Computers as Theatre, Chapter 5, by Brenda Laurel:
Please pick three design heuristics from the below list and expand on them in relation to either your individual OR group project. Write 200-250 words for each.
- Think of the computer not as a tool, but as a medium.
- In chapter 5 of Computer as Theatre, Brenda Laurel wrote, “The notion of the computer as a tool obviously leads to the construction and inclusion of concepts in all application domains that are inconsistent with the context of the specific representation: file operation, buffers, data structures, lists, and programming-like syntax, for example. […] But in the computer medium, the “tool problem” is compounded by the existential recursion; the medium can be used to represent tools” (151). By thinking that a computer is a tool, we will be focusing on how to make that tool work in our favor. If the tool is not efficient, we would spend time fixing the tool, or getting a new and better one. Whereas if the computer is viewed as a medium, anything about the computer can be utilized to our advance in making art, even their flaws. For example, drawing a portrait by charcoal is different from drawing one in oil paint, also different from drawing one digitally. Those method mentioned is considered the type of mediums of drawing, which each will deliver a different outcome of artistic style. If we view them as tools, we may get frustrated along the way on why we can’t convey color as well through charcoal than oil paint. For this, in my individual project, I will try to focus more on how the general interaction is conveyed and less so about how the style of my project affects the general experience.
- Explore new methods for enabling emotional expression and communication among agents.
- For my individual project, I have tried a few methods to execute the result. In the beginning, I wanted to use a motion sensor with Arduino for the interaction, in conjunction with Processing to create visuals. Since I have experienced using Processing before, I thought it might be easier to showcase the visual through this program. However, there are limitations to how the visuals are developed. Since Processing 3D shapes are pretty basic and you can’t add much to the basic objects besides hues, I felt like it doesn’t convey how I wanted my project to look like. I then wanted to switch to 2D vectors instead of 3D shapes but then found it strayed far from what I wanted to make, and reduce the immersive aspect of the project. For this, I officially switched to using Unity. Controlling the shaders, in this case, is totally different from Processing. It makes things look more real and I was able to add a reflective shader to the objects. In Unity, it was easier to control how I view the scene. Whereas, in Processing, the ability to move around your visual is static. To me, this evoked a much elevated emotional response, much different from the other 2D, flat-colored shapes.
- Focus on designing the action. The design of objects, environments, and characters must all serve this grand strategic goal.
- In the last paragraph, I mentioned briefly about how different the emotional response could be solely based on the type of program I was using. To expand on that, the importance of designing the environment, including everything in it plays a significant role while designing an expanded experience. Since the environment I shape will define how the experience of the interaction will be, I focus mostly on the objects presented in the scene. Since the project focus on the aesthetic and how that affects the mood of the scene, the aesthetic of the object control a big part in the mood of the action. After finishing creating the object as to how I found fit, changing the environment boosted the mood of the scene. I had more joy looking at it then than the basic visual designed on Processing at the beginning. Though Unity took a bit of time to master, it did such an amazing job of changing the experience, even based on designing the environment alone. I think that the action of any experience could be very similar. For example, most games can be played on the same set of consoles. However, the experience varies on the story of the game and how the environment set up is. In summary, every designable aspect besides the actions of an experience is vital to how that experience carries out.
