Dimension | Depth | Space

Video can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/bBQQEcfkHoE

Head Tracking Displays and Interfaces

As digital interfaces and computer displays become more and more integrated into the daily lives of so many people, a common problem that arises is the need to be more immersed in the content that the 2-dimensional screen will allow. Many companies are working on applying motion-tracking technologies to mobile device hardware in attempt to solve this problem. 

The solution is displays that can track the user's head/eyes and render the content adjusted to any movement. This adjusted rendering provides the user with a feeling similar to a "3-D" display. As the user moves their head side-to-side, the camera tracks their movements and renders the content to appeal to their visual depth cues. Lines converge to a vantage point, stimulating our perspective depth cue. Elements that are meant to be perceived as closer are larger, and visa versa, stimulating our relative size depth cue. When the user's head moves, visual elements that are meant to be perceived at varying depths will overlap one another and stimulate our occlusion depth cue. Additionally, these screens can stimulate our oculomotor depth cues of accommodation, stereopsis, and convergence as our two eyes move to track rendered objects.

The mobile device of the future.

Tone and Color

http://www.dannewton.com

I will be using the portfolio site of photographer Dan Newton as an example to analyse how tone and color can be used for interactivity and user understanding. 

How is TONE operating

In this user-interactive photo gallery, tonal elements operate as the foundation from which the artist displays his work. The site's background image, both navigation systems, as well as half of the artist's name are in grayscale. This allows for the fundamental elements to be clear and understandable, while not distracting from the content.

How is TONE interacting

Tone interacts with the user in various ways. When the user hovers over a page navigation item the item grows in size, and also transitions from white to black along the the greyscale. This show a transition of importance and cues the user to click and progress through the site. Additionally, on page load, the sites background image is in full-color. Then, after clicking on a navigation link, the background image transitions to greyscale and full-color image gallery appears in the forefront of the screen. The once important background image thus relinquishes its focus to the new user spotlight and recedes in hierarchy. 

How is COLOR operating 

Color operates a as a tool for user focus and information hierarchy. First and foremost, the large format image galleries, the reason the user is on the site, are one of the only page elements in beautiful full color. This establishes the image galleries as most important–as they should be. Secondly, the last name of the photographer, Newton, is sitting in the top left corner in vibrant red, while his first name, Dan, remains white. This creates, within the hierarchy of the site, the notion that "Newton" is more important than "Dan" and the rest of the page–except for the the images. 

How is COLOR interacting

Color interacts with the user primarily as the user interacts with the image gallery navigation at the bottom of the page. The image that is shown large format is also in full color within the galleries navigation system. As the user hovers over other images, they too transition to color, and back out when they loose focus. 

Installation Architecture

Within the domain of installation architecture lie the same basic elements of visual composition that pertain to any discipline. I will focus on Line, Shape, and Direction as a means to expose their application in the light of installation architecture.

Line

The pavilion installation C-space relies solely on lines to define its complex curved form. The designer's use of line rather than solid material allows the pavilion to visually be a single shape while maintaining a relatively light profile. The use of line in this project also makes C-space an installation, rather than a permanent structure. The lines used to construct the form can be dismantled as easily as they were assembled, then taken a new location or decommissioned permanently. In this example line carries over directly from the design phase to the final result of the project.

Shape 

The shade structure above, by architect Sanjeev Shakar, is shaped in an upside-down arch made of 945 cooking-oil cans. Shape is prominent in this piece of installation architecture because one shape defines another. A grid of arrayed squares with rounded corners (oil canisters) is arched backwards by the weight of gravity and the proximity of it two ends. This displacement make the overall structure form a smooth semi-circular arch. Both of these shapes are mellow and pleasing, which attracts citizens of the village to come sit underneath the structure and escape the shade.

Direction

Gabriel Dawe's installation The Density of Light is a powerful example of direction within the domain of installation architecture. The colorful giant is composed of thousands of pieces of string arrayed from ceiling to floor. These pieces of string start from points on a ground line and converge at the ceiling, creating an apex for the eye to move toward. This convergence defines a clear compositional direction of the conscious eye and the overall installation.