The reading, ‘physical computing’s greatest hits (and misses)’ gives out the message that the professor has been constantly telling us throughout this course. That is, we shouldn’t build our idea as it has been used before but rather learned from the way it was used and alter it to add our own original touch. The writer then goes on to give ideas for interactive projects made such as theremin-like instruments, gloves, floor plans, video mirrors, and much more. The glove was definitely the most fascinating to me as I’m thinking of incorporating it into my final project idea (building a game where hand movement can move players to avoid obstacles).
The second reading explains how we shouldn’t interpret our own work as when we do we are essentially describing what will happen and how the audience will react to this certain interactive media. However, as we mentioned in a previous reading, observing, communicating, and listening are essential to making an object interactive. So what should be done is first, make an initial statement by building your project or designing its behavior then remain silent. After this, allow the audience to take in the project, letting the decide how it works, what each aspect means, and how they will respond to it. By doing this, you should observe their actions listening to what their behavior says about the project, whether it’s easy to understand if they feel emotionally affected by it, and so on. Thus, inventors should limit the amount of bias and instructions they give to a user as the only way to get honest feedback is to stay quiet and observe.