Documentation for Prototypes vs Models – Jo-Ann Ng Yixian

Study of a Creative Practice: Barista 

Since I was always at cafes, I decided to chat with a couple of baristas to understand more about them and their tools.

I drew out 5 tools the baristas used that stood out to me:
– Espresso Machine (to brew espresso shots)
– Portafilter (attaches to the espresso machines) 
– Coffee Tamper (to tamper – press the grounded coffee powder into the portafilter basket)
– Milk Pitcher (to pour in the milk for lattes and to create latte art)
– Coffee Grinder (to grind coffee beans)

Idea 1: Latte Art Finger Stylus

I wouldn’t say the baristas at the cafe had a problem with making latte art (since that’s what they were trained for after all), but I came up with this idea of having a portable, wearable and possibly easier way to make latte art since it capitalizes on the intuitive gesture.
The small well with a spring milk frother has an electric heater (to heat the milk) rests on your wrist and the contours of your hand allows the foam to flow downwards easily. Ideally, the nozzle would be made of stainless steel – like the ones on the Espresso machine and also the material of the milk pitcher Baristas usually use for latte art. 

This contraption could attach a second tube/nozzle on another finger so that Baristas could use two fingers to make interweaving patterns. Alternative to milk, perhaps chocolate would do well with this invention too. 

Prototype 2: Portable Cafe BGM Hats

One of the baristas I talked to in a cafe briefly chuckled about how he became a barista because he wanted to look cool. I used this thought along with the idea of how important cafe music was to set an ambiance. 
This Cafe Background Music (BGM) Hat helps baristas bring around a cool aura by playing music directly from the hat. It connects to an application via Bluetooth that comes with a playlist of poetry or chill music.

I tested this by attaching my wireless Bluetooth-connected earpieces to a hat (only on the outside for a prototype) and blasted music. (my images have been corrupted and hence I currently don’t have any for them)
It worked but it wasn’t loud enough and if I had to work on this further, I would look into making small speakers light enough not to weigh down the hat.

Ng Yixian Jo-Ann (A0142014B)

Wearable Research – Jo-Ann Ng

S p e c d r u m s :
music at your fingertips

App-connected rings that turn color into sound, making the world your sound machine. Tap anywhere to create musical beats and sounds.
Specdrum’s promotional image on Kickstarter.com
Personal drawing of Specdrums

These durable plastic rings work with an application to turn any surface into a soundboard on-the-go. The sensor at the bottom of the rings detect the color of the surface it has been tapped on and allows you to assign a sound (on the application) to it. The application can register up to 10 rings at a time (full two hands! you can play the piano!).

The rings can also be attached to things other than your fingers.
For example, toes or drum sticks (e.g. to create a makeshift drumset) can work as well.

Practice it works in:

It would suit music producers on the go as a portable MIDI device; but it can also be used for many situations like music education – especially suitable for beginners and children.
The company also has an open source code for the application online so it can be modified into many things as well. One suggestion from the company that I thought was extremely useful was in guiding colorblind individuals.

Mobility:

Extremely mobile since they are small, portable, lightweight and robust. They also come with a micro-USB charging port, which is a wire that is very commonly used by other devices like Android phones.

Utility Vs Fashionability:

The company has kept the design very simplistic so that nothing gets in the way when in use. The default color for sale stated by the company is black, however they have used many different colors in their demos and are apparently intending to release those for sale as well eventually. I also liked that the edges of the ring are curved, making it look more ‘friendly’. 

Sensoria Fitness Socks and Anklet

Promotional Picture found on their website
Sensoria Fitness Socks + Anklet drawing

Smart Socks designed specially for Runners

These smart socks are fitted with textile sensors that record data runners might want to pay attention to: such as a step counter, speed, calories burnt and speed. Interestingly, it also is able to identify patterns in movement that might cause problems like sport-related injury due to incorrect running form. 

Practice it works in:

These socks are catered to the serious runner (professionals) but I can see it being used in situations such as physiotherapy since it helps keep a keen eye on the specific muscle movements and other factors that might influence the therapy. 

Mobility:

Due to the nature of the textile sensors that they use for these fitness socks, the sock looks and feels almost exactly like a normal sock. Hence, they are indeed very form fitting and mobile.
Perhaps the only thing that might get in the way would be the anklet as it is slightly bulging and is positioned at the ankle – where there would be a bend.

Utility Vs Fashionability:

As mentioned in the previous point, these socks do not have any unnecessarily bulky parts and are designed in a chic grey ribbed fabric (typical of sports socks). The anklet is also very minimalistic in pure white. Sensoria even includes a possibility of covering the anklet by folding the sock over it – further increasing the appearance of the smart sock. This is all done while not compromising the effectiveness of the product itself. They transfer the ‘bulky’ things like screen displays, etc, by bluetooth transferring it to a mobile application that will display all the data from your smart phone. 

Ng Yixian Jo-Ann (A0142014B)