Emerging technologies can greatly alter the design process, in many regards, making the process not only easier, but more innovative.
After experimenting with the Hyperspace AR app, the capabilities it has to track the environment shows a great advancement in AR technology.
Paid softwares or greater developed ones could make great change for the design process.
One way I have felt it could enhance my own projects can be reflected in my 4.1 Wayfinding Project.
In this project, I used photoshop to overlay my design onto a space to create a concept design of how the wayfinding would work.
For flat designs, such as this 5th floor mural, it works quite effectively.
However, I wasn’t able to create a visual for my totem pole. This is because of the 3D elements involved; I didn’t feel I could do it justice.
To make a 3D model of the totem pole, in cinema 4D or Blender, and then use AR to place the model into the space, would create a convincing mockup in the space it is intended for.
The AR comes with the advantage of being a customisable experience. Using AR, the totem pole can be placed anywhere in the building, creating a personal experience when proposing a design to a client. Additionally, to mention the use of VR headsets again, the Meta Quest has an integrated AR feature with excellent space tracking. Alongside this, 3D modelling softwares like blender are available on this device.
I found it wouldn’t be too extensive of task to achieve this, something that without the availability of these new technologies I wouldn’t consider for the arduousness of 3D modelling using a desktop.
Another way of using emerging technologies in my design is
using AI. For my 4.5 module I created an app prototype on figma. This functioned to the best of my ability having just learnt Figma’s app prototyping capabilities. I had wanted, really, to create something even more interactive, a real app, that functioned in all its ways would have been something I would have been very proud to create.
This, as someone with next to no knowledge in coding language, feels like a momentous task. I would like to learn to code, to create interesting websites, as it is what my Dad did for work, and I found myself forever mesmerised at how he knew this entirely new language, something my brother also learnt and does for a living now.
One thing that makes this easier for me, but arguably takes away from the incredible dedication it takes to be fluent in coding languages, is ChatGPT and other leading AI softwares. I can use chatGPT as a translator, explain exactly what I need from it, and it will provide me the code, fixing any problems I have on the way. Because my app was a complex idea, I felt with this I could have conveyed the objective of the app better if I could code it with all its functionalities.
