Michael Barakat Designer’s Portfolio 2010 mbarakat@uarts.edu
Michael Barakat lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This portfolio focuses on how design is about connecting people with ideas - also known as the Human Centered Design Process. This interest is the primary focus of Michael’s art and design pursuits. Currently, he matriculates at the University of the Arts, where he will earn a Masters Degree of Industrial Design in April 2011.
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Contents i
Introduction
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Pixie Engine
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Civility in the Crosswalk
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Visual Biography
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Distance Education
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Pixie Engine Hard to Explain: A project about identity The Pixie Engine is a new technology from Human Network Labs in Philadelphia. It allows users to transmit a variety of different types of data for communication that gives its users information about their surroundings. What does that mean? Turn the page to find out.
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Pixie Engine Project Structure
Meeting Human Network Labs (creators of the Pixie Engine) Meeting potential users and Concepting
Research of Similar Technologies
So few constraints and only 6 weeks. Human Network Labs is a new company with big ideas. Their Pixie Engine technology is just gaining footing in the United States and Asia. And, although they had worked with an amazing team of engineers and scientists,
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they had not used design thinking to further their Pixie Engine Device. Although refined internally, it lacks an identity to connect with the public. While its potential uses were limitless, the technology had no personality.
Production of new films informed by previous efforts
Design challenge: creating identity
Review of past campaigns
There is no doubt Pixie Engine is a unique product, with no other comparable technology. However, the true question is: How can The UArts Team employ their design thinking toward bettering a product
with so few constraints in so little time?
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What does it do?
Find Things.
Find Friends.
How is it different? One of the biggest obstacles of Pixie was the fact this it has almost limitless uses and similar uses to other technologies. It can track location like GPS, send data as in cellular technology, communicate quickly as with two way radios, and
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connect to other devices the same way that bluetooth devices do. The only difference between Pixie and these other technologies is that pixie theoretically does it all better.
It’s easy to find a parking space with pixie!
The Pixie Engine Alarm Clock.
(Wide Shot)
le pulls up to a food market in their car. male asks the male to make sure he gets a specific item. xits car and enters the food market.
A blind person uses pixie to identify their surroundings.
Hail a taxi with Pixie.
Concepts Of the many concepts that made the final cut, which could best, or at all, demonstrate Pixie’s potential on video? Consumers will like Pixie because it caters to the user more than anything other device, enabling them to make
extraordinarily powerful connections with minimal hardware. And the technology’s potential use in a huge number of applications means that the model could be applied almost anywhere.
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Creating an identity that people can relate to.
Screen shots from AT&T’s highly romantisized consumer aimed commercials.
Philips design probes: A timeless feeling ad campaign that exhibits their technology and seemingly ethical grounding.
IDEO used superbly rendered cinematic storytelling to illustrate how technology could be applied in an innovative way.
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Finding inspiration - learning through example. text
In the mid 90’s, AT&T made a series of commercials about the future of potential technology made available through the AT&T communications network. While strengthening AT&Ts image as a cutting edge developer, they also romanticized the the image of technology with captivating scenarios of communicating in the near future.
Phillips Design Studio developed a project called “food probes,” a product system for the analysis and introspection of food consumption and self sustainability in a future home. We extracted the idea of advertising for Public Image: a sociallyconcious concept is developed and nurtured for the good of the future, but also increases the philanthropical image of the company and bolsters public interest and support.
IDEO produced various high concept films for corporate consumption that highlighted the potentials of technology in a highly produced, stylistic way. From these films, the UArts team learned how to craft a visual message about a technology that is not fully developed. The team identified that what Pixie needed was to reach out to the public by producing videos intended for consumer consumption.
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Results: A new clarity of product Balloon Scenario A young woman in the park uses Pixie to locate her lost child. This scenario expresses Pixie Engine’s ability to instantly locate objects and their proximity to the user.
Market Shopping Scenario Get your shopping done quick by knowing just where to go. One of the best capabilities of Pixie is its ability to data tag stationary objects, as shown in the Market scenario.
Trading Scenario Finding a book you need is easier and quicker than ever before. A “find it/buy it” situation showed the capabilities of Pixie Engine to act as a craigslist-like device for local social commerce.
Three Videos The UArts team realized that, if Pixie Engine was to succeed, it needed both the public and corporate worlds to not only understand its capabilities, but also make an emotional connection with the product. Using the AT&T commercials as models as well as the high concept films produced by IDEO, the UArts team set out to create an emotional connection to Pixie. Three videos were produced.
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Civility in the Streets: Making the Crosswalk safer and friendlier for everyone. As far as anyone knew, it was just a typical day in Philadelphia. Team Civility knew better. Something was amiss out there. The streets were angry. Cyclists, Motorists, and Pedestrians were all at war with one another, and they all crossed paths in the crosswalk.
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Civility in the Streets Project Structure
Identifying the needs of the client
Observing the problem areas
Interviewing experts
Finding the right place for making the right impact. The transportation system constantly grows, shrinks and develops. It’s an ongoing system with ongoing problems. What will our transportation system look like in 10 years? Will it be adequate?
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How will it look in 20? The Civility in the Streets Project began with these questions.
Experimentation and Conclusions
Analysis Concepting
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The transportation system is inadequate.
REPORTED BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIA PEDESTRIAN & CYCLIST COLLISIONS
PEDESTRIAN
Collision Count (1990 - 2005)
22 or More
B
10 - 21 3-9
A
1-2
Area A: 274 - 553 Crashes
Area B: 284 - 517 Cra
BICYCLE or more collisions Collision 22 Count
22 or more collisions
(1990 - 2005)
These interesections are high risk zones.
7 - 13 31-
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Cars run yellow and red traffic signals. Pedestrians walk when they’re not 6 supposed to, frequently causing accidents. 2 Cyclists do just about whatever they want. If users of the crosswalk intersection
were more aware of their actions and surroundings then the streets would be a safer place for everyone.
B
A
Pedestrians
CROSSWALK (SHARED AREA) Cyclists
Motorists
Why do these collisions occur? Interesections are the places where cars, pedestrians and cyclists meet. Places that are shared areas. But, why aren’t they treated like places we share? We didn’t need to go far to find problems in
our transportation infrastructure. Just wait until rush hour (5pm) and walk to any Philadelphia city corner. Misuse and Abuse is rampant.
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Experimentation in the Intersection provides new insights.
VINYL RINGS
VINYL CIRCLES Experiements: Different experiments were conducted using simple materials to temporariily increase visibility, foster user engagement and a more interactive environment. Several different experiments were conducted.
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HUMAN BARRIER
SPEAKER BOX Vinyl RIngs: arrows and rings tempt pedestrians to “hop scotch� along the crosswalk.
Human Barrier: Human presence deters cars from edging forward into shared space.
Vinyl Circles: circles make a walkway to deter pedestrians from jaywalking.
SpeakerBox: A speaker shouts commands when users break the rules.
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Results: Information for future projects.
Experiements: The experiments were successful in failed to engage users, while others were highlighing some of the problems of clearly temporary solutions. What solutions the crosswalk. And, the data that was can we find next? gathered present new points of entry for further study. Many of the experiements
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The Visual Biography of Andy Grossman Who is Andy Grossman? What does he look like when his life is displayed as quantifyable data from the span of his personal experiences? This project is about selecting information not ordinarily thought of as quantifiable and visually displaying it in a method characteristic of the subject.
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0101010101 01010101010101010101 010101010101010101010101010101 01010101010101010101010101010101010101010 101010101010101010101010101 0101010101010101010 10101010101010101010101 0101010101010101010101 010101010 101 01 010101010101010 101010101 0101010101010 1010101 010101010101 0 101010 101010101010 10101 010101010101 01010 10101010101 01010101 01010101010 1010101 01010101010 101010 10101010101 01010 1010101010 1010 101010101 01 01010101 01 0101010 1 010 10 1 0 1 0
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Expressing someone in data.
Things that are important to me may not be important to Andy. Where should I start?
Knowing someone is knowing what they do and how they to it. At first glance, he is a slight Man with an unusual demeanor. His charming smile and Whitty Manerisms indicate a capable aptitude. He is sharp and well dressed. His Name is Andy Grossman.
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So many experiences effect who we are. What does andy Like? How many Girlfriends has he had? What Kind of music does he Listen to? Is he a coffee drinker?
I wonder how much Andy likes his coffee?
I like it alot. Really.
Not only does andy like coffee but he likes comfortable coffee shop experiences - WI-FI and the whole enchilada.
Scarsdale, NY 2000
Places Andy goes to for coffee.
2.5 Miles
= coffee shop frequented
Bronxville, NY
= coffee shop alternate = home = distance travelled for coffee = quality of shop measured in beans. = free wi-fi
Midtown East 2006 2.5 Miles
Noho
2.5 Miles
Soho
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Rittenhouse Square
.7 Miles
Center City 2009
Broad St.
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What an audiophile! He has loved music since he was a young man. With such an eclectic taste and scope I Must include his musical story for viewers to better understand him.
The Music Andy Listens to. At Age 8
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20 - 25
he spent $
$$
$$$
$$
$$$$
$$$$$
and he Likes...
+Pop +Oldies +Soul +Funk
+Classic Rock +Heavy Metal
He likes it because it’s...
Rebellious Provocative Swaggering
Happy Energetic Celebratory
Pop Oldies Soul Funk Classic Rock Heavy Metal
Pop Oldies Soul Funk
Pop Oldies Soul Funk
Classic Rock Heavy Metal Electronica Industrial Reggae Jazz
Classic Rock Heavy Metal Electronica Industrial Reggae Jazz
+Underground Metal +Progressive Metal
Underground Metal Progressive Metal
Underground Metal Progressive Metal
+Alternative Rock +Britpop +New Wave
Alternative Rock Britpop New Wave +Electrohouse +House +Classical
Pop Oldies Soul Funk Classic Rock Heavy Metal +Electronica +Industrial +Reggae +Jazz
Pop Oldies Soul Funk
Lush Cathartic Elaborate
Hostile Angry Theatrical
Visceral Enigmatic Angst-Ridden
Electronica Industrial Reggae Jazz
Plaintive Whimsical Mannered He loves...
Van Halen
Mayhem
Iron Maiden Led Zeppelin
Tool
Steely Dan
The Beach Boys
Orbital
Earth Wind, and Fire
The Prodigy
The Beatles James Brown
Michael Jackson
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Royksopp
Opeth
Crystal Castles Schoenberg
Keoki
Sneaker Pimps
Miles Davis Louis Armstrong Coltrane Getz
Nirvana Foo Fighters
New Order The Cure
And he doesn’t like...
-Underground Metal -Progressive Metal Anymore
Andy has traveled many places. I wonder what he’s learned?
The problem with learning stuff is that you can’t unlearn stuff.
Lessons Andy Learned. New York, NY
Hoboken, NJ Miami, FL
Los Angeles, CA
Middlebury, VT
Greenwich, CT Philadelphia, PA London, UK Edinburgh, Scott
Munich, Germ Paris, France Athens, Greece Long Beach Island, NJ = importance of lessons learned
= enjoyment of experience
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Andy is unique because he is such a connoisseur of so many things.
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Distance Education Finding a way through Chatroulette Distance education is boring. Chatroulette is interesting. What can these two interfaces learn from each other? Real life interactions are spontaneous, collaborative, and engaging. Chatroulette has managed to bring these features to internet - now it’s time to bring them to distance education.
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Distance Education Project
Identifying the needs of the users
Chatroulette: Observing what works
Interviewing experts
Embracing the interface Distance education platforms rely on lots of content management. But, they don’t focus on fullfilling the students needs. Frequently they use a broad range of
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features that get lost in the minutia of a bigger system. How do we foster collaboration, spontaneity, and user feedback online?
2007 Widespread touch PDAs iPhone 2003 Broadband and Wireless
Instant
1980s 1990s Dial Up Internet Access
Seconds
Minutes 1920s 1930s TV and Radio
Hours
Days
lum
eo
f
or
m
at
io
n
The Creative Economy
Information Economy Technology Economy
Weeks
Months
Vo
1876 Telephone 1832 Telegraph
f In
1450 Printing Press
Industrial Pre-Industrial The Agricultural Economy
Years 1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
1920
1950
1980
2000
2008
2009
A new interface
Analysis Conclusions
Webcam People Personal Computers
Chatroulette Feedback Loop Random People
Personal Computers Webcam
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Distance Education Interface
Touching you touching me - the feedback of distance education. They can see the expressions on each others faces and react as in Chatroulette. Expressions are represented by face icons that change and morph according to user’s real life expressions. This is possible through webcam and eye tracking technology. Having the ability to read the expressions of your students and peers enables a system of action and reaction as in a real life environment where when
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a student looks forlorn or disinterested a teacher can adjust their teaching for the benefit of the student. Students are also now able to see the response of their classmates in real time. Cutting down reaction and communication times enhances the fluidity of conversation and learning.
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The New Distance Education Interface raises awareness, collaboration, and spontaneity between users.
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Michael Barakat Designer University of the Arts 215.519.9164 mbarakat@uarts.edu