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Distributed Kingdom

Introduction​

With the widespread availability of LEDS, car brake lights are going through a renaissance of design. In this activity, we're going to create a new design for car brake lights. The standard encoding for brake lights has always been: ON means the brakes are on (slow down or stop), and OFF means "anything else".

We're also going to learn about prototypes. There are three different prototypes you'll have to make today (1) a looks-like prototype; (2) a works-like prototype; and (3) a storyboard. The looks-like prototype will simply be a sketch of the car light design. The works-like prototype will be an LED display. The storyboard will be a drawing of the interactive sequence of events that will happen with your design.

Materials​

  • Pen and paper
  • Arduino
  • LEDs and resistors
  • Breadboard and wires

Activity​

1. Brainstorm and create a moodboard (or morgue)​

The start of any good design process is discovering what other people have already done. Brainstorm examples of existing indicator lights on cars. Go broad: think about and draw examples of every kind of car light that you can possibly think of. Look up images if you need to.

A collection of images and other materials that help you think through your problem is called a moodboard (if you're a designer) or a morgue (if you're an actor). These reference materials can be directly taken from, or they can be jumping off points.

Brainstorming rules ALWAYS are that every idea gets written down and considered. This is not because we are being "nice" or something boring or annoying like that. It is because it is much more effective to defer criticism to a later stage. Good designers wait as long as possible to make decisions so that they have all of the information.

2. Create initial sketches​

Designs change. Make an initial sketch with little or no thought to the final product. Then throw it away. Repeat. You should practice being very unattached to your designs, but also to create them very quickly.

Many new designers are afraid of the commitment of a design. An experienced designer knows that a sketch is just a sketch, not a commitment, promise, or plan. That being said, without a clear sketch, no plans can happen.

Draw three or four different light designs quickly, with very little thinking. Try to make them as different as possible. Now, you have something to look at all together, design with, and critique.

3. Create initial encodings​

With the same philosophy as your sketches, write down as many possibilities for encodings as you can. Again, having a larger number of sketches is more valuable than having the single, right sketch.

Write your encodings large on the page so that everyone can see and point to them. If you need to add a few more light design ideas, do that too. More is better.

4. Make the first works-like prototype​

Note: this can happen at any time. If you need a division of labour in the group, someone can work on this immediately. The first works-like prototype should always be the simplest demonstration of the system. For this, it will be simply to create a working switching circuit:

Build the first circuit. You should be able to turn it on and off.

5. Next prototypes: FINALLY, you may critique​

Now is the time to make some decisions. Look at all of your designs, and debate which will work better.

Make a final looks-like prototype. Make a final encoding. Make a final works-like prototype.

6. Storyboard and Wizard of Oz​

Now, you need to define how the interaction is actually going to work. What happens when the driver presses the brake? Draw it and act it out.