Documentation of the project URband of Oliver Jahn, interaction design student at the btk in Berlin. Course: Tangible Interaction "The Beauty of Waiting"

1. COURSE: Tangible Interaction “The Beauty of Waiting“, WS 13/14
TEACHERS: Steffen Klaue, Jan Vormann
URband
audiovisual interactivity
in urban waiting
a design documenation
by Oliver Jahn

2. Table of Contents
page Personal Approach
02 Explaining motivation and
inspiration
page Implementation
10 Building a functional prototype
page Elevator Pitch
03 Summarizing the project
page Exhibition
12 Collecting pictures
page Contact data
13 Getting into contact
page Creation Process
04 Developing the concept
01

3. Having been a performing musician the idea
was quite close to bring joy into waiting sit-
uations by using music, sound and light.
Everyone who ever watched a live show will
understand the emotional power of music
visualized by a light show.
As there is most likely no-one who has never
imagined himself being a rock star or a DJ,
an interactive music interface placed into ur-
ban waiting situations came to my mind.
In short, it is an interactive way to inspire, to
entertain, to educate and to communicate
by music, as well for those who participate as
for those who watch.
Personal Approach
02

4. Elevator Pitch
URband combines music experience, sound
visualisation and human communication. Re-
garding this approach a wide field of applica-
tion is thinkable, commercial and non-com-
mercial.
URband’s main component is a central cylin-
der whose sensors capture the presence of
a person within a certain range. The nearer
the person comes, the louder a song track is
played accompanied by light visualisations.
Coming very near a solo track is played bring-
ing the related person into focus. Scaling the
number of persons up to multiple people an
interactive song with a complex polyphony
can be created.
The positioning of URband should be set to
urban places with a high concentration of
people in diverse waiting situations such as
Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz etc.
03

5. Creation Process
Brainstorming
In collaboration with my co-student Garla
Gronwald the first step of developing the de-
sign and feature concept was to brainstorm
about possible orientations of URband. The
applied method was a mind map based on
the wording of “Ambient Waiting“ related to
the course subject “The Beauty of Waiting“.
While brainstorming and discussing an inter-
active tool to manipulate music and sound
quickly came into mind. Another focus of the
mind map related to urban furniture.
Splitting the further project development
Carla cared for the second subject, while I
focussed on creating and implementing an
comprehensive and interactive relation be-
tween sound and movement.
04

6. Creation Process
User Research
Evaluating user interviews made at public
places like Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz
and Europaplatz it became clear that the ste-
reotype user is younger than 50 years. The
screenings showed that older users tend to
decline this way of interaction or miss the re-
lation to digital media.
URband will still be usable for older people,
but they will not be considered in the further
development of the concept.
Concerning physical challanges there is no
separation between fully able and encum-
bered people. URband reacts to all of them
in the same way and can equally be used.
A further narrowing down of the users group
is quite difficult, because urband can be
used by a quite heterogenous group of ran-
dom passerbies. URband should be usable
to every level of education and skills. Shy
people would be also able to use URband,
and the same would be applied to those who
would prefer no contact with other people.
05

7. Creation Process
Personas
Before beginning the actual design steps it
was necessary to get a better “grip“ on the
user group. Based on the data from the user
research interviews personas were created
displaying stereotype users that separately
stand for major parts of the user group.
06
Sonja, 37
teacher for history and philosophy
likes Bach, classical soundtracks and
Yann Tiersen
Martin, 26
Club DJ,
likes Skrillex, David Guetta and Lexy & K-Paul
Christian, 31
Social Worker,
likes Green Day, Jay-Z and Freundeskreis

8. Creation Process
Product Design
First steps of visualizing the actual ap-
pearence of URband’s outdoor use were
made on sketch. It was the idea to have a tent
of an organic shaping protecting the sensor
pillar in the middle, the projection surface on
the floor and naturally the users themselves
from the weather.
Coming from the sketch a more realistic de-
sign was created implementing the design
concept into an urban scene.
07

9. Creation Process
Audio Editing
Having a solid basement of research and
user personas it was possible to create suit-
able song loops. By the use of Apple’s au-
dio editing software GarageBand and sound
and music samples, four tracks were made
for each genre: classical music, Dubstep
and Hip Hop. Each track plays a single or a
bundle of instruments. For example the four
classical tracks play bass, violins, piano and
percussion playing all together a repetative,
harmonic and polyphonic song.
08

10. Creation Process
Implementation Concept
Making first steps for the next phase the im-
plementation concept of URband was mainly
focussed on creating a fully functional indoor
prototype for the exhibition “In Bewegung“
in February 2014.
The technical components of the installation
were:
ÆÆ Beamer projecting visual feedback on
the floor
ÆÆ Sphere shaped speaker
ÆÆ Ultrasonic sensors
ÆÆ Arduino device
ÆÆ Scaffolding and hull for the pillar
ÆÆ Umbrella stand filled with water
ÆÆ Foam coat to hide the base
ÆÆ Processing programme
ÆÆ Music tracks
9

11. Implemenation
Sensor mock up
To begin the actual implementation of the
design and feature concept of URband ultra
sonic sensors were connected to an Arduino
device and taped onto a paper roll angled at
0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees.
Using the Java based programming language
“Processing” a software interface was made
to communicate between the sensor signals
and the visual feedback of the projection.
During the last steps of preparation for the
exhibition the Arduino device blew, As a
consequence the prototype had to be con-
trolled by acomputer mouse instead of the
indended sensors.
10

12. Implemenation
Scaffolding & Hull
To create a stable base for the installation
an umbrella stand was filled with water. Af-
ter building a wooden scaffolding to carry
a bendable plastic hull, its central staff was
placed into the holding of the stand.
The final steps were made at the exhibition
place coating the scaffolding with a benda-
ble plastic surface that also carried the sen-
sors.
At last the Arduino device was put into the
pillar and connected to data und electricity
cables, while the speaker finished the pillar
on top of the scaffolding.
11

13. Exhibition
12

14. Contact Data
Oliver Jahn
Matrikulation number FHBOJ21081301
Interaction Design, Semester 4
btk - Berliner Technische Kunsthochschule
oliver.jahn@btk-fh.de
(01 70) 3 15 67 51
13