This week in class, the entirety of the class time was put towards continuing our prototyping. The article we read in preparation for this class was helpful. Before reading it, I had thought of prototyping as more of an “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” method. While this is definitely part of it, the actual prototyping process includes a lot more than just continual testing. The article explained how you have to have actual test subjects. This can include friends and family, people at trade shows, and even people you find on websites such as Craigslist. Not only do you have to think about who you want your test subjects to be, but you want to make sure that the testing environment is the right environment for your specific test- perhaps you need a full laboratory, or else you can simply do the test in your office. These and other things should all be taken into consideration before testing and updating the prototype.
My group has not yet found test subjects, but has definitely gone through some initial testing. For our people counter, we haven’t yet received the LED number board yet, so we attached single LEDs to our board and Arduino in order to see if we were on the right track. We essentailly wanted to find out if our code worked and would correctly tell the LEDs to light up when the “count” went up. Since the sensors are a little difficult to set up, we tried out a simple push button with the lights instead this week- and it worked! We would push the button and the light would shine. It wouldn’t work on every light all the time (we attached 7 LEDs total), so we are going to be working to find out why that is, and working to find out how to substitute the number board for the LEDs and the sensors for the push button. One last thing we would like to try to figure out is whether or not we can use the sensors to add and subtract people from the count based on the direction they pass the sensors.
Below I have attached the link to pictures of our work in progress LED “people counter,” as well as some of the more intricate parts used in the making of this project. The little bead looking things are resistors, which limit the flow of electricity in the circuit.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/157284563@N06/albums/72157665836306417
Prototyping is something that is completely new to me as well. Before reading about it, I have never considered how to implement the concept of prototyping into a real-world project. The photos of your final project look awesome! The circuit looks like it’s coming along nicely. My group is on the same track as you and we hope to start testing our prototype later this week Testing will be the next big step in identifying how we can improve our prototypes moving forward.
Shayna,
My brother is an iPhone programmer so I used to be his test subject for all his apps. If you need my help with testing and perfecting process for your project, do not hesitate to speak with me. I think your project could really help retail stores, dance clubs, and stadiums. Best of luck.
Jason
I have never tested a prototype before, so I also learned tips from this week’s article. The paragraph about selecting the right test subjects reminds me of focus group participants. I have participated in a few focus groups, and it felt like I was auditing new products.
Your project seems to be coming along nicely. I think your product will be very desirable for bar and restaurant owners.