Yifei (Sam) portfolio

Yifei (Sam) Cao

yc4333@nyu.edu

Content...

Chapter

1

Icarus: UIUX,

mythology, health

Chapter

3

An Ineffable Game: physical

installation, interactive game, black box, glitch art, cyberfortunetelling

Chapter

4

2

Now You’re a New Yorker:

Echos Sublime: AR, 3D

Chapter

Chapter

models, literature

Advertisement campaign

5

Diva Bin: Product design,

transfeminist technology

About Me A part-time translator: I translate cheesy sitcoms and short videos overanalyzing Marval films from English to Chinese. Specialty: translating puns. Sometimes funny, usually dirty.

A coder (Barely): I can code very basic P5js and Arduino. My codes is like Frankenstein’s monster: it runs fine, but it’s mostly scraped together. Hence a lotta source citing.

A storyteller: I want to tell stories in every way possible, through words, paint, technology, and more. I’ve spent four years leaning other people’s great stories, now I want to create my own. I often draw inspirations from mythology, literature, and sitcoms.

Let’s be honest here: exercising isn’t really fun for most of us and we often do not exercise in a healthy, scientific way. A game inspired by a cautionary tale from thousands of years ago can make exercise actually healthy and fun.

Design tools: Figma, Procreate

Individual work

Chapter 1:

Icarus

Icarus “Let me warn you, Icarus, to take the middle way, in case the moisture weighs down your wings, if you fly too low, or if you go too high, the sun scorches them.

Travel between the extremes...take the course I show you!”

Ovid, VIII.183-235

The Death of Mr. Big from Sex and the City

Icarus’s story echos till this day. The cautionary tale is the inspiration for my work-out app, Icarus, aiming to motivate people to exercise for health, instead of appearance.

My uncle was shortly a “gym bro”. Two years ago, he became fixated on losing weight and experienced a 'Mr. Big moment'—a heart attack while running. Fortunately, he made a full recovery and shared with me the realization that he had pushed himself too hard in an effort to shed pounds. That’s when I realized, including myself, many people have done the same thing.

Target Audience

Watch Out for the Heart Rate!

Let's face it: most of us don't exercise for health or fun; we do it because of appearance. In a study targeting women's reasons to exercise, scientists found a link between excessive working out and eating disorders, and the survey indicates that the biggest reason to exercise was “wanting to be thin.”

It's easy to fly too close to the sun with that goal in mind.

A heart rate rising too fast during exercise could potentially lead to heart conditions; hence, warm-ups and cool-downs are crucial. The heart rate range has been used to target exercise intensity: “A general recommendation is a target heart rate range of 60% to 85% of your age-predicted maximum or the maximum heart rate achieved on an exercise stress test.”

Example: Here’s what the ideal heart rate ranges would look like during exercise for a 20-year-old and a 45-year-old. As you can see, there’s a huge difference, which is why personalization is so important for Icarus.

100-170 BPM

88-149

BPM

Target Audience Goal and Problem: As age caught up with him, Tim's metabolism slowed down, and he gained a few pounds. He knows very little about how to work out with equipment, so he

just wants to stick with aerobic exercise to lose weight.

Hum, this one seems doable. I don’t like exercising,

but I

I’ve put on a few, should prob hit the gym...but I hate it!

Intro...

Personalize info & plan!

Gee, these

might like the game.

apps make me feel bad about my body...all seems so demanding...

“Are you ready to embark on a journey with greek heroes?”

women aged 55 and older are more likely to have a

Rewarded!

More props/costumes...

heart attack)

Occupation: Coder

Location: New York, New York

History: Very little experience with exercising

Exercise Method: Aerobic exercise, mostly running

when you finish warming up.”

Warm up time!!!

I mean...might as well

I haven’t warmed up since high school...I think I’m good.

Tim Liu Age: 48 years old (Note: Men aged 45 and older and

“You sure? Get a hero’s chest

This is so worth the warm-up!

Time to soar! s tart s s Thi y... eas

o

hr yt

...

h ug

a

w alf

H

[Encouragement, rewards, breaks]

“I’ve go this! For the silver wings!”

Can’t wait for level 2!

“Congrats! Level 2 is within your reach!”

Journey map: before using the app vs. after using the app

Icarus aims to make exercise fun, motivating people to engage in a healthy, scientific way by turning it into a GAME.

User Flow

Low-fi Designs

Here is the home page, including banners, daily plan, pamphlets, ranking list (p2), and players’ forum (p3).

The first two pictures are different versions of the plan, both accessible through the daily plan section on the home page.

The third picture represents the content of the backpack section.

High-fi Prototype Home page

The ranking list shows the number of consecutive days users have participated, their level, and their gadgets.

Home pageforum

Home page-ranking list

Banners advertise timed events in the game and new gadgets.

Daily Plan displays the workout sessions and content scheduled for the user on that day.

Pamphlets inform users on exercising and give tips on the game.

Players’ forum provides a community where players can ask and answer any app/exercise-related questions.

Monthly plan

Backpack

High-fi Prototype The weekly plan provides a comprehensive overview of all sessions for the current week.

Personalized plan allows you to change the difficulty, equipment, length, and method.

The monthly plan demonstrates the

The backpack is full of equipments

sessions the user has completed or

and costumes for the game. You can

missed in the past month, as well as

also explore other greek myths with

the sessions scheduled for the future.

different flying route.

Weekly plan

Profile

Flying too close to the sun in the game is a metaphor for excessive exercising, measured by heartbeats per minute.

Once a user's heart rate approaches the limit (determined by one's age and doctor's advice if applicable), Icarus's father's voice serves as guidance and warns the user. If the heartbeat exceeds the limit, Icarus falls.

Boat pass: Users can earn boat passes by sticking to their plan. With a boat pass, a user can take a 1 to 5-minute break during the work out.

When a user's speed drops to a level considered ineffective for exercise, Icarus will be warned by his father’s voice. If the speed falls below a certain threshold (determined by difficulty and age), Icarus will fall and be swallowed by the sea.

Preview an animation of the game here: https://ibb.co/WvbQsq8

This is a map for the game, which can be accessed in the backpack.

The flight is from Crete (wings symbol) to the island of Samos (flag symbol).

By achieving higher levels, users can explore more Greek myths and fly to different locations.

Chapter 2:

Echos Sublime What would our world be like if our most sincere wishes came true? Explore the human interest stories behind wishes with the help of AR. Hear their wishes echo, see your wishes unfold.

Design tools: Spline, Figma Procreate, pencil and paper

1 9:4

14:9

9:41

Individual work

Echos Sublime

“念念不忘，必有回响” is a Chinese saying that means “Keep your wish in mind, there will come echoes sublime”.

Like many cliché New Yorker-wannabes, my dream started young. A cheesy sitcom that took place in New York was the first American TV show I watched as a kid. I learned English and fell in love with the city from that show, along with diners with sticky tables and jokes with bad puns. A seed of becoming a New Yorker was buried in me, even before I dared to dream of attending NYU. The saying 念念不忘，必有回响 kept that seed alive and kept me going throughout the years.

Many cultures that believe in 念念不忘，必有回响. Americans call it the law of attraction or manifestation; There is an African proverb that says “The

When my wish came true, a sense of destiny washed over me, and that saying Universe delivers what you ask”. There are similar ideas in Buddhism as well.

echoed in my ears. The city unfolded and my wish was there before my eyes.

Some people believe this, and some people don’t, but we can all agree that

There are many lucky people with wishes that come true, but people can’t always see it. But with the help of AR, Echoes Sublime can show you a world with wishes come true and the stories behind it.

seeing one’s wish come true is a comforting idea.

If the users would like to, they can also see sharing their wish-come-true stories on Echos Sublime as a way to 还愿, which is a practice in Buddhism and Chinese culture to “return the wish” after your wished at a temple and the wish came true.

User

Flow To 还愿, one can go back to the temple they wish at and light an incense and thank the god one wished for in the first place. Since Echos Sublime is also locationbased, using is could be part of 还愿 or just being digitally zen.

Echos Sublime can be anywhere that

Here are two examples of how it would

people make wish at, whether it is

work in a hospital and a temple.

temples or hospitals, wishing fountains or school graduations.

Paper

Prototype

User Testing

Adding a button that explains the name when stories are read out loud.

“I feel like I gotta read a lot and I don’t Adding a feature that reads know if people would hold up their out loud the stories phones the entire time”

“I like this idea but if you don’t explain the story I wouldn’t know why it’s called Echos Sublime”

Sketch

Here are five possible locations where people could wish: school graduation, cake store, wishing fountain, hospital, and

Users can add their own stories and AR objects.

temple.

Find and click on the AR objects, readings of wishers’ stories will play and display like this...

Put Your Own Story

on the Map

To share one’s wish, one clicks on the “Share Your To hear the stories behind each wish, one simply

Wish” button, and the above interface will appear.

needs to click on the corresponding object. To read

One can choose to input one’s story by text or by

the stories, one can press long on the object and text

voice. If one records by voice, text will be

will appear.

automatically recorded as well and their readings would be echos sublime.

Once the object is selected, one can drop it anywhere

To add an object that will lead to the story reading,

at any angle any size at the location, as long as it is

Echos Sublime provides a of 3D objects. Users can

within the shot of the phone camera.

pick and find an object related to their wish there.

Type the object one is looking for, and one will see the available related objects.

Final Design Many people wish at cake shops

A girl wished fo a bike with wings for her 5th birthday A closeted teenager wished for Dorothy’s shoes to get away The snake-like dear-John letter is from a salty ex A futile adventurer wished for a kraken to jump out of the coffee mug.

Hospitals have heard more sincere prayers than Many students make wishes at school graduations. churches.

Paper airplanes carry hopes and dreams for kids’ future The flying broom is a wish made by a Potterhead There are kids who wished their books to fly out of the windows. We’ve all been there.

Abandoned scythe is from a wish that wanted the reaper to take a break The melting clock is from a daughter who wished for time to slow down for her mother Banshee’s earphone gives peace in patients’ last days The painted pink skull is from an artist who wished to mock death.

The wishing fountain is a common place to make wishes.

The four-leaf clover has always been seen as a sign of luck and a common symbol in Celtic cultures The hand holding the sword raising out of the water is from the legend of King Arthur, when lady in the lake gave him a second chance after breaking excalibur The trident is the weapon of Poseidon and sailors would sing and praise about its strength, therefore it’s related to a wish to be blessed at sea The wine cup stems from the story of water to wine, It is a sign one desperately need when their faith is under crisis.

Wishing at temples is a big part of Chinese culture and the stories behind the objects reflect as such.

The bridge of magpie is taken from the myth of the weaving celestial and the cowherd, meant to bring two long-distanced lover together Many Chinese farmers pray for the dragons to come because Chinese dragons bring rain that is good for the crops The rabbit in the moon is related to the myth of Chang’e, a symbol of companionship during a time of hardship Chinese people would often light candles for our loved ones who passed away, hence the candles that flow towards the other world.

Chapter 3:

An Ineffable game The dog symbolizes companionship. It being so high up suggests that you value friendship very much and your friends are part of that change.

The path ahead is the only part of the puzzle that happened to be pieced correctly. The means you’re on the right path...keep going!

The Fool card is about embracing change. The glitch made it colorful, suggesting the upcoming change to be entertaining and multi-aspected.

An Ineffable game “God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an

Fascinated by the idea of playing a game

ineffable game of His own devising, which might be

that involves fate, with limited knowledge

compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and

of the state and the rules of the game, Ineffable Game is inspired by this quote.

complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won’t tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.”--Good Omens

Some fortunetelling methods have explicit meanings assigned to numbers and shapes...the reading will be based on some Turkish coffee reading, Chinese IChing, and Tarot card rules.

Fortunetelling&Glitch Art A Dissection of Fortunetelling:

Fortune-telling involves what is essentially a black box and this installation means to dissect the process of fortune-telling and stress its randomness using technology, which is assumed to be the brainchild of logic and reason. Glitch is a representation of the surprise and chaos in technology. It works as a black box, doubling down on the randomness.

Glitch Art: Glitch art is essentially creating digital or analog errors. It is not entirely random, but originating from errors and being unpredictable is a close simulation of fate. An Ineffable Game uses data-moshing, a technique in glitch art, to create the effect as a result of fate.

Fate resides in the black box Fortune-telling is a collaboration between three parts, the participant, the medium/black box, and the reader.

All three contribute to the result and the installation means to compose with the element of chance.

Story Board &

User Flow

An Ineffable Game

Participant pieces together the puzzle without seeing the pattern while the reader intervenes by moving the pieces from time to time

Computer glitches the finished puzzle

Device Design One-sided mirror; the mirror side

One-sided mirror; the glass side

Puzzle without pattern

The front side of the puzzle that shows pattern

Magnets behind puzzle pieces keeping them on the mirror

The image is glitched through the website and the reader will interpret the glitched image

The Player’s Side vs The Reader’s Side Random State Players start with only seeing the back of random puzzle pieces.

The restriction of the state of the game imitates fate.

Puzzle in progress Players will try to piece together the puzzle only by feeling, not knowing the pattern. However, the reader that symbolizes higher forces can see the pattern on the other side, and move a piece or two to intervene.

Finished Puzzle The final stage that involves player participation.

The Player’s Side

vs The Reader’s Side

Finished Puzzle However, one’s future is not entirely up to themselves or a “higher power” intervening.

There’s such a thing as chance...

The Fool card is about embracing change. The glitch made it colorful, suggesting the upcoming change to be entertaining and multi-aspected.

Glitched Puzzle Chance is random, and it is best represented by glitching the image.

Interpretation on this randomness is seeking patterns and signs from fate.

The path ahead is the only part of the puzzle that happened to be pieced correctly. The means you’re on the right path...keep going!

Cyber Fortune Reading Simulations Wheel of Fortune Wheel of Fortune is about changes and luck. There’re symmetrical patterns in the center, indicating you shall receive signs on that change.

The colors are inverted, suggesting you should see the other side, the possibly unexpected consequence of the upcoming change.

The Lovers The Lovers is about relationships. See the mouth that fate did not glitch? It’s way behind where it’s supposed to be. You’re currently involved with someone who does not dare speak out their feelings. Be brave!

The glitch pattern here implies the situation is fuzzy. They are not just lovers; they’re probably also family or friends or coworkers. One’s feeling is stronger than the other because the rose is all on one side.

Fate in the Making Player’s side

In life, we make decision not knowing what it could be in the big picture. To intimate an ineffable fate, The player would piece together the puzzle without knowing the picture, too. The one way mirror hides the reader.

Reader’s side While free will is the key determination of the big picture, i.e the consequence of our actions, life is full of surprises, and higher power/ chance/luck/whatever-you-wouldlike-to-call-it intervenes directly from time to time. The reader can see the player and the pattern.

Final Step: Glitching Fate steps in and tweak the outcome just slightly. Some things seem random, but it might just be the works of fate that determines the last step of the big picture. Take the glitched result as a sign from fate, on how your future might turn out to be.

Possible results:

Taking a Upload to Start photo website glitching!

and many more...

Video

Chapter 4:

Now You’re A New Yorker!

Ad Campaign by

Diana Duncan, Jailyne Polanco, Iyoniah Teague, Sam Wu

I was in charge of the big idea, analysis of the audience, and the design of the OOH (out of home) advertisements. I also contributed to the copy style guide and the creative brief. This version of the project is modified by me.

Creative Brief Problem:

Overview:

Ridership on the MTA’s services has The MTA has served NYC for over 100 years. As the nation’s largest transportation system, it bridges the boroughs and is the cultural hub of NYC.

Audience:

Our primary audience are New Yorkers Goal/Approach: who take the subway everyday for Out-of-home interactive advertisement Social media rebran Landing page with testimonials

work & school in their 20’s - 30’s.

Secondly, we will focus on tourists visiting NYC with families who need public transportation.

not yet returned to pre-COVID levels.

Coupled with the MTA’s lack of story and its negative reputation amongst its riders, its current marketing is not meeting the needs of its audience.

Inspiration

We’re not reinventing the wheel— we are changing the messaging and the real stories of NYC life in the MTA system leaning into the chaos and authenticity. #NowYou'reANewYorker is all about braving the chaos and embracing the weirdness of the MTA.

There is a sense of pride that comes with the NYC identity—whether you’re a NYC local or a tourist, everyone secretly wants to be a New Yorker.

MTA already has a strong visual brand. The MetroCard, the train signs, the color scheme, and the use of Helvetica Bold are all elements that are associated.

ut-of-home ads Out-of-Home ads here feature quotes related to interviews on the landing page, where people share their NY experiences. The QR codes will lead straight to the interview footage, and the audience can participate themselves by recording and sharing their own stories.

We chose a more human, handwriting font to tell stories and the design is simple, with iconic MTA colors.

Different versions of ads that target different boroughs/ lines. For example, for the open area subway stations, such as the Queensboro Station, checklist includes “a pigeon flying into your face”.

OOH will be put in tourist spots where they would feel compelled to “be a NYer” and complete the checklist.

ut-of-home ads

For this version of OOH, we’re using helvetica suggested by MTA, giving a sense of authority.

Checklist ads will be interactive. The QR codes on it leads to social media, where the audience can share under #Nowyou’reanewyorker.

ut-of-home ads Every last item of the checklist is a call-toaction. The checklist is easy to do, and it centers around taking the subway, which means that can increase ridership after the covid hit.

The OOH and the audio both intend to bring people to participate more online.

ocial Media

Instagram

Social media is where conversation takes place

We can hear directly from MTA rider and crazy subway stories create buzz under #Nowyou’reaNewYorker

Twitter

Expanded stories about the checklist

Encourage more cross-platform

items…such as “crying without a care

interaction and conversation to the

on the subway”.

landing page.

ebsite

Testimonials of subway stories

Last stop...landing page!

An opportunity to participate in the testimonials

Chapter 5:

DivaBin

“Sanitary products on the train? I don’t think so!”

That’s why I started envisioning DivaBin,

Around October 2022, a heated conversation washed over Chinese media. It started when women noticed and spoke online regarding how there were no tampons or pads sold on trains.

Chinese women voiced their complaints about the lack of availability of sanitary products in public areas: even when we purchase sanitary products, they’re intentionally hidden in black plastic bags. Chinese INCELs soon pushed back on the subject, claiming that sanitary products are not necessities and they have no place in the public. To this day, sanitary products are still unavailable on most Chinese trains.

a technology meant for feminist resistance, one that embodies multi-speciesism and my personal experience as a Chinese woman.

Why draw from DivaCup? First, reusable menstrual cups are environmentally friendly. Second, starters of DivaCup mean to define the term “diva” as inclusive and empowering for anyone who periods.

Little Bathroom of Horrors...?

Believe it or not, just like in Little Shop of Horrors, plants thriving on blood is a common practice. This type of fertilizer called blood meal, which provides plants with nitrogen, and menstrual blood contains abundant nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are the same combo in store-bought fertilizers.

Blood meals are easily homemade! Diluting blood with water is all it takes.

DivaBin is presumably placed in the bathroom.

DivaBin works for best for bathroom plants, which refers to plants that love moisture and shade.

There’re many examples of bathroom plants that also thrive especially on blood meals, such as Parlour Palm, Orchids, and Pathos.

Bathroom Plants

Multi-speciesism

Tech as Feminist Resistance

Multi-speciesism in this context refers to something that is created for many species and humans are equals with others.

Quite frankly, I’m frustrated that my country is still discussing whether menstrual products should be sold in public spaces while the global north is striving for free sanitary products. DivaBin itself is not offensive, but it means to offend anyone who deems menstrual products unworthy of discussion.

We feed off of plants and plants feed off of us. Menstruation is a part of life and nature and it embodies life, and DivaBin turns period into fertilizer for plants so that life within could live on.

As a physical object that’s supposed to take up space in one’s domestic sphere, DivaBin means to be visible and claim space for menstruation. It also serves as a physical reminder of menstruation and hopes to prompt conversation and discourse around menstruation.

Period has been stigmatized as “dirty” and “unholy” in our patriarchal society. It should never be seen as waste or “a sign from the uterus”. Instead, by presenting the life within, DivaBin puts menstruation in a new light as a feminist empowerment for all people who have periods.

And just maybe, I would see period and myself in a new light.

Blood

Pull the “petal” all the way

Both the cap and blood container top open

Pour blood into blood container

Pull out half of the “petal”

Cap opens while blood container stays closed

Pour water into the glass cont

Use nozzle to release some amount of blood into the glass container

DivaBin Water

The mixture goes into “petals” through “barks”, serves as fertilizer for the plant

Outside Design Water Container

Petals

Components Barks

Blood Container

Half-way pulled out

All-the-way pulled out

Water container open, blood container closed

Both containers open

Inside Design Water/blood mixture goes through the blue line to enter petal

Inspired by irrigation in trees

Twist the petals to let out different amounts of blood

Different levels of blood amount can be let out

The nozzle controls how much blood gets out

The blue lines in the petals transfer the water all over the petals, assuring plants are well-hydrated

Prototype Sketch for the barks, petals, and the bottom petals.

The outside closed

The outside of DivaBin pieced together

The blood container & slowly releasing “blood”

The outside opened

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The affordance that worries me is how the narrative of DivaBin could be flipped: instead of a tool for empowerment and feminist resistance, it could be interpreted as glorifying pain. Menstruation can be seen as good or bad, but it is also ugly. Period is painful and messy and that should not be overlooked. We recognize that pain and it is impressive that people who menstruate go through this every month. But this pain could have been avoided with more scientific research on the female reproductive system and elevating that pain because there is no beauty in pain.

Epilogue:

A small collection of poems to skim

and a poem to skip

About First Apartment

My peace of mind in the city of noise

Rests four blocks away from public housing

Exiled from Manhattan

Dragged my luggage with one wheel to LIC

One’s first NYC apartment

Is supposed to be like a thrift shop tank top

Not as gross as a used shorts

(Even I draw a line...somewhere)

But you can sense the aura

Of a stranger’s armpit stains

Leaks under the kitchen sink

Sings a lullaby each night

That whispers mischief and lament

For a cheap-ass financial decision

There’s an ocean roaring outside my door

Of hippy marijuana and early 2000s music

Window is the perfect auditorium

For tuning into men with tiny pricks

Overcompensating with loud engines

Collected street furniture that witnessed history

And possibly several murders

(Tis’ New York after all)

And pray to a non-binary god

That it doesn’t carry termites or STD

Boyfriend from Okcupid

Carried on his head for five blocks

A mattress from a Chinese Craigslist

Up to eight staircases

Dancing topless while using

Hair brush as microphone

A very non-virgo way

To rule over a realm of

Cheetos, uncapped paint, and hopefully, just cockroaches

A sanctuary that’s not so heavenly

Feels like home after two subway delays

Something to reminiscent over later

For a soul-selling capitalist in the making

But a bohemian at the present

Space cramped with trinkets from not-so-exotic flea markets

I stuff the apartment like a Thanksgiving turkey

All the wrongs things at all the wrong places

Yet I belong and thrive in the midst of chaos

Throwing a parade for Dionysus

My Ma calls it a dump

But I say there’s something romantic

About f lowers in the oven

And seashells in the fridge