All is about integration - lives, experiences, disciplines, processes, teams.
While a boundary between each entity is blurred, there’s no scope for exploration.
The taste of home, IoT enchanted object
Living thousands of miles away from home (Bangkok-Pittsburgh), I cannot help missing home and cannot agree more with Sruthi, our participant from India, that there is no supplement to mother's meals. But no matter how much Sruthi tries mimicking her mom's recipe, she can never got the right amount of spice when her mom suggests, "add a 'pinch' of spice."
Stay Hydrated in Pittsburgh, User Research
Thanks to my first user research under the context of a different country with participants from various nationalities. It inspires me to always look around with curiosity and observes lives through stories about drinking water. The more I dive into the study, the stronger bond I have with this community, neighborhood, and city.
The BusCade, IoT for Connected Community
Transforming solitary waiting at bus stops into a collaborative and engaging experience through gameplay and ambient light is the goal. Still, we haven't had a chance to install it at the actual CMU bus stop but, big laughs from our cohorts while playing with our interactive mockup have proved our success! What's more, the time I spent with the team working on this project (and having several cups of hot chocolate) has marked one of my most memorable winters.
Telling Story with Data: Social Media, youth and depression
I used to see data as science and factual but not after the project. Assembling several pieces of data to support an argument seems like editing a movie with footage on hand. Cutting off or zooming in different bits of data may illustrate whole different story angles. "Difference between data-driven and design-driven approach" then become blurred in my mind.
Exploration in Data
I feel as if I were a stalker when I first step into data analytics. Getting lost among data, Deep diving to trial and error, Exploring different angles of data sets to see patterns... Then the route to approach the doubt seems to be more apparent. (finger crossed) This process reminds me of something so familiar, the design process with a very fuzzy front end.
Take me on vacation, IoT
Bringing hacker skills out of myself. Making a mockup from LEGO pieces I found at the IoT station in our studio on Craig Street. Playing around with sensors, LEDs, IFTTT, and some fun coding. Finally, letting my indoor plant nudge me when it's time for her sunny vacation on the apartment's balcony.
Dolce, the menu helper chatbot
Deciding what to eat has never been easy for me as a foodie, especially when it comes to the fancy menus of a Chinese restaurant nearby my campus. I had so much fun learning Mandarin menus from my teammates, and we were amazed by how dishes transform when brought across the globe. Most importantly, we could inspire our professor to try this restaurant after he chats with our bot!