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emilyjacob96 edited this page Dec 16, 2017 · 199 revisions

*** Documentation Guidelines ***

Week 14

  • DO
    • Finish your final project!
    • Document your final project!
      This post should be more polished than your typical homework post and follow the Documentation Guidelines. Add a link to your final documentation post below.
    • Show us your final project!
      Bring your final project to class next week and be prepared to show and talk about it. Plan to spend about 5 minutes talking about your project, we'll spend a few minutes using/experiencing your project, and the rest of the time will be feedback/discussion. It's up to you whether you want to start with presenting your project or talking about it.
      • There may be a few guest critics attending so make sure you're ready to talk about your projects to an audience who has no prior knowledge of your work.
      • Feel free to bring a guest (one per student). Please reach out to me if you have any issues with this.

Your Homework

Week 13

  • DO
    • Make significant progress on your final project as per your project plan. Ideally your project will be nearly done by next week so the following week you can focus on fine tuning/finishing touches as well as documentation. If you think you'll need office hours, schedule them sooner rather than later.
    • Bring your supplies to class next week as we'll devote most of the class to workshopping your projects. If you don't have your sensors yet, make sure you have them for next week. Come with specific questions so we can make significant progress and boost you toward the finish line. My general advice to you is stop working on your software and start testing and building out your physical interface so if you run into trouble we can work on it next week in class. It'll be much more valuable for me to help with your hardware and circuits in person than your code, which is easier to troubleshoot remotely.

Week 12

  • DO

    • User Testing: Bring in a working prototype of your final project that you can test with your classmates. We will spend next class user Testing each project in pairs and providing feedback. This will work similarly to our playtesting class. You should have some aspect of your final project working at this point. Come prepared with questions to ask your user testers to help get the kind of feedback you're looking for and address any issues you're having.

    • Final Project Update: Document any progress in a blog post, any issues you're having, any changes to your idea, next steps, etc.

Your Homework

Week 11

  • DO

    • Final Project Update: Based on the feedback you received in class, update your project description and project plan. Your description should answer the following questions:

      • What is it?
      • What does it do?
      • How do you use it?
      • How does it work?
      • Who is your target audience?
      • Where is this meant to be seen?
      • Why are you interested in it?
      • Why will other people be interested in it?

      Your project plan should include the following:

      • List of supplies
      • System diagram showing technical components and signal flow
      • Weekly timeline with specific measurable goals
        For example, say my project is using eye movements to control a thing.
        • By 11/22: Obtain and test parts. Make sure I'm getting good data from eye sensor and able to print it to the Arduino serial monitor. Make sure I can get "thing" to work.
        • By 11/29: Control thing with potentiometer first as a proof of concept. Then connect thing to eye sensor and control thing with eye.
        • By 12/6: Controlling thing with eye movements working. Start building helmet and enclosure for sensor and thing.
        • By 12/13: Everything fully built and working. Documentation complete.

    • Document whatever progress you make with your project and include that in your post. For example, if you bought parts, include photos/documentation/tutorials. If you build any prototypes, include code, photos, video, etc. I recommend starting small and building each component separately, and then combining them later once you have each individual part working.

    • Come to class prepared to provide an update on your project. Come with questions for the class so we can help with whatever your trouble areas are.

    • Extra Credit: See Week 9

Your Homework

Week 10

  • DO

    • Final Project Proposal: Decide on one idea for your final, post a description of it in a new wiki page and post a link to it below. Include a list of supplies needed, a system diagram showing the different technical components of the project and how they talk to each other (a rough sketch is fine), a timeline with goals for each week leading up to final presentations on December 13th. Here are some questions to get you going.

      • What is it?
      • What does it do?
      • How do you use it?
      • Who is your target audience?
      • Where is this meant to be seen?
      • Why are you interested in it? Why should other people be interested in it?

    • Playtesting: Bring a mock version of your final project to playtest with your peers. Provide a simple set of instructions on how to use the project if necessary. Come prepared with a series of questions to ask your playtesters after they've used your project.

      Think of this as a simulation of your final project that exists in the playtester's mind, and you're creating the physical props and environment that will facilitate this simulation. This doesn't have to be a functional prototype, although the closer you can get to the real thing the better. You can fake it using paper or cardboard props or off-the-shelf objects, moving things around by hand and leaving it up to the user's imagination to fill in the blanks, for example. Just make it as close to the actual experience as possible so your playtesters can give you useful feedback. A few examples of how to do this are:

      • Make things to scale
      • Have the user use your prototype using the same gestures and movements as if they were using a functional version.
      • Show, don't tell. You can fill in the blanks by narrating the experience but if it's meant to be a visual experience, show. If it's auditory, play sounds. If there is physical feedback, recreate this somehow.

    • Extra Credit: See Week 9

Your Homework

Week 9

  • DO

    • Come up with a proposal for your final project. It's okay if your idea isn't finalized or if you have a few ideas that you're deciding between. We'll spend time next class discussing them and giving each other feedback.

      • Post your idea(s) in a new wiki page and add a link below.

    • If you didn't present your serial project last class, bring it in next class.

    • Do any assignments you've missed. Do tutorials that you find interesting. Look at code examples from previous classes and try to make something new with them. etc etc. Just make sure you don't stop coding and building circuits and that you spend time practicing the topics that you're still struggling with.

    • Required: Ask a question in the Github issues. This can be something you couldn't figure out how to do in your homework assignments and gave up on. Something you're still struggling to understand from class. Something you'd like to know how to do in p5.js or Arduino but have no idea how it would actually be done. etc.

    • Extra credit: Send me an email with feedback about the course so far. Here are a few questions off the top of my head to get you started.

      • How are you feeling?
      • What do you like/dislike about the course?
      • Which aspects of the course have been working/not working for you?
      • Which specific topics/demos/assignments/etc. did you enjoy the most/least?
      • What topics do you feel most/least comfortable with?
      • What would you add or remove from the course?
      • What kinds of supplies or resources would help you if they were available?

Your Homework

Week 8

  • DO

    • Serial Project Due: Make an interactive project that takes at least one input from the Arduino and produces some sort of output in p5.js using the Arduino's sensor data. Some examples include:

      • Game + physical controller
      • Musical instrument
      • Visual art piece that reacts to the viewer

    • Document your serial project in a new wiki page and post a link below

    • Start thinking about your final project. The final is quite open ended but must involve some sort of physically interactive system that keeps the user engaged. There should be a clear input and output (unless lack of clarity is the point, in which case there should be good reason for it) and create an ongoing "conversation," as opposed to a "one-liner" project that does one thing without variation. The strongest interactions typically trigger outputs that are prompt and clearly mapped to the inputs.

Your Homework

Week 7

  • DO

    • Start working on your serial project and come to class with a prototype that you can test on your classmates. This can be a p5 sketch, a physical interface, or both. We will spend part of next class discussing your ideas, user testing and providing feedback.

      • Document your work in progress in a new wiki page and post a link below.
      • Serial Project: Make an interactive project that takes at least one input from the Arduino and produces some sort of output in p5.js using the Arduino's sensor data. This will be due 11/1. Some examples include:
        • Game + physical controller
        • Musical instrument
        • Visual art piece that reacts to the viewer

    • Find three digital interactive projects/artworks/products/etc. that you like and add links to them below.

    • Pick an Arduino tutorial or three that seem interesting and do them. Here are a few places you can look, but don't feel limited to these options: Arduino Project Hub, Arduino Built In Examples, Adafruit Learn Arduino, etc.

Your Homework

  1. Cat Feeder
  2. Reflection of the Age
  3. Air Owl
  1. GamePad
  2. Humidity Sensor
  3. Hamster Tracker
  1. Digital Voltmeter,
  2. Arduino Piano
  3. arduino menu
  • Raphael --
  1. Robotic Piano
  2. Tone Generator with Frequency Display
  3. Alarm Clock

Week 6

  • READ

  • DO

    • Find three physical computing projects that you like and add links to them below. Here are a few places you can look - Arduino Project Hub, Hackster, Hackaday, Instructables, All About Circuits, etc.

      • Start thinking about what you might do for your "midterm" project using Arduino and p5.js and come to class prepared to talk about your ideas.

    • Come up with a creative application for digital and/or analog input/output using your Arduino.

      • Note: Think more along the lines of knife-wielding tentacle and less sensor makes servo move. If you need inspiration, look at what other people have made using the same components. Try to apply what we're learning in a way that interests you, whether that be artistic, humorous, practical, etc.
      • Document your work in a new wiki page and add a link below. Link to your code in your post, not here.

Your Homework

Week 5

  • READ

  • DO

    • Familiarize yourself with the parts in your Arduino kit.

    • Watch Jeff Feddersen's sensor survey videos: Sensors - Survey 1, Sensors - Survey 2

    • Come up with a creative application for digital input and digital output using your Arduino. Try and apply the coding concepts you've learned with p5.js and do something interesting using the Arduino. We've only covered buttons and LEDs in class but you are encouraged to experiment with other components we haven't covered. You are also encouraged to continue in the spirit of last week's switch assignment and come up with your own digital switch.

      • Document your work in a new wiki page and add a link below. Your documentation must include images, video, text and code - I've updated the Documentation Guidelines page with instructions on uploading and sharing code.
      • Here's a guide for getting Started with Arduino if you're using your own computer.

Your Homework

Week 4

  • READ

  • DO

    • Take home quiz. Try your best to reproduce each sketch but don't kill yourself over it. If a problem is taking you too long, explain in your own words how you think the code should look. Send your solutions to me in a gist and I'll respond with hints and feedback.

    • Add a new page to this wiki (eg. [Chino] Week 4 Response) and write a response to the readings that answers the following questions. Add a link to your response below.

      • How would you define physical interaction in your own words?
      • What do you think makes for a good physical interaction?
      • Can you think of examples from everyday life of what you consider good or bad physical interactions?

    • Come up with a creative application for switches and LEDs like the ones shown in class (see class notes). Document your work in a new wiki page (eg. [Chino] My Special Switch) and add a link below. See Documentation Guidelines. I don't expect you to go crazy with documentation for smaller prototypes like this but I want you to get in the habit of documenting your physical work. For this week's assignment, you must at least include images, video and a written summary of your work.

    • Go through the exercises in this electronics lab, which covers multimeters and series vs. parallel circuits. Peter Jackson's office has a few multimeters you can use. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

      • The diagrams use a DC power supply with a 5V voltage regulator, but you can supply power from your Arduino using the 5V and GND pins.
      • Ignore anything about soldering. For the last section, the potentiometers in your kit should be breadboard compatible. If not, just read through this part and make sure you understand it.
      • Be careful when your multimeter is set to measure current - if you try to measure voltage while on the current setting, you'll blow the fuse on your multimeter.

    • Buy any supplies you're missing.

Your Homework

Week 3

  • BUY

    • Same as Week 1

  • DO

    • Create a sketch that incorporates iteration. Your sketch should utilize what we've learned until now as well as for loops and arrays. Feel free to take inspiration from the artists we looked at in class - Sol LeWitt, Rafaël Rozendaal, Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries.

    • Review the material covered in weeks 1-3 and make sure you are comfortable with it. We will have an open book quiz next class. Post any questions to the Issues section of the syllabus.

    • Bring your physical computing supplies to the next class.

Your Homework

Week 2

  • READ/EXPLORE

  • BUY

    • Same as Week 1

  • DO

    • Create a dynamic p5.js sketch that uses variables and if / else if / else statements. Your sketch must have at least:

      • One element that responds to user input (eg. mouse movement).
      • One element that changes over time, independently of user input.
      • One element that is different each time the sketch is loaded.

      You can either create a new sketch or continue developing your portrait from week 1, ***BUT*** if you keep working on your portrait make sure you duplicate the original sketch and work on it in a new file. You can do this easily by:

      • Opening your portrait and clicking "duplicate" at the top of the p5.js web editor. You should see the filename of your current sketch is now "[original file name] copy", which you can rename.
      • Copying and pasting the code from your original sketch into a new sketch.

    • Create a Github Issue in the Issues section of this repository for each question you have about the homework and try to answer other questions posted by your peers. You are also highly encouraged to start a conversation about anything related to the class in the Issues section.

Your Homework

Week 1

  • READ

  • BUY

  • DO

    • Add a new page to this wiki, include your name in the title (example) and post a response to the reading, about 3-5 paragraphs long. This is not a formal essay so feel free to be creative and address the parts of the reading that speak to you. Add a link to your response below by editing this page.

    • Create a Github Account. You'll need it to edit this page.

    • Watch this repository to make sure you receive notifications for new Issues, which we'll be using as a discussion/help forum. Click the watch button at the top right of this page and select "watching." watch

    • Create a self-portrait in p5.js using 2D primitive shapes - point(), line(), ellipse(), arc(), triangle(), rect(), quad() - and basic color functions - background(), fill(), noFill(), stroke(), noStroke(), strokeWeight(). You are welcome to be loose in your interpretation of "self-portrait." Add a link to your sketch below by editing this page.

    • Create a Github Issue in the Issues section of this repository for each question you have about the homework and try to answer other questions posted by your peers. You are also highly encouraged to start a conversation about anything related to the class in the Issues section.

Your Homework

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