Interactive Installation
Year
2023
Services
University project
Client
De Toneelmakerij
Intro
In this unique cross-media environment, the boundaries between online and offline are completely blurred. The public uses their mobile phones to participate in the theatre performance. Rabbit Hole was a project outsourced to Saxion University to develop a Deepfake installation that still needed to be designed and developed.
Process
I was the group leader of this project. Therefore, I managed all the time management and communication with the client and the team. With the help of a developer and an artist, we designed and developed the installation for four months. We received a basic version of the Deepfake generator. This means some of the back-end features, the front-end and the entire design still needed to be finished. Which meant a lot of work still needed to be done.
I conducted a lot of research on installation design and UI/UX options with tablets. I made several SWOT diagrams comparing different installation concepts and presented them to our client, who then picked the option they preferred the most.
Goal
I then made a start on the front-end development. I used Unity to create the software on the tablet. The development took about two months while working with the back-end developer.
Throughout development, I still had a lot of design decisions to make. Which meant I had to conduct a couple of User testing sessions. I wrote up some testing guidelines to help the testing session go smoothly. After finishing the testing sessions, I would iterate on the new insights gathered and change development accordingly.
After development was finished, I also got the opportunity to present the installation at a museum in Austria, where it was showcased to hundreds of individuals.
Result
I learned a lot during this project. It was the second project where I was the project lead, so I could improve on many mistakes I made the first time. I learned a lot about design during this project because of the many user testing sessions, as well as experiencing people using the project in real time. I learned how important it was to clarify the design because it makes the entire process with the developer, artist and client smoother when you can easily communicate your vision with others.
I also improved my presenting and pitching skills to clients by continuously talking to interested clients. I also improved my communication skills with teammates and clients from the last time I was team lead.
My Unity and C# coding skills improved significantly because I had to work with a back-end developer using Github and Scrum. I also learned much about quick prototyping since I had to create a few quick prototypes to show clients and teammates.
My design skills improved considerably with the amount of research and collaboration with other designers. Seeing the iteration process after the user-testing session gave me much insight into the importance of development.