative people and its mission is to amplify and unify the design community. It features designs, works and projects from around the world as well as all the latest happenings in the international design community. The magazine features interviews with top and emerging design studios and freelance designers around the world, who are leading the world of graphic design and motion graphics. Each issue introduces a main theme, which can range from fashion to music, from motion pictures to graphic design, and runs regular columns on the design scene in different cities, photography, typography, exhibitions and top studios.

Each magazine is made from six varying paper stock such as 4C process , spot UV,  vanish, flourenscent pantone and more. Using different paper stock makes each magazine a unique experience for the senses: the smell of the pages, the way they feel to touch and the way the print distributes on each page is different in each publication.

IdN magazine practice what they preach; their unique design approach is shown in each and every page. IdN uses high quality visual to demonstrate ideas and showcase works of art through every piece of the page. It’s highly visual and very appealing to read and to browse through.

Each magazine includes a dvd with videos, commercial, short films, motion graphics and more based on the specific topic explored. The dvd can be viewed using a computer or a dvd player and includes description, explanation and sometimes interviews with the creators of each piece.

IdN magazine is published six times a year (bi-monthly), with four editions available — in English and Traditional Chinese.

The International Design Network also includes publications of art books that are offered for free with each new subscription. Books can also be ordered through the IDN Proshop Website.

Environment

The IdN Magazine is sent via snail mail to yearly subscribers every two month. It’s a little bigger then an A4 page size and can be easily be carried within a computer bag or a medium size purse. It’s usually around 100 pages so it’s not too heavy to carry. It can be read anywhere, anytime. It is most fun to read in local cafe or at the leisure of one’s home.

IdN Magazine also exist virtually. It can be fully read online through the IdN website. It is displayed through an application that allows the reader to flip through the pages as if they were reading it in a physical form. If a user would like to purchase an individual publication they can do so without becoming members. The magazine can be purchased online through the Proshop store. The price of the magazine is $19.90 CAD if bought individually. The price is more economic if one chooses to subscribe.

User

Users are interested in visual arts, graphic design, web design and motion graphics. They can be practiced artist, students entering the field or professionals who have been working in it for a while. Since the IdN magazine is also available online, it has the potential to reach a wide international demographic. Creators and Enthusiast who are not familiar with it can come across it online and become readers.

The price of the magazine is relatively expensive comparing to other art magazines in the market. This might seclude potential users from buying it and users might choose to read it online instead.

Synthesis

The IdN magazine is unique and different from other art magazines available in Canada. Its design style, unique use of paper, dvd feature and up to date content keeps the user engaged while reading through the pages. IdN isn’t as widely available as other magazines and feels exclusive and even prestigious when read. It’s the type of magazine that would exist in advertising agencies, design shops etc. It’s inspiring and fascinating to read and to view the art work. The physical element of the magazine plays an important part in the interaction. The style of paper is intriguing to touch and brings out the colour and design of the art work. IdN provides a unique reading experience accompanied by still visuals and videos.

As a second year subscribed user, I keep waiting for the next issue to arrive. I usually find inspiration in digital work online and IdN is the only art magazine that I use to drive ideas from. It also raises thoughts about work that is printed and exist in a physical form vs online. There is something interesting about having something tangible to accompany digital art work.

IdN is mostly about one way communication- presenting a collection of work to the public, but not so much about a conversation back and between users. As a magazine with an online presence it’s defiantly the next step for IdN. It will be great to connect the network of contributes with the readers and provide space to share graphic art and digital work while offering feedback and creating contests. This approach can contribute to the professionalism and education of the future generation of up and coming designers. It can empower and enrich them by also sharing work within themselves and heir own community.

Introduction

You are probably familiar with this scenario: you are running to the grocery store just to pick up some milk, and as you approach the till you realize you made a big mistake. It’s Friday, all the cashiers are full with long lines ahead. Your first instinct is to leave your milk there (and now also the cheese and bread you picked up on the way) and escape this scene as fast as you can.

But now you don’t have to. Allow me to introduce a new solution- the Automated Tills- a quick and easy way to check out products by yourself (or at least this is what it is meant to do). Introduced in 2002, the self-service tills were meant to save wait time and make customers’ lives easier. During the past nine years they spread rapidly across groceries and retail stores in North America. But do they really work?

Environment

Automated tills are placed in various retail locations across the country. I chose to focus on the ones located in grocery stores. I looked at two stores; one is in Loblaws in Toronto (Dupont West) and the other in Shupersal in Shoham, Israel. The automated tills are a new addition to grocery stores in Israel and have been in place there for the past 2 months.

Toronto- The automated tills are located at the front of the store next to the express line. There are 8 tills available for use, 4 on each side. Next to them is a general stand with a Loblaws employee that supervises the tills and is ready to provide assistant if needed. There are many more grocery stores in the area with automated tills; this is the one where I mostly shop and it is the most popular supermarket in the Dupont and Christie area.

Shoham- The automated tills are located close to the entry/exit of the store and placed next to the traditional cashiers. There are 4 tills, 2 on each side. There are 3 more grocery stores located in the town but they don’t have automated tills. This particular grocery store is the most popular one in the city center.

Object

Automated tills in grocery stores are comprised of a touch screen, a scanner and a scale. There are a few options when ringing products through the system:

1. Using the bar-code scanner- this option exists on most shelf products, excluding produce.

2. Browsing through the system to choose the right product, the options vary between stores but usually include veggies, fruit, and baked goods.

3. If choosing a fruits or a veggies option they need to be scaled to determine the price.

4. In Canada there is also a charge for bags that is added at the end of the process.

5. Only after payment, costumer is allowed to lift up the bags from the weight sensitive bagging are of the tills.

When all the products are checked out, you are prompted with payment options. Similarly to regular tills, the user can pay with debit, credit or cash, directly at the machine.  In some automated tills there is also a sensor underneath the bags so only when payment has been processed the bags can be lifted from the scale. The automated tills are equipped with a sound system, directing the user to the next step and signaling if a product was scanned properly or not. It also has a clear visual system that helps users scan products without bar codes- such as fruits and veggies. There are icons for each product, accompanied by a word that describes it. There is also a back button that makes it easy to get back to the main menu and a scale to weigh the produce.

In both countries automated tills are meant to cut down waiting time and create a more productive experience while shopping. Although the interface is slightly different in each country, the main functions are very similar. The one significant change is at the point of entry- in Israel a user have to be a member of Shupersal to use these tills. The tills will not activate until a users has inserted their club card or personal ID. In Loblaw’s, the automated tills are open for the use of all shoppers.

Click here to see a quick video of an automated till in Loblaws Toronto

Users

Shoham- The automated tills are available only for users who are club members of Shupersal. A casual shopper who is not a member will have to use the traditional till and stand in the line if necessary. Users observation revealed that families with young children are more interested in using the automated tills because their kids find it entertaining and want to scan the products themselves.

Toronto- The tills in Toronto are open to every Loblaws shopper whether they are regular or casual shoppers. Users observation revealed that the choice to use the automated tills mostly depends on the length of the queue in the traditional tills and number of items the shoppers have. If they have around 10 items they would mostly use the express lines or the automated tills. If they have more, they will choose the traditional tills. It was interesting to observe that in Toronto families usually chose the traditional tills while in Israel the automated tills are a novelty and were the preferred choice.

Activities

It’s interesting to observe the activities around the automated tills in both countries. In Israel, there is a lot of noise an activity around the automated tills. The sound volume of the tills is high, they are located close to each other and it can be very distracting. There are also lot of children interacting with till. There are frequent errors and issues with scanning, paying and entering ID’s into the tills in Israel. These issues require the involvement of a grocery store employee, so it might result in long wait times to call someone and to wait for them to come help. In general there is a chaotic feeling around the till in Israel.

In Canada, I found the experience in perfect contrast. There isn’t much activity around the automated tills even while used. The area is quite and calm, and the employee on site seems quite bored. The till is used mostly by adults with no children, and it’s quiet and efficient. The tills are spaced out, the volume of the sound isn’t as high, and the grocery store employee is dedicated to the tills area to quickly solve any problem.

Time

The function of the automated tills doesn’t change over time but they are more occupied during the afternoons/evening when most shoppers arrive to the store. The store in Toronto is open 24 hours while the grocery store in Israel opens from 6:30am-9pm. From my observation it seems that the automated store are used more during busy hours- from 4pm-7pm in both countries.

Synthesis

Activities/Environment

As described above, the activities around the automated till are completely different in both environments. This could be attributed to cultural difference between both countries and the fact that the tills in Israel are still new to many users. In general, the culture in Israel is outspoken and Israelis tend to be vocal and express their feelings. This might explain the chaos around the automated tills and the frustration while receiving error messages. The culture in Canada is more moderate, patient and less vocal. This might allow more acceptance and adaptability for new technology and this new product.

There is also a difference in setting and environment; there is way less space between the tills in Israel and less manpower to support this new product. However, in Canada there is more guidance, training and manpower to support machine errors, so there is less wait time and therefore less customer frustration.

Activities/Object

The interface of the automated tills is a quite similar in both countries. Overall the automated tills are simple to use. Scanning products with bar codes are simple and easy to scan and most users seems to get that part pretty quickly. It is a bit more complicated to find products that don’t have a bar code, but the interface has icons that are easy to understand and use. The touch screen is intuitive to interact with and the buttons are large enough to touch. Going back to cancel is also easy to do.

In Israel most users had issues with the payment since their credit card didn’t go through and they had to call assistance. In Canada, there weren’t many challenges. Sometimes users found bar codes that didn’t work or had issues finding a product, but these were resolved immediately with the assistance of the grocery store employee. Overall, the automated till enables uses to achieve their goal. In Israel this process was way less pleasant and productive then the experience in Canada.

Activities/ Users-

Overall I found that the adult users in Israel found the tills frustrating while the children found them extremely entertaining and enjoyable. They were the ones to scan the products and operate the tills. When the payment was needed and the adults were called into the picture, the frustration began .

The users in Canada were mostly adults and the automated till enabled them to skip the line and scan their own groceries. The activities of scanning, weighing and payment were achieved quite easily to those users.

Activities/ Time
I noticed that in Israel the frustration of using the machine became larger over time. When there was a mistake with the price of a product, or if the till didn’t accept the payment, the long wait time for assistance resulted in anger, a sense of distress and frustration that increased over time. Some started to take that anger out on the machine, sharing it with other users around them and became verbally aggressive. They wondered if next time they should just go directly to the traditional tills.  This was resolved only when they received human assistance. At the end of the day they felt that their time was wasted.

Environment/ User

The environments in both countries offered the user a choice; they could use the traditional or the automated tills in both grocery stores. Since the grocery stores in Israel are quite small and there are often long queues, quite a few people used the automated tills. In Canada users were motivated to use the automated tills mostly in the late afternoon evening when most traditional tills were busy.

Environment/ Objects
In Canada most grocery and retail stores have automated tills as an option for their costumers. However, in Israel this is a new concept and currently only exist in grocery stores. It will be interesting to see how Israelis use this option in retail stores.

Environment/ Time
The environment changes over time- there are longer queues during peak business hours when the tills are heavily used, and there are times when the tills are vacant.

Object/User

The automated tills in Israel only allow club card members of Shupersal to use the tills, so there is an immediate barrier of entry.  The tills also require the sliding of the club card or personal ID in order to begin. Many users struggled with this entry point and had to call for assistance to “log in”. However, the tills in Canada were open to anyone, just show up and start scanning, which created an easier entry point experience.

Users in Israel blamed the tills or the grocery stores employees for its errors. Most of them were extremely impatient by the end of the process. However, their children seemed to enjoy the experience despite the wait time.

Users in Canada seemed more comfortable with the tills and came with a different approach to it. They were at ease even if things didn’t work out, and the grocery store employee immediately came to help at any sign of delay. This made the experience a lot smoother.

Personal observation: When I first encountered the automated tills in Canada I always thought that this concept doesn’t fit the mentality of the Israeli society because they prefer to have face to face interaction and personal service. I also thought that shoppers might take advantage of it by taking products without paying for them. I am very curious to see if the automated tills will be adopted here, I assume that it will become an option, but they will never replace the personal service that Israelis are dependent on.

Object/Time
The sound of the automated tills as they keep repeating themselves asking to scan products was frustrating over time in both countries. Either lowering the sound volume or using visual cues instead can improve the design of the tills.

User/Time
The users’ role and interaction across time stays the same, but the time of interaction may differ depending on the amount of products they buy and level of patience. In Israel users might choose not to use the automated till over time due to the challenges of using the system.