Reflections on Social Impact Buildfest
I learned a lot about Haptics by participating in BuildFest, starting with the Friday workshops leading up to the weekend. They were helpful to build my skills, so I felt more prepared before the competition. The main takeaway was how much the utilization of haptic devices can allow our guests to feel almost any emotion or state of consciousness and form a deeper connection to the story. Tactile sensations assist to open a person’s mind to new concepts, ideas, and changes in behavior. While researching our project, I found an article that discussed how researchers took blood samples to predict who would donate to a charity. People with elevated oxytocin (related to empathy) were more likely to change their behavior and donate more money to charity. Knowing this, I am looking forward to exploring ways we can incorporate haptics into our HH immersive experience and influence behavior. We will need to do it in a way that feels authentic to the story and further immerses audience members into the present moment. The goal is to motivate guests to act on environmental issues, and haptics can be an important tool for this goal.
Another great lesson I learned was the Tech Trap. Rather than starting with the technology, designers should start with the audience and storyline, then later determine how to integrate the appropriate technology. Also, physical sensations are not limited to haptic devices. Haptic devices simulate physical objects and movements, so why not start with as many real textures as possible, such as the floor having different textures or tactile noise. When we design our HH experience, we should have an audience centered approach. After thoroughly researching our audience, step 2 is ideation and concept development, followed by step 3 of creating cardboard prototypes, then finally playtesting.
If the goal of our Haiku Horizons immersive experience is to help people become more aware and mindful of their behaviors that affect the environment, we can use haptics to induce an effect of awareness through certain frequencies. Haptics can be powerfully paired with binaural beats because the body is made of frequencies. Agog said that when you make people feel relaxed, they will be more open minded to receive new information. Haptics have the ability to sync with voice to text, so when you mention key words like warm or cold, it will automatically turn warm and cold. Below is a frequency roadmap that explains what frequencies do and which parts of the body they impact. The same benefits from those listed frequencies can be achieved from their calculated octaves. So, divide or multiply these numbers by 2 until they are at the desired level.
At BuildFest, I also learned lessons about building a successful team. It is true that every group needs a “hustler, hacker, and designer”. Although I am not a tech whiz, I contributed by doing research, collecting documents to submit, designing our presentation, and offering creative ideas. It is also important to be a curious learner and willing to learn new skills. Before the weekend, I spent a lot of time 3D printing for our group, which was frustrating at times, but I was glad to learn a new skill. These group dynamic lessons will be valuable in our HH experience. I may need to learn new skills on the fly and be willing to jump in and learn on the go. Our group has a variety of skills between the four of us, and the combination of each person’s strengths will allow us to create an innovative and impactful experience.
