FA19: Prototyping AR Experiences: PUBLIC

Details

Meeting time: MW 8:30–11:00am (8w1 FA19)

Location: HR 122

Instructor: Aaron Ganci (aganci@iu.edu)

Office hours: By request. Email to set up a Zoom or In-person meeting (HR 154)

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Overview

Augmented reality (AR) is "an enhanced version of the physical, real-world reality of which elements are superimposed by computer-generated or extracted real-world sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or haptics" [source]. You have likely encountered an AR experience in the last few years as mobile computing has exponentially improved. Apple and Google have both been encouraging their development communities to consider how to leverage their new technology.

However, there are several problems with AR as it stands today. Chiefly, the mode of delivery for AR experiences is limited. Mobile phones (and tablets) are the only mobile computers powerful enough to handle the intense computing demands. But, it's awkward to hold your phone out to view these experiences for very long. Because the mode is limited, the types of settings that AR can be used is also limited. Our imaginations for what we can do with it are stymied because the constraints are still too overwhelming. That's where designers come in. By removing some constraints, working with people, and speculating on a future state, we can drive the industry rather than follow it. That's what we'll practice doing in this course.

Structure and Process

This class meets 5 hours each week. Monday/Wednesday class time will be structured around the following kinds of activities: lectures & in-class activities, discussion from assigned readings, studio work time, individual and group critiques, individual presentations, field research preparation & field research, and development of visual communication outcomes. You are expected to work a minimum of 7.5 hours outside of class per week to achieve the class goals.

Learning Objectives

• Test and evaluate design solutions
• Embrace risk
• Rely on people in your design process
• Communicate effectively

Learning Outcomes

There are a few high-level learning objectives we have for you this semester. These objectives will be addressed in different ways through each project.

• use appropriate vocabulary to discuss the potential of AR
• speculate on future solutions through understanding present need
• leverage evaluative methods to validate design concepts
• construct a narrative to describe a speculative solution
• utilize a variety of digital tools to prototype AR experiences

Approach

There are a  few principles that should define our collective approach this semester.

Be present, not perfect

"Design, as a problem-solving activity can never, by definition, yield one right answer: it will always produce an infinite number of answers, some 'righter' and some 'wronger.' The 'rightness' of any design solution will depend on the meaning  which we invest the arrangement [of design elements]."

-Victor Papanek, Design for the Real World, 1971

Outside of a few issues (spelling, craft, promptness), We will never ask you to be perfect in this class. Your daily goal should be to make your best effort, learn from your mistakes, and continuously improve (even if by very small amounts). Rather than executing perfect solutions, focus on being present and attentive in class, during critique, and in discussions and we promise that you will be a much better designer by the end of the semester.

Be smart about your data

Losing your computer (either from a software crash, hardware failure, theft, or otherwise) is an inevitability. Embrace this and plan for it: have a plan to backup your computer. We recommend having a two-pronged backup strategy. You should have one hard backup on an external hard drive somewhere. If you use a Mac, make sure Time Machine is connected and use it regularly. The other backup should be remote. Aaron recommends using Backblaze for a reliable, seamless, and relatively inexpensive experience: https://secure.backblaze.com/r/019kbx (affiliate link, includes 1 month free).

Be an informed citizen

As a student, you have access to a lot of great resources for free or reduced prices. Take advantage of these while you can. Get your news from somewhere other than Facebook. For example, the Washington Post offers a free subscription for students. Learn how to access it here: http://time.com/money/4671856/get-free-subscription-to-the-washington-post/. You can get the New York Times for only $1/week (https://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/edu/lp8LQFK.html). Wherever you get your news, get good at assessing the credibility of what you see.

Be forthright

To do our best work together, we need to have a good working relationship. Trust is the cornerstone. Do your best, and if you fall short, be humble and ready to learn. If you need to miss class for any reason, just tell us. We've heard it all and that's okay.

Honesty also works both ways. If something is not going as you would like in this class, tell one or both of us. I'm ready to talk about it and work through it.

Grading and Projects

Grades are a little different in this course. Traditional letter grades hinder creativity and place emphasis on task completion rather than creative investigation. With this in mind, your assessment in this course will be focused on your learning rather than your output. At the end of the course, you will be asked to complete a self-reflection that will facilitate a one-on-one discussion with me. At that meeting, we will discuss what grade we both believe is appropriate. With all this in mind, expectations for deliverables will always be clearly communicated and your participation in those activities will be considered when determining your grade.

There are a couple of things I want you to complete throughout the course that will help these end-of-term discussions:

• Weekly reflection.
  Each week, I will post a reflection topic to Canvas that you should spend 30 minutes thinking and writing about. These will help you track your learning throughout the term.
• Weekly "prototype"
  Each week, I want you and your partner to upload materials to a box folder that communicate how your solution prototype has progressed since the previous week. Think of each entry as a "guess" about your final solution. If your project ended on that day, what would you solution look like? How can you best communicate its success?