Tentacle

About :

Year : 2018
Project Type: Solo Project
My Role: UX/UI Designer and Programmer
My Deliverables: User Interviews, Prototyping, and User Testing
Tech: Simblee, Arduino
Project Duration: 6 Weeks

Introduction

Tentacle is an IOT(Internet of Things) deceive that allows people to identify each other within an affinity group in the physical world. The product is a digitally enabled secret handshake. It is based on our sometimes conflicting needs for both connection and privacy. This project focuses on secret recognition in the public space.

Brainstorming

My initial design a physical object that can help users to sense other people around them in the real world. Once this object finds someone who is also in the same community as the users, it will alert users to find them. I want to create a secret interaction in the physical world instead of what our recent social media provide for people, finding online friends on the Internet.

Methodology

I think there are two key points of my project. The first one is how can people in the same community recognize each other. The second how can such recognition in a secret way in the public space. These two key points are involved into four big domains: Social-Networking, Affinity Groups, Internet of Things, Cryptography.

Apparently, my project maintains the importance of social-networking, especially for people who share the same interests. Why do people have the desire to find their own kind? Is it true that birds of a feather flock together? Lazarsfeld and Merton happened to use this proverb to demonstrate homophily in social network studies. “Homophily is the principle that a contact between similar people occurs at a higher rate than among dissimilar people.” During their research, they distinguished “status homophily” and “value homophily”. Value homophily exactly answers the question of why do people want to find their own kind in fandom world. In social network, people like to find people who share the same values, interests or any other internal occupation.

People from a secret group, do not want to be exposed to the public while they are trying to connect with each other. For people who want to meet in the real world, there are different ways for them to do such recognition. Some people prefer verbal codes to find their own kinds when they first meet. For example, two Semitic tribes try to use a different speaking pattern to find their own people during a great battle based on the bible story. Such speaking pattern to distinguish a particular group of people from other communities is called Shibboleth. People in the same community have some specific code words or common senses that create the social power to set the standards to include or exclude people. Except for pronunciation, there are many possible spoken codes. For example, contents contain certain symbols. Like some dialogues in spy movies, spy needs to interpret words they receive from others to know whether they are on his or her side.

Except for language codes or body bodes. Objects can also be a secret sign or symbol for small affinity groups. A pin with a logo is a universal symbol for each group. For example, a news from daily mail revealed that a triangular lapel pin on Donald Trump's inside circle may be a symbol of Nazis and secret societies. Freemasons, a secret society by the early 20th century, is still a mysterious community right now. There are some items related to this society unveil the mystery to the public. A watch with movements shaped like Masonic symbols is exhibited in the Phoenixmasonry Masonic Museum shows. Accessories can also be an iconic item for a group of people. Porc or P.C. the male-only club from Harvard. Pig is the mascot for this club. So members occasionally wear neckties with pig or pig heads on it.

Process

My target audience are people who are in a small affinity group. They may share some similarities or like something that dose not match their social identity in the real world. They have the desire to find their own kind around them without being exposed to others in the physical world.

Storyboard

Prototype 1

I first try to build a badge with a chatting application. It is a raw prototype to test the whole user experience. Then someone suggests me to define functions of this application. Also, I need to define what kind of functions my application contains. And how my application differs from those social media applications. So there are two directions for my project. Firstly, how can people recognize their members? The other one is how can people in the same group contact with each other.

Prototype 2

After my first prototype, I tried to build a second prototype with an AR application that focuses on communication. People can hide some messages in a certain place, then another member of them can detect messages by their badges and view them.

Prototype 3

After a brief user test, I became to consider the essence of my project. People get confused about my project because it contains many functions. So I think I am more interested in recognition part. I tried to back to build a badge with a simple application. I also got feedbacks about privacy issues. So for my application, people should answer several questions about the community they are going to join. Also they do not know other members’ information. This application can also set mute mode for each community they join. In case, users customize what kind of members they want to find in the certain space. The badge will vibrate without showing on logo when users set mute mode for certain community.

Techniques

Technically, considering the size of badge, I found RFduino is the perfect chip for my badge. It is a coin size micro-controller with bluetooth and wifi imbed. One big challenge for my project is to make each badge both host and receiver. For the screen to display logos. I use OLED screen right now.

Tentacle-Content