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CONCEPTION AND DESIGN:
CONCEPTION AND DESIGN:
THE ORIGINAL PLAN:
THE ORIGINAL PLAN:
The original concept was to have a physical piano, which directly tinted the glasses to their respective color. This idea was tested, but ultimately reworked because of how difficult it was to have 13 “button” inputs in such a small space.
SO THEN WHAT?
SO THEN WHAT?
Following advice from both my friend and the professor, the idea for the input shifted to an interaction with several common objects, which would play their respective sound. A common experience for people with chromesthesia is hearing jingles or tunes outside, which they can then identify the notes/key of.
The most straightforward example of this in the project is the steamboat. When slid forward, the boat plays its horn, which then tints the glasses a fuschia color. With the color palette we are using for the project, this color would match with the color they know as Db and they could correctly identify it.
Fun Fact: Many well known artists and musicians have some form of synesthesia. ¹
¹ https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/awareness/famous/famous-synesthesia.php#google_vignette
This shift from a physical piano to interactive objects made it so the project didn't require any prior musical experience to use and used relatable and recognizable songs, leading to more engagement and familiarity, overall improving the project.
Some downsides of the final design are that the buttons need to be continuously held down to play, and the washing machine magnet sensor is overly sensitive. With fixes to the code to make the song play from just a button press, or the boat and washing machine able to reset themselves, the project would run much more smoothly. Additionally, with the bright lights right up against your eyes, the project is not suitable for people sensitive to light or who have epilepsy.
After constructing all the objects, I decided to give the piano portion of the project another go. After getting some feedback from people in the ima studio, it was clear that the objects weren’t enough to explain the link between the notes and the colors. To most testers it was cool that there were lights and sounds, but didn’t understand the message without an explanation.
Bringing back the piano - one sound to one color - I thought would be a substitute for the verbal explanation. I hoped that if someone were to experiment with the piano and the example objects for long enough, they would grasp the link between pitch and color.
The processing piano overall had mixed results. Originally looking very much like a piano, the design was slightly altered to be more abstract. While some people argued that the piano was unnecessary or didactic, I believe that it functions more as a reference to verify the notes you’re hearing. The piano-esque design is very approachable and familiar as well, but ultimately is not the main focus of the project.
Combining the processing piano with the box of objects led to confusion about what to interact with first.
Ideally, people will be able to go back and forth to discover the connection between sound and color, but most people went for the objects then the piano. Overall, the final design still required a verbal explanation of the phenomenon, but was effective in giving the tester a synesthetic experience and teaching the group about synesthesia.
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