end of the year wrap up

So, the end of my first year is here and our class can officially call ourselves "second years". Exciting! I have really seen myself grow a lot through this process. I love to post all of my work—because no matter how unspectacular it might be—it is great to look back and constantly see how far I've come. And let's face it, the idea is usually better than the form due to time constraints.

This is my final project for gestural interactions:



I focused on the idea of gesturecons and how the technology could be intuitive and reassuring. The scenarios use futurecasted technology, since the affordances of interactive holograms allow for different kinds of interactions than a digital space (e.g., no screen, environmental immersion).

For final review we discussed how this semester might inform thesis ideas. I found myself gravitating to the design of virtual communities and the subculture of people who seek refuge in online environments (like Second Life). There is emerging research on how online social interactions appeal to a certain kind of user (psychosocially distressed) and end up worsening their condition. The emotional implications that designed online mediated environments have on user experience has definitely got my attention. I'm excited to see where this seed of interests will take me over the summer.

Thesis, here I come.