Reading 1: “Attractive Things Work Better” by Don Norman
I really liked Norman’s idea that attractive things don’t just look good—they actually change how we feel and behave. Before reading this, I used to think usability was all that mattered, but now I see how a beautiful design can make me more patient and forgiving. For example, there’s an app on my phone with a super sleek interface. Even when it glitches, I’m willing to give it another chance because it looks so appealing. On the other hand, if an app looks outdated or dull, I find myself deleting it right away. It’s fascinating how aesthetics can create a kind of emotional “cushion” that keeps us calm and curious, which then helps us solve problems more easily.

Reading 2: Margaret Hamilton and the Apollo 11 Mission
Margaret Hamilton’s story reminded me that critical work often happens behind the scenes and doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. Her software literally helped save the Apollo 11 mission by planning for things that might go wrong—something no one else seemed to think about at the time. I love how she pushed for software to be taken seriously as an engineering field. Back then, many people saw coding as less important than other parts of spaceflight, but her hard work proved otherwise. It’s really inspiring to see how her ability to anticipate mistakes changed everything for the mission. I think we can all learn from that: even if other people don’t immediately see the value in what we do, persistence and foresight can make a huge impact—sometimes, it can even save the day.

Concept

The idea is straightforward: use the AirPods case itself as a physical mechanism to connect or disconnect two wires.

• When the AirPods are open: The two green wires make contact. This allows current to flow in such a way that the LED turns on.

• When the AirPods are closed: The two green wires are pushed apart (or pulled apart), so the circuit is broken, and the LED turns off.

Of course, your exact implementation may depend on how you place the wires on the AirPods case—some people prefer taping them near the hinge or using a small piece of foam to press them apart. But the principle remains the same: open case = wires connected, closed case = wires disconnected (or vice versa).

What You’ll Need

• Arduino Uno

• Red wire (5V supply)

• Black wire (GND)

• Blue LED

• 330 Ω resistor

• Two green wires (these become the AirPods “switch” leads)

  Demo:

Norman, “Emotion & Design: Attractive things work better”

In this reading, Norman’s idea of “attractive things work better” really struck me because I didn’t realize how forgiving I was of things that were more aesthetically pleasing. This plays a huge role when it comes to marketing because brands that are marketed as much more luxury and aesthetic have a positive affect on people compared to cheaper, less aesthetic brands. This made me reflect on my own experiences, like how I’m more patient with my prettier jewelry pieces even if the clasp is annoying, whereas I quickly become irritated with an cheaper and less aesthetic jewelry, even if it technically functions well. Norman also discusses how anxiety can interfere with usability by causing stress, which narrows a person’s ability to think flexibly and adapt. I found it fascinating that aesthetics can influence not just perception but also actual performance, as users who feel calm and engaged are much better equipped to navigate challenges that come with items.

Her Code Got Humans on the Moon:

I found the dedication that Margaret Hamilton had to her work incredible. As a working mother during a time when women would often stay at home, finding time to balance work and home is truly applause worthy and showcases her dedication and passion for her work. Her meticulous approach to programming, combined with her insistence on rigorous testing and error prevention, was absolutely crucial in ensuring the success of the moon landing. I was particularly struck by her emphasis on anticipating potential errors, a mindset that transformed how mission-critical software was developed which is something we could use in our coding as well. Her work demonstrates how careful planning and foresight can mitigate human errors, which, in high-stakes environments like space travel, could really mean the difference between life and death.

For this week’s assignment, I wanted to create something that utilized my handy octo-buddy, especially when it came to detecting its emotions. I decided to use two lights: one red and one green. When the octopus was flipped to happy and placed on the sensor, the green light would light up. When it was angry, the red light would light up. To do this, I utilized copper tape and aluminum foil, flattened into a coin like shape. I took the copper tape and attached the wires for the switches in the tape that I then attached to the legs of the octopus – one on each side for each emotion. I also inserted a wire in the aluminum foil.

The result can be seen here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nE8djbPHpdQABXpe-pDiYClpSpO_8Dnd/view?usp=drive_link

All in all, it was a bit hard to get the octopus’ legs to align with the sensor when filming the video, but in the end, it wasn’t too hard of an assignment to complete. I do wish we had more discreet and longer wires, so the octopus didn’t have to be so close to the Arduino board.

Reading 1

Norman’s idea that “attractive things work better” really resonated with me, especially as someone who loves design. I’ve always felt drawn to beautifully designed objects, but I hadn’t fully realized how much their aesthetics affect the way I use them. Norman’s explanation made me reflect on how, when something looks good, I’m more patient with it, more curious, and even more forgiving when it doesn’t work perfectly. It’s like beauty creates a kind of emotional buffer that makes me feel more connected to the object. That connection isn’t just superficial—it actually helps me think more clearly and solve problems better, just like he describes. It reminded me why I care so much about thoughtful design: it’s not just about how something looks, but how it makes people feel, and ultimately, how well it works because of that feeling.

Reading 2

Reading Margaret Hamilton’s story made me reflect on how often history overlooks the people who work behind the scenes, especially women. Hamilton’s brilliance lay not just in her technical knowledge but in the way she foresaw failures and built resilience into the software itself. It is amazing to think that her code saved the Apollo 11 mission at a time of crisis, yet for a long time, she was not a household name. What impressed me most was how she fought to get software recognized as real engineering: it reminded me of how many fields that we now take seriously had to be legitimized by people who were initially dismissed. I find her story inspiring because it combines human intuition, systems thinking, and a deep belief in the importance of “invisible” work. It makes me think of how many other anonymous innovators shaped the world we live in today.

 

The key aspects I noticed in Norman’s Emotion & Design: Attractive Things Work Better were the negative and positive valences, where affects have great implications towards how humans interact with and therefore achieve productivity in the use of everyday things (or better described as any tool).  I want to expand this concept and interpret this very affect and behavior to not only items such as teapots or any tool alike, but for the lived environment. I tend to agree with this framework, to the extent that I am fully confident that you will produce different work and express different levels of creativity through a lived metaphysical conversation in realtime. To highlight this with an example, I prefer sitting in a natural setting (garden, desert, beach) with no seating or furniture when I try to solve an issue or I want to focus on my creative aspects. After all, nature inspired half of the things we know today.

After Reading McMillan’s Her Code Got Humans on The Moon – And Invented Software itself I connected the storyline and experience of Margaret to that of Ada Lovelace. After all, they are both pioneers in their own respect. Lovelace developed the first known and documented computer program and directly worked with and gave more influence to Charles Babbage. Margaret reflects this pioneering and ingenious creativity by working on highly-technical work on software engineering through punch-cards and simulation. During the 1960s, this development process required a great deal of manual human intervention. I am inspired by her motives and ambition, and I wonder how many people she inspires today. Margaret’s work and achievements resonate within me today, and I believe she deserves even more credit, just like how Lovelace has a GPU architecture named after her.

“The hidden danger is to neglect areas not so easily addressed in science and engineering.” This outlines the principles in which Norman laid out that designers must  consider more htna functionality. The things we use should look good too. One important thing to consider is that we as humans are naturally drawn to what is beautiful.  When we consider that we must design around the human mind as Norman says, it is important that we consider aesthetics to a great extent as well as functionality. Furthermore, the aesthetics of the product should in some way fit the function of the device.

In terms of what she did for software: I think that this story shows us that code has to work more than just once. In a system such as a spacecraft, it becomes important to realize that these systems should be designed to be consistent. Another thing she made apparent was the importance of contingencies. Because of how when her daughter broke an important device, she learned to plan around it, it made it apparent that we must plan around unpredictable events and make sure that softwares will work even then,

Concept

This circuit demonstrates a simple, hands-free switch mechanism built using copper tape and Arduino Uno. The switch is activated by proximity without requiring mechanical pressure, enabling interaction with a system without physically pressing a button. The copper tape acts as a capacitive touch sensor,  using a Newton’s Cradle as part of the physical interface.

Video

Materials

• Arduino Uno
• Breadboard
• Copper Tape
• Jumper Wires
• Newton’s Cradle (for physical interaction mechanism)
• LED
• Resistors (330Ω)
• USB Cable

Setup

The circuit is composed of a basic LED switching system. Instead of using a traditional push button, the switch is implemented with two strips of copper tape placed strategically on the Newton’s Cradle to detect contact.

• One wire connects the copper tape to a digital input pin on the Arduino.
• The other strip connects to ground (GND).
• When a person touches or closes the circuit by interacting with the Newton’s Cradle, the circuit registers a state change.

Based on this input, the LED turns on or off, simulating a touch-activated switch.

 

I am happy with the result; Newton’s Cradle never fails to make something engaging.

For the Unusual switch I decided to continue the concepts I was exploring within the first seven weeks of interactive and generative art using p5.js. I call this switch the “Handcuff” switch. A general rule of thumb tells you “gif > any other file format” so here is my demonstration whilst also trying to re-enact how the person wearing the handcuffs would feel

 

 

const int switchPin = 2;
const int ledPin = 13;
bool handcuffsLocked = false; // tracks if handcuffs are on or off

void setup() {
  pinMode(switchPin, INPUT_PULLUP);  // Internal pull-up resistor
  pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  int switchState = digitalRead(switchPin);

  if (switchState == LOW && !handcuffsLocked) {
    handcuffsLocked = true; // lock the handcuffs
    digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
    Serial.println("Handcuffs ON");
  }

  if (switchState == HIGH && handcuffsLocked) {
    handcuffsLocked = false; // unlock the handcuffs
    digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
    Serial.println("Handcuffs OFF");
  }

  delay(100);
}

I designed this basic code to detect and track when the handcuffs are unlocked. Mainly, it is a conditional that keeps track of the states (on) or (off).