Vivacious Weather and Exuberant Email

Students: Bethany Snyder, Amalia Goutaki · Year: 2014 · Course: Generative Design

In this one week Generative Design class we were introduced to java script. For this project, we were asked to “personify and anthropomorphise two web-based sensors” by giving them a voice of their own. For our final presentation we had one day to prepare, and we chose to go with temperature, giving it a vivacious personality, and email, making it exuberant.

For temperature, we had two variables to play with: changes in color and speed of movement. Both of these facts were mutually affected by the data being received concerning weather changes. Lower degrees in temperature where depicted by blue color and slow movement; when higher temperature, warmer color lines would appear, moving faster. The inspiration came from waves and water and we tried to imitate the movement of water when its boiling.

For the email, we tried to create something that can give one information for the whole day. The emails are being represented by black dots moving around in different ellipses based on the different times of the day they were received. For this sensor, we imitate the movement of planets and interconnectedness of the world as well as the network and flow of information.

Although, we had some experience from our Introduction to Programming class, it was still challenging for us to personify a web-based sensor when knowing just the basics of programming. We learned that simplicity in design is crucial when trying to give information at a glance to the user but also how to avoid entering an uncanny valley when anthropomorphising objects and services.