The Cirque two weeks ago provided an opportunity to observe users while they interacted with WiiPaint. The two things that stuck out most were:
- Most users asked if the buttons had a function
- Point and click gestures were still the most popular, unless I showed users how to move in WiiPaint
It was clear that if I wanted users to be more natural and fluid with their body movements, I had to do something about the Wiimotes’ affordances. How can we change the look and feel of the Wiimote so that users will approach them a different way? One thought that came up during my weekly thesis meeting was that perhaps the flat front of the Wiimote (where the IR camera is) gave it too much of a point and click remote feel, and that the solution was to create something round that would imply more of a rolling and fluid motion.
We played around with some old Mac speakers, taking out the speakers and wires and putting the clear casing on either end of a Wiimote. The result was a 3-4lb dumbbell-shaped object that was throwable and kickable, but most importantly, made the Wiimote a friendlier device that allowed for more naturally fluid movements and elicited no urge to press the buttons!
I didn’t quite like the weight of the Mac speakers, and they had to be taped together, which made reconnecting the Wiimote/changing its batteries difficult. It was “clunky.” So I went to PetSmart and bought a 7″ hamster ball and crafted a “booster stand” out of foam so that the Wiimote fit snugly inside the ball. I also created a Wiimote coffin — a case for the Wiimote that covered the buttons. It is currently shaped like a brick but I plan to sculpt it wand-shaped.
In addition, I finally put together some parts I ordered from RadioShack.com onto a small breadboard to create an IR LED light array. Each LED can be turned on/off with a switch, and controls a differently-colored dot in a rough IR interface within WiiPaint.
I plan to be finished with WiiPaint by the end of spring break (3/29). After that, I will run some more studies, hopefully in a gallery setting, and start writing the thesis. Next month, I’ll be preparing for the following conferences:
NEUCS
CCSCNE
CHI 2009
ACM Creativity & Cognition
Wellesley Ruhlman
Boston CyberArts
Onward! 
The end is near!
Yikes! It’s been a while since I updated. After spring break, I wrapped up WiiPaint development, attended CHI 2009 (that’s another blog post right there :)), and now I’m working on a poster, a presentation, and the thesis write-up. WiiPaint right now includes support for up to 3 people with dynamic music that changes depending on how users move. The three Wiimotes are located in a hamster ball, cardboard tube, and strapped onto the body for individual or collaborative interaction (see video below). Many thanks to Michael Aldridge for the music piece, Dreaming Forever.
This Saturday is NEUCS where I’ll be displaying my poster and giving a presentation on WiiPaint. The same poster will be presented at next weekend’s CCSCNE in Plattsburgh, NY, and WiiPaint will be showcased (in a gallery setting!) at Wellesley for the Boston CyberArts Festival. The honors thesis paper is due on the Tuesday after that (4/28), immediately followed by another presentation at Wellesley’s Ruhlman conference (4/29). My thesis defense will be on May 15 at 11am.
Whew! I’m very fortunate to be working on something that I’m so excited and proud of
I wish I could perfect it some more, but new adventures await me this summer and beyond! I will be staying at Wellesley to do research on supporting scientific discoveries using reality-based interaction (Android! MS Surface!), and this fall I will be joining Carnegie Mellon’s HCII.
Onward!
WiiPaint demonstration 2 from Chloe Fan on Vimeo.