COMPONENTS 2K-REALITY RAPID PROTOTYPE INSTALLATION SYSTEM SAMPLER USER INTERFACE Maschine Mikro MK2 Sampler

GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE _{Colour-coded & Labelled}16 Illuminated Buttons, CPU HARDWARE Apple MacBook Air

AUDIO INTERFACE Yamaha Audiogram 3

SOFTWARE PROGRAM MacOS Maschine 2

NBA 2K12 COMMENTARY 61 Samples

NBA 2K12 CROWD SOUNDS 3 Samples

BREAK BEATS MUSIC 20 Samples

CONTENT RANDOMISATION 20 Maschine 2 Project FilesManual Switching 20 x 5 Interface Sample Groups

TRAJECTORY CONTROLS N/A

PA SYSTEM _{Powered 300w Loudspeakers}2 x Behringer B300

3.6.2 Rapid Prototype Usability

Each of my rapid prototype urban probe studies, described in Sections 4.2 to 4.4, exposed the practical and usability deficiencies of the 2K-Reality rapid prototype installation system. The studies underscored the anticipated need to design a more approachable and straightforward technology configuration; this would include hardware and software capable of incorporating a

greater variety of commentary and break beat samples, and provide more control over trajectory- specific commentary.

Most importantly, however, the urban probes I conducted determined that the rapid prototype graphic user interface design and audio programming was sufficiently usable and understandable for performing credible and meaningful NBA-themed soundscapes.

As shown in Figure 43, people operating the 2K-Reality rapid prototype needed to place the Maschine Mikro MK2 sampler on their knees, and position the MacBook Air within reach to alternate sound samples by swapping sample groups and changing software project files—the Maschine 2 software that controls the sampler prohibits randomising audio samples automatically. The method for alternating samples was barely tolerable, especially since the MacBook Air screen was often affected by glare. The majority of urban probe participants who operated prototype required the assistance of a second operator to change the sample groups, so that alternative commentary and break beats samples could be activated. Furthermore, the unfamiliarity of the Maschine Mikro MK2 sampler interface appeared to intimidate some potential users of the 2K-Reality rapid prototype.

Figure 43. 2K-Reality rapid prototype operation in Taipei.

As noted in Section 3.5, the 2K-Reality rapid prototype utilised three crowd sound effect samples, twenty break beats samples and sixty-one commentary samples. This limited number of audio samples produced monotonous soundscapes. As documented in Sections 4.2 to 4.4, multiple urban probe participants—who provided feedback by writing comments, answering questionnaires or participating in video interviews—highlighted the need for more commentary samples and more break beat music samples. For example, two different interviewees made the following comments: “it needs to have more variety” and “I think it needs more kinds of music”.

While conducting my participant-observer research, a design issue concerning appropriate meaning emerged at different times during each of my rapid prototype studies. Occasionally a 2K-Reality operator would activate a contextually inappropriate commentary sample by pressing an interface button that accurately reflected the basketball action they observed and interpreted. This design issue only concerned the activation of the team-based-play sample buttons: ‘General Play’, ‘Offence’ and ‘Defence’. For example, an operator pressing the ‘Offence’ button could unintentionally activate a commentary sample such as “nice pass”, which is irrelevant to

participants in a 1-on-1 pickup basketball trajectory—the offensive player has no teammates to pass to.

As discussed in Section 3.3.9, remediation operates through immediacy and hypermediacy, eliminating the awareness of mediation, and the appropriation and remixing of media that meets cultural expectations effectively (Bolter & Grusin, 1999). When encountered, the practical and usability deficiencies of the 2K-Reality rapid prototype installation system diminished the NBA videogame remediation experience for participants. The difficulties people faced using 2K-Reality reduced immediacy; players and spectators became more aware of mediation. The monotonous soundscapes and production of inappropriate meanings interrupted hypermediacy; the pickup basketball community’s cultural assumptions, established by NBA videogames and NBA TV broadcasts, were not met. Therefore, the diminished remediation represented a breakdown in the ‘pretending to play in the NBA’ make-believe 2K-Reality is designed to expand. This, in turn, reduced the potential for all participants to enjoy the immersive NBA-themed experience.

3.7 2K-REALITY DESIGN-DRIVEN RESEARCH: EXHIBITION PROTOTYPE

In this section, I outline the design and development of my 2K-Reality exhibition prototype, my second compositional interpretation and assembly process, informed by the urban probe HCD research I conducted using the 2K-Reality rapid prototype. As illustrated in Figure 44, I reapply the design-driven research quadrant of the DRQ framework. A more detailed description of this design-driven research phase is provided in Appendix C.

THE DESIGN RESEARCH QUADRANGLE

VISION-DRIVEN RESEARCH BASIC DESIGN RESEARCH

DESIGN-DRIVEN RESEARCH RADICAL INNOVATION BRICOLAGE TINKERING HUMAN-CENTRED RESEARCH INCREMENTAL INNOVATION

Figure 44. The Design Research Quadrangle: Design-driven research 2.

Adapted from Norman, D. A., & Verganti, R. (2014). Incremental and radical innovation: Design research vs. technology and meaning change. Design Issues, 30(1), p. 91.

My second interpretive assembly process focused on improving the practicality and usability of the 2K-Reality prototype. I aimed to better facilitate ‘interpretative appropriation’ and enhance 2K-Reality’s remediation of the NBA 2K videogame; to sustain the ‘pretending to play in the NBA’ make-believe Reality Principle.

On Wednesday, 1 April 2015, I was informed that 2K-Reality was selected for public exhibition at the disruption-themed 21st International Symposium on Electronic Art—ISEA2015 to be hosted by Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. Preparing a 2K-Reality installation system that I could exhibit for multiple days at ISEA2015 framed the design of my second 2K-Reality prototype; the exhibition prototype—a more sophisticated, understandable, usable and practical system.

As I reported in the previous Section 3.6, my rapid prototype urban probe studies indicated that my 2K-Reality design would benefit from implementing iterative design improvements. My participant-observer research HCD research confirmed the need to design a second 2K-Reality prototype that would: i) present a less intimidating more approachable sampler interface, ii) employ a less complex technology configuration, iii) utilise software capable of managing a greater variety of commentary and break beat audio samples, automatically alternate audio samples and provide operators with more control over trajectory-specific commentary sounds.

For reasons I detail in Appendix C, my design-driven research determined that pairing an Apple iPad 2 (Apple Inc., 2011) with an Alesis IO Dock (Alesis, n.d.) could help address my iterative design objectives. The iPad 2 would accommodate a large number of audio samples, and present potential 2K-Reality operators with a familiar physical interface for operating a digital audio sampler. The IO Dock provided a high-quality audio interface for the iPad 2 and could supply the iPad 2 with continuous power. The iPad 2-IO Dock sampler interface configuration would also be far less complicated to install than the rapid prototype. The setup integrated three functions: a physical interface, an audio interface and a CPU (central processing unit). Figure 45 illustrates how an Apple iPad or iPad 2 pairs with an Alesis IO Dock.

Figure 45. Apple iPad and Alesis IO Dock.

After I determined the iPad 2-IO Dock sampler interface configuration, I began designing an installation system that would present people a more convenient way to use 2K-Reality sampler interface. I collaborated with Edward Lin (林寬祐), Ron Lo (羅峥榮) and James Hung (洪嘉懋) to design the 2K-Reality exhibition prototype kiosk, shown in Figure 46. Our design process, described in some detail in Appendix C, involved physically hacking off-the-shelf components to produce the kiosk plinth, and printing a 3D polymer protective case for the iPad 2-IO Dock sampler interface. Figure 47 shows a detail of the sampler interface casing.

[ Image removed due to copyright restrictions ] https://http2.mlstatic.com/consola-alesis-io-

dock-mezclador-audio-D_NQ_NP_852065- MCO31555647400_072019-F.webp

Figure 46. 2K-Reality exhibition prototype kiosk.

Figure 47. 3D printed sampler interface casing.

While I worked on the exhibition prototype kiosk, I designed and developed the 2K-Reality iOS App in collaboration with an independent iOS software engineer, Vincent Huang (黃一葦). We retained the successful design characteristics of the 2K-Reality rapid prototype and implemented solutions to the deficiencies my HCD research revealed. We had four design and development objectives: i) to simulate the 2K-Reality rapid prototype physical interface and replicate the GUI, ii) emulate the audio constraints and effects applied to the rapid prototype sounds, iii) automatically alternate audio samples, and iv) design and implement a GUI for controlling trajectory-specific commentary sounds, and selecting preferred break beats music. In Appendix C, I describe the 11-step design process that we used to develop the 2K-Reality iOS App.

The 2K-Reality iOS App comprises 138 commentary samples, twenty-four break beat samples, and three crowd sound samples. The App applies a random-shuffle function to the twelve commentary buttons and the ‘Beats’ button; this switches samples five seconds after a button is activated. The App includes a slide-in, expandable and scrollable menu that provides users with

additional control over the ‘General Play’, ‘Offence’ and ‘Defence’ commentary buttons, and the ‘Beats’ button. Users can switch off the random-shuffle function, and select specific commentary or break beats samples from a list.

Figure 48 shows the primary GUI for the 2K-Reality iOS App. Figures 49 and 50 show the slide-in, expandable and scrollable menu. Table 5 identifies the audio constraints and effects applied to each button, and the audio samples actuated by each button. Table 6 below provides a comparison of 2K-Reality prototype components to illustrate the improvements delivered by my exhibition prototype design-driven research. Figure 51 presents a visual comparison of the samplers interfaces used for each 2K-Reality prototype.

Figure 48. 2K-Reality iOS App primary GUI.

Figure 49. Slide-in and expandable menu GUI. General Play, Offence, Defence, Beats and Credits

LAYUP