Major task_research

I started my research looking at various internet services (as amazon, iTunes music store, Skype,etc.) which really fascinate me.I looked at those services with different points of view: I tryed to understand how they are structured, Who uses them, why, and what do the people buy. I focused on iTunes music store, the first music store on-line. I analyzed all the service that it offers and the reasons why people buy on it instead of in a physical record store. After my research I tought that this service is so powerful and interesting, but limited to the internet-buyer community. I'd like to bring it outside the net, in the physical world, in everyday life and spaces and make those services quick and simple to use for everybody, using the internet technology but with no more computer, mouse or keyboard...the challenge is to design a new, specific concept of public service to get music directly inside your Mp3 player wherever you are, in a natural and fast way, as you buy a can of coke...

Task 3_touchable service

The challenge of this task was to find new applications and ways to use
the RFID technology, recently implemented by nokia, that built a prototype of the 3220 model wit this technology inside.
The rfid is a radio frequency based technology, that consist in the identification of object, animals and people by reading information inside a tag (microchip with data). We have some examples of the ordinary use of this technology in japan, where it is used for almost every kind of payment/booking services (for more information visit http://www.suica.jp/).
Me, Einar and Andre have looked at how RFID can be used as a link between people and the services that the city offers.
The Main idea, was to put RFID tags under city maps that you can find all over the city: using your mobile phone you could have url links to all theservices marked on the map, and have a lot of informations as schedule time of cinemas and theatres,opening time of shops etc.
We designed a simple graphic interface for this kind of map: it is divided by areas, you have an overview of all the zone of the city where you can use this services and a zoom of the area where you are at the moment, with all the rfid links, marked by the little grey and yellow phone logo.
You would find those maps in some strategic places of the city as bus stops, metro stations, shopping malls etc.
We also went in deep prototyping this service for an indie-recordstore in Oslo called Tiger, andhis community of loyal customers, wich use the shop as a musical information center.
You will find more info on this part of the project on Einar's weblog: http://einarproject.blogspot.com/

CuteCircuit's workshop

The CuteCircuit workshop was an amazing experience: it brought a lot of fresh air to my idea of interaction design, after an infinite and boring electronic and programming workshop week with Tom Igoe.
Cute Circuit are Francesca and Ryan, two of the firsts graduated at the worlwide well-knowed Ivrea Interaction Design Insitute, in Italy.
Now they are involved in wearable computing projects, and they're taking lectures and workshops about interaction design all over the world.
After an interesting theorical introduction to both the fashion and wearable computing worlds, all the partecipants were invited to design something, starting from many different main themes obtained from various braimstorming sessions. Me, Stig and Marie were the Trasforming team (!).We designed an everyday/protective suit to use in a future pandemic.
It would be not just a protective suit but also an interactive message
of cleanness, infact when the plastic fabric gets in contact with disinfectants,four blue light under the suit start to bright.
There is also a PIR sensor on the back of the suit wich advise you if someonecomes from behind, over the "Recommanded social distance of three meters".
Here you have some images of the projects and the funny fashion show.