FURTHER CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT
• REFLECTIVE STORY-TELLING
How can you get them to reflect on their lives and want to seek help?
• Fun and games
Consider existing “scenario” games where the user learns important life skills such as the MTV game “Dafur is dying”.
Combine the two concepts
- Allow them to take photos of themselves through prompts e.g. Take a photo of yourself, Take a photo of your friends, etc
- This will construct a fictional story with them and their friends as the characters…
- Playback – different image based stories will results, with a choose your own adventure type choices to be made
- Choices will lead to different consequences.
- The aim is to allow them to reflect on how their choices will affect them.
READING FOR THIS WEEK
1. Experience Prototyping
Three critical design activities:
Understanding existing experiences, exploring design ideas and communicating design concepts.
Prototypes are respresentations of a design made before final artefacts exist. Created to inform design process and design decisions.
Functions of a prototype: the “role” an artifact will play, its “look and feel” and how it will be implemented, different levels of fidelity, prototypes for different audiences etc.
Key element of innovation.
Experience prototyping:
Emphasize the experiential aspect of whatever representations are needed to successfully relive or convey an experience with a product, space or system.
Any kind of representation in any medium that is designed to understand, explore or communicate what it might be like to engage with the product, space or system we are designing eg storyboards, scenarios, sketches, video, etc.
Experience Prototyping is valuable for:
Understanding existing user experiences and context
Exploring and evaluating design ideas
Communicating ideas to an audience
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
J2ME and Mobile Processing Tutorials
Just posting the tutorials from the last few weeks. The first is the file from the J2ME exercises we did in week 2, the typical Hello World program, and also an exercise for a MIDlet with GUI, and further, an exercise in programming a MIDlet with web access:
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/MyMIDlet.java
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/MyGUIMIDlet.java
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/MyHTTPMIDlet.java
We also did two exercises in Mobile Processing. The first is a simple drawing exercise to get us used to the interface. The second gets data from the web (weather data) and creates a visualisation of it.
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/mp2_start.pde
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/mp.pde
Okay thats it for now.
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/MyMIDlet.java
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/MyGUIMIDlet.java
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/MyHTTPMIDlet.java
We also did two exercises in Mobile Processing. The first is a simple drawing exercise to get us used to the interface. The second gets data from the web (weather data) and creates a visualisation of it.
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/mp2_start.pde
http://www.arch.usyd.edu.au/~ssoo0804/DECO3200/mp.pde
Okay thats it for now.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Design Brief
Based on our peer critique session last week, this week we have to start narrowing down the concept for our project we wish to implement, and write a short design brief and draw up an accompanying storyboard. Below is the brief so far. It may change as I get a better idea about the project.
DECO3200 PROJECT DESIGN BRIEF
Project Description
A digital story-telling application for Guatemalan Street Children to play and interact with, which will encourage creativity and exploration, provide a sense of accomplishment, and allow them to share their stories with the world.
Goals
- To provide a form of entertainment and play for the Street Children of Guatemala.
- To encourage creativity, exploration, and stimulate the desire to learn in the children.
- To make other people in the world more aware of the Street Children’s current situation, with the aim of generating more support for local charities and organizations.
Primary User(s)
- Guatemalan Street Children between 8 – 15 years, the majority of which are illiterate and enumerate.
- Local charities/organizations - educated Adult volunteers.
Assumptions
- Application will run on a shared mobile device made available to the children for a limited time.
User Needs
- Street Children need a form of entertainment and play.
- Street Children need a voice and need to be heard.
- Street Children need an exploration tool to develop creativity and an interest in learning.
- Local Charities/Organizations need to increase awareness of the street children’s current life situations.
Functional Requirements
- Application must be fun and playful, and be of interest to the children.
- Ability to cross linguistic and literacy barriers
Technical Requirements
Hardware: Mobile Phone with multimedia capabilities (camera, sound, video)
Software: J2ME, Mobile Processing
DECO3200 PROJECT DESIGN BRIEF
Project Description
A digital story-telling application for Guatemalan Street Children to play and interact with, which will encourage creativity and exploration, provide a sense of accomplishment, and allow them to share their stories with the world.
Goals
- To provide a form of entertainment and play for the Street Children of Guatemala.
- To encourage creativity, exploration, and stimulate the desire to learn in the children.
- To make other people in the world more aware of the Street Children’s current situation, with the aim of generating more support for local charities and organizations.
Primary User(s)
- Guatemalan Street Children between 8 – 15 years, the majority of which are illiterate and enumerate.
- Local charities/organizations - educated Adult volunteers.
Assumptions
- Application will run on a shared mobile device made available to the children for a limited time.
User Needs
- Street Children need a form of entertainment and play.
- Street Children need a voice and need to be heard.
- Street Children need an exploration tool to develop creativity and an interest in learning.
- Local Charities/Organizations need to increase awareness of the street children’s current life situations.
Functional Requirements
- Application must be fun and playful, and be of interest to the children.
- Ability to cross linguistic and literacy barriers
Technical Requirements
Hardware: Mobile Phone with multimedia capabilities (camera, sound, video)
Software: J2ME, Mobile Processing
Monday, August 07, 2006
Ideas Brainstorm
For this week we have to come up with 5 ideas for an application we could possibly implement for the community we have chosen. The ideas I came up with are as follows:
IDEAS BRAINSTORM
Issue: Loss of childhood and innocence
- aim to give the children back their childhood
- What makes up a childhood? Fun, games, learning, growing, playing, no worries.
- Average age of a street child: 7 years. Average life expectancy: 30 years.
- Collaborative educational games that build up social skills, literacy levels.
- Create an application that the children can play with – something fun, interactive.
- Children also need to feel safe and secure. How can a mobile phone application provide for this?
- Keep in mind adults are the generally the ones that have caused them harm, physical abuse, etc.
1. Support Network
- Kid’s helpline
- Put children in touch with people that can help them such as Caza Alianza
- Big Brother/Big Sister networks?
- Or access to counselling services
- Map to show them locations of shelters
- Caza Alianza’s volunteers have also been attacked for trying to help the children. Is there a way to put them in touch with the street children through wireless technologies.
2. Storybook
- aim to give these children a voice
- to be able to tell their story
- capture the lives of the street children, let them tell their story through videos, pictures, drawings, sound, words
- tell the world their hopes and dreams – possibly be used by charities to aid in obtaining more support
5. Prevention
- bring back the importance of the family unit
- social, medical, legal aid for families
- support network for the single parent families to make a better home for the children to stop them from running away in the first place
- helping single mothers e.t.c cope with supporting a family
3. Access to information
- puberty – no support during this awkard stage, no understanding, sex education
- sex education is important – many of the female children on the street become young mothers due to either prostitution, or sex at an early age, lack of knowledge regarding sexual rights. Their children in turn are at risk of also become children of the street.
- Information regarding drugs – drug addiction esp. solvent abuse is a problem. Give information about the long and short term effects of drug abuse.
4. Lack of proper role models
- street children see adults as abusers. They are usually wary of obtaining help from adults as these are the people that have either abandoned them, or those that wish them harm (street children abusers, police).
- Seek role models in former street children who have sought help from organizations and made a better life for themselves
- Success stories – to allow street children to realise that a better life that on the street is not just a dream.
Education
- learning tools to give children the basics/foundations for education
- majority of street children are illiterate
- in the form of games?
IDEAS BRAINSTORM
Issue: Loss of childhood and innocence
- aim to give the children back their childhood
- What makes up a childhood? Fun, games, learning, growing, playing, no worries.
- Average age of a street child: 7 years. Average life expectancy: 30 years.
- Collaborative educational games that build up social skills, literacy levels.
- Create an application that the children can play with – something fun, interactive.
- Children also need to feel safe and secure. How can a mobile phone application provide for this?
- Keep in mind adults are the generally the ones that have caused them harm, physical abuse, etc.
1. Support Network
- Kid’s helpline
- Put children in touch with people that can help them such as Caza Alianza
- Big Brother/Big Sister networks?
- Or access to counselling services
- Map to show them locations of shelters
- Caza Alianza’s volunteers have also been attacked for trying to help the children. Is there a way to put them in touch with the street children through wireless technologies.
2. Storybook
- aim to give these children a voice
- to be able to tell their story
- capture the lives of the street children, let them tell their story through videos, pictures, drawings, sound, words
- tell the world their hopes and dreams – possibly be used by charities to aid in obtaining more support
5. Prevention
- bring back the importance of the family unit
- social, medical, legal aid for families
- support network for the single parent families to make a better home for the children to stop them from running away in the first place
- helping single mothers e.t.c cope with supporting a family
3. Access to information
- puberty – no support during this awkard stage, no understanding, sex education
- sex education is important – many of the female children on the street become young mothers due to either prostitution, or sex at an early age, lack of knowledge regarding sexual rights. Their children in turn are at risk of also become children of the street.
- Information regarding drugs – drug addiction esp. solvent abuse is a problem. Give information about the long and short term effects of drug abuse.
4. Lack of proper role models
- street children see adults as abusers. They are usually wary of obtaining help from adults as these are the people that have either abandoned them, or those that wish them harm (street children abusers, police).
- Seek role models in former street children who have sought help from organizations and made a better life for themselves
- Success stories – to allow street children to realise that a better life that on the street is not just a dream.
Education
- learning tools to give children the basics/foundations for education
- majority of street children are illiterate
- in the form of games?
Collage
The first individual assignment is to construct a collage that tells the story of your community - their history, what they do in their day to day lives, their struggles, their hopes and dreams.
Below are some of the keywords and phrases I used to build my collage. I will post a picture of the collage at a later date.
STUFF FOR COLLAGE
From www.toyboxcharity.co.uk
"If a dream could become real, it would be to live with my family and have a different life." Jose, 15 yrs old
"To live on the streets is so sad. If my dream could come true, it would be to have a life without drugs." Alfredo, 13 yrs old
"Life on the street is like a prison because you are mistreated" Miguel, 12 yrs old
GUATEMALA - HISTORY
Civil War
36 years of Internal Conflict
150,000 dead
50,000 missing
Difficult Rebuilding
Hurricane Mitch 1998
Category 5
Most Destructive in Recorded History
26, 000 killed
Drought
Hurricane Stan 2005
760 killed
Long term damage to the infrastructure
Factors
Poverty – areas of poor housing, little access to running water, adequate sanitation
No Education – parents unemployed and illiterate
Types
Orphaned
Abandoned – by parents too poor to cope
Runaways – from physical or sexual abuse
Children OF the street and Children ON the street
Rejected by Society
Regarded as disposable
Victims of harassment and violent abuse
SURVIVAL
Numbing the pain and loneliness → solvent abuse, drug addiction
Starvation vs joinging a violent gang, stealing, begging, selling their bodies
Child prositution
Street life is dangerous
Below are some of the keywords and phrases I used to build my collage. I will post a picture of the collage at a later date.
STUFF FOR COLLAGE
From www.toyboxcharity.co.uk
"If a dream could become real, it would be to live with my family and have a different life." Jose, 15 yrs old
"To live on the streets is so sad. If my dream could come true, it would be to have a life without drugs." Alfredo, 13 yrs old
"Life on the street is like a prison because you are mistreated" Miguel, 12 yrs old
GUATEMALA - HISTORY
Civil War
36 years of Internal Conflict
150,000 dead
50,000 missing
Difficult Rebuilding
Hurricane Mitch 1998
Category 5
Most Destructive in Recorded History
26, 000 killed
Drought
Hurricane Stan 2005
760 killed
Long term damage to the infrastructure
Factors
Poverty – areas of poor housing, little access to running water, adequate sanitation
No Education – parents unemployed and illiterate
Types
Orphaned
Abandoned – by parents too poor to cope
Runaways – from physical or sexual abuse
Children OF the street and Children ON the street
Rejected by Society
Regarded as disposable
Victims of harassment and violent abuse
SURVIVAL
Numbing the pain and loneliness → solvent abuse, drug addiction
Starvation vs joinging a violent gang, stealing, begging, selling their bodies
Child prositution
Street life is dangerous
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