Project Goals
From the start, our team wanted to create a polished interaction that could stand alone as an art installation. We envision these components as critical to Janis’s success:
Aesthetics
We put aesthetics front and center throughout all our sprints. All cut lines are clean, and the wood is painted black. The glossy black paddles catch light as they turn. The wires, glued in straight lines, are tucked away in the back of Janis. Finally, a white illuminated backdrop is the finishing touch, in stark contrast with the black paddles.
Documentation:
Our team wanted to document Janis’s development through pictures, videos, and blog posts. As a playful interactive piece, Janis lends herself to an interesting story. The blog section of our website tells the story of Janis’s development and our team’s journey, including any obstacles and pivots.
Motion and Interaction:
Experimenting with different interactions is extremely important for our team. We envision Janis’s interaction as fun and playful, and experimented with various motion controls to achieve this. Though we hoped to experiment more than we could by the deadline, we learned a lot about team integration through the process.
A Home Afterwards:
We don't want our project to live in the shadows after POE. Our team made sure Janis could interact with people after this project finished. After talking to Jeff Goldstein, we learned the library lower level doesn’t have a large clock display, and could be a compelling home for Janis.