What has been the primary focus of your prototyping process so far?
The primary focus of my prototyping has been to try to emulate the process of weaving in a virtual environment. My latest prototype which was a VR demo of weaving on a circular loom was an implementation prototype that tried to test how technically viable it would be for me if I went in the direction of fully replicating the weaving process in Unity. So far it appears that weaving can be replicated visually but getting the ‘woven cloth’ dynamics and natural interaction of the weaver’s hands with the ‘virtual yarn’ are the things that require further investigation.
What techniques have you been using/are planning to use to collect information on the prototypes you’ve been making? How can this be applied to your approach to the other research you’ve been conducting on your thesis topic?
Since the majority of my prototypes are implementation prototypes focused on me figuring out how to create the effect I want in Unity while also learning to use the tool – Unity – for the most part, I have been regularly referring to the Unity Forum and various open-source materials to look for instructions and techniques I can implement. I have also been reading technical papers with information on haptics, the psychology of touch, and human computer interaction. This kind of research in my opinion is important for determining the kind of role my prototypes may play in a person's life.
I am beginning to also read more about the value of craft and how craft and craftsmanship are defined in today's context. This research has enabled me to see 'craft' (as a concept) as a way to unpack some of the nuances of how we perceive work and define different types of work. This kind of research in my opinion is helping me to prevent getting trapped in the technicalities of implementation specific prototyping and instead remain open to further conceptual development which inevitably is important at this early stage.