I tested my project by asking my younger sister to try it out. I just opened the Tinkercad simulation without giving her any instructions. I just told her to explore it while I observed to see if the interaction was clear without any required instructions.
The first thing I noticed was that she pressed on the board and on everything randomly -this is because she doesn’t have any experience with Arduino or Tinkercad which is interesting because I haven’t thought of that. Her confusing and randomly clicking made it clear to me that not everyone understands these things. Anyways while she was experimenting she clicked on the dial and started experimenting with it and when she turned it on the LCD screen changed between the different stations of the cafe, rain, etc. So then she figured out everything overall.
She was also confused when experimenting because the RGB LED wasn’t very obvious to her at first. She saw it change color based on the different locations but she didn’t immediately connect it to the mood of each station she just thought it was light. Also the piezo buzzer was also a bit unclear because the sound is very basic and kind of weird on Tinkercad, so she was kind of confused… which makes me wonder if I should change my project a bit to make it sound differently.
Overall this experiment allowed me to reflect and realize things I would have missed. I realized that the LCD screen is the strongest part of my project because it gives clear and direct feedback in which they can easily understand. I also think that it guides the entire experience but the sound and lighting need improvement because they are supposed to support the mood, not confuse them. So I’ll try to make the sounds better and try to make the colors more intentional so the user can understand the atmosphere without relying only on the text. Also I think adding the project name would be beneficial for participants to know at least what is happening or get a hint. Since it’s on Tinkercad of course it’s sad to know that I can’t really decorate and design it because while the actual product works I think design plays a huge role overall.
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