[IxD Studio] The Water Project

The last project in IxD studio was to envision the future of water and to share that vision.

My group (Shaili Das, Ramune Rastonis, and Vida Riahi) decided to look at the future of the oceans. We wanted to create a space that would cause people to consider the way their choices impact the environment, without being judgmental or preachy.

'Oceans' is a pretty vast subject; given the scope of the project, we needed to keep a narrow our focus and create something simple. We wanted to create a sensory space where people could take a minute to sit, contemplate, relax, escape, and be mesmerized. Our inspirations were, not surprisingly, mostly aquariums.

[IxD Theory] Reflections

Reflect on how this course has affected your perspective as a designer. What has changed? What has stayed the same? In what ways are you more confident and what gaps do you still feel you have?

Hi Arna,

Thank you. Interaction theory has been one of my favorite courses this first year in the grad design program at CCA; it has been instrumental in helping me define where I want to go and why I came back to school in the first place.

[IxD Theory] Frontiers

What is the next frontier for connectivity? What will make it stick?

For many of us in developed nations, technology constantly demands our attention. It's hard to imagine being much more connected that we already are, but increased connectivity seems unavoidable. Since our dependence and desire for connected devices will only increase, maybe the answer is to change the manner in which we connect. I hope that the next frontier for connectivity will be ubiquitous computing. One definition of ubiquitous computing that resonates with me is "machines that fit the human environment instead of forcing humans to enter theirs."

[Business of Design] Reflections and wrap-up

If you were teaching this course next year, what one thing would you add and what one thing would you subtract? Please explain why you would do these things.

I would take away the Indigogo campaign. It is great to know how to manage a fundraising campaign like this, but I'm not convinced that the experience was as beneficial enough to make it worth the time spent on it. The fundraising campaign doesn't take cultural differences into account (Indiegogo had trouble with international credit cards, for one) and it's not clear to me why all of our fundraising went to Architecture for Humanity. It may be a great organization, but it would be nice if we had some say in what we were raising money for rather than being told top-down who we were raising money for.