Pikglobe Design Process

Humans have documented life and told stories for thousands of years. Through word of mouth, signs, drawings in caverns to paint on a canvas. While most of these still apply today the advancement in technologies such as cameras and video has made documenting life much easier for the common person.

The Chelsea Project is Born
Just recently some good friends of mine invited me to come to the hospital to see their newborn child. I brought along my still digital camera and my video camera because I wanted to be able to document this wonderful occasion for my friends and my project. I was extremely excited to see baby Chelsea and visit with my friends. I thought about life and how fragile it is. How Chelsea has so many things she hasn’t experienced. This little life was a part of my best friend – and I was now her godfather. Then I took a moment to take out my cameras and take pictures and as I did I noticed something. Every time I lifted the camera in front of me I felt disconnected from the environment. My experience completely changed. The camera was acting as a sort of wall or barrier that was keeping me from feeling and experiencing this wonderful event. Reflecting on it I knew this was to be my project, to break down this psychological wall that the camera creates in order to give an event our full attention, allowing every person to have more enriched life experiences.
So how do we begin to experience our life more? Is it as easy as setting down the camera?

Different Perspective on Documenting
At the beginning of most of my projects I like to put on my “anthropology hat” or “philosophers hat” and think, “How does an animal come to conclusion to do anything, in this case, document their life? Evolving from an ape, where and when did the human mind decide to do this, and more importantly, how did we start to document.”
By breaking my existing image of the product or system I am able to create this new way of thinking or “innovative thinking” as a way to discover core problems seen in most technology today which lacks this human characteristic.
The survival instinct is the basis for all human behavior, born from the fear of annihilation. Thousands of years ago, Humans began to understand “time” and how that relates to life. Non existence, nothingness, zero is comprehended yet difficult to accept due to our will to survive. Through the comprehension of after-life and spirits comes a way of adapting to this new found understanding of the perpetual flow of time. People come to realize the impact a story can make on each generation and on a grander scale, time. Thusly the importance of documenting and having an accurate account of the story becomes imperative.
As an avid photographer I enjoy documenting life for many reasons. First there is this sense of capturing the moment for reflection later on. Months and years later I can look at the pictures of Chelsea and remember that day, I can even show them to Chelsea when she is older. The ability to share my pictures with friends and family, and allowing others to see a snapshot of what I was seeing that day is priceless. The ability to capture share and reflect is what makes the camera great but there are many elements to the story that are still not being captured. This led me to my next design criteria. To focus on advancing the user’s ability to document in a way that would add to the story of the experience.

Understanding the Camera Market
Continuing the project I needed to look into some of the marketing aspects of the project. What is out there in the market? What is the latest and greatest, and is the market a thriving market and a sound investment for a business connoisseur to invest in? As a designer it is important to understand the marketing aspect of a design not only for the financial side of the project but it can also help to gain knowledge about the people who are buying the cameras, what type of technology is doing well and what type is becoming out dated. In a sense we are creating the canvas to paint on.
Upon further investigation market reviews show the camera market is increasing steadily despite the increased popularity of the camera phone. Picking up the slack, DSLR sales have increased as low-end camera sale have fallen. InfoTrends market analyst predicts a steady incline for the year 2007 as companies come out with their next generation of DSLR cameras for what many are calling a maturing market.
Even with the increase in the digital camera market the printing still thrives and is a 50 billion dollar market led by HP.

What’s Out There in the Camera Market?
The Kodak Easyshare DX7590 has a new feature on it called BLILO that allows the camera to take two pictures a second when holding down the button. The camera will continue to take pictures until it has taken thirty pictures. Then it will start overwriting the first ones continuously rewriting pictures until the button is released.
A company called Deja View developed a wearable camera lens that clips on to your clothing and records footage onto a camera that you can attach to your belt. By simply pressing a button the camera saves the last 30 seconds of footage for later viewing.
Researchers from the University of Bristol are in the process of creating a wearable camera that mounts on the users shoulder. It is said to automatically track head movements and recognize hand gestures.
Kodak has a new EASYSHARE that features four new frames consisting of a 10 and 8-inch frame with built-in 802.11b/g WiFi and a two 8 and 7-inch standard frames. All supported by memory card and bring a USB 2.0 host port to pull files in direct from any USB digital camera or flash drive without using a computer.

Nikon puts its Newest DSLR to the Test
Nikon has come out with a new camera that has apparently revolutionized the camera industry. Easy to use with a knack of capturing those special moments, the Nikon D40 put itself to the test in Georgetown South Carolina. Nearly every family in the town was given a camera to use. From young high school students to aging artist the cameras were able to capture precious moments of the town’s daily activities. In the end Nikon printed out large scale pictures from all over the town. The pictures can be viewed online at the town’s newly dubbed nickname, picturetown.com.

This test had great results for the people at Nikon. It also reminded me of a similar test I had conducted called a “cultural probe”.

Putting the Camera in the Hands of the Users
During the design process there are many tools a designer can use in order to gain insight into a problem. The “Cultural Probe” is a research tool focused on user feedback and can be very useful to a designer when he/she is trying to understand the interaction level of a product or system.
After researching marketing specs from several different sources I began to notice the photo/documentary market has been flooded for years by digital cameras but has never really developed its user’s ability to tell a story when using the digital camera. Camera users are downloading their pictures to “folders” on their computers which are then forgotten about over time. I then began to ask myself, what story does the user want to tell? How do they want to tell it? How are they telling it now?

Opportunity Statement
Investigate how people want to remember/recall what they experience in life in order to create the ultimate documentation device or method.

Designing a cultural probe takes planning in order to get back data of value. I thought carefully about how I wanted to observe people in order to obtain as much information about their camera habits as possible.
One of the beautiful things about the camera is that it is so easy to use. No matter if you are 7 years old or 55 you can take a picture which for my test would help me to reach a wide audience. I bought several disposable cameras and covered any extraneous labeling with black drafting tape. The test takers would be asked to use the cameras to document their day and to be prepared to discuss their days using the photos as props. I also attached a small piece of paper with written instructions to help stimulate the photographers. These instructions were: To take pictures of something they cared about and to have someone else take a picture of them. These questions where also aimed to help prepare the photographer for their talk about the day of picture taking. I was able to get three participants to use my disposable cameras and to interview with.

Cultural Probe Participant Background
7 years old, Savannah, GA
Amor goes to a private school in Savannah Georgia and is in kindergarten. He recently just made the honor roll at his school and he is very proud of this achievement. His mother says he loves to take photos. He has an older brother in high school and a newborn brother. His mother and father are part of the US military.

12 years old, Savannah, GA
Tony has lived in Savannah for two years and is in the 7th grade in a private school. Tony lives in a house near most of his family members and has a small dog that runs the house. Tony likes to spend most of his time outside doing all sorts of activities. One of his favorite activities to do is skateboarding and he tries to practice every day.

51 years old, Fairfield, CT
Miss Ford is in Savannah for the week visiting her daughter, her son in law, and her new granddaughter! She has never been to Savannah before and it is her first time to see her granddaughter which by the way is also another first for her. She considers herself very liberal and is not afraid to push people’s buttons.

Examining the Photographs
One of the first things I examined was the ability of each person to take a clear picture. Did they know to keep the camera at a distance in order to keep their subject in focus, did they know when to turn on the flash, and was the pictures subject matter composed (centered)? The nice thing about the disposable cameras was that despite the lack of quality they are very easy to use. Every participant was able to center their shots and use the flash at the appropriate time in a majority of their photographs. I was actually concerned in the beginning that lack of quality would take away from the story somehow but all three test subjects told great stories about their day of picture taking.
Getting back Amor’s pictures was a treat. I was inspired by the variety in subject matter. When I interviewed him about his pictures he had so much to say about each one. He would go into detail about the subject matter and would tell stories on top of stories. Amor explained to me that he had been using his grandmother’s camera for a while and that he usually just picks it up and starts to take pictures. There really is no anxiety for him. He just points and shoots.

There was an excitement as I shared Tony’s pictures amongst his siblings, cousins, and friends. They all crowded around as I flipped through the pictures with Tony, adding in commentary to each and every picture. The skateboarding pictures were a big hit but Tony would often say they missed the shot. Out of about 15 shots there were three or four he was especially proud of. One of his favorite pictures was of him jumping off a road barrel.

Miss Ford was not able to sit down with me to go over her pictures but I did get to interact with her as she took pictures because her son in law is my best friend. She kept telling me how she wished she had more time to take pictures and that people her age cherish pictures more because they weren’t always easy to come by. She claimed that the digital camera is a luxury for its ability to take pictures so freely but she felt it cheapened the experience of picture taking.
I showed the pictures to Allison and Johan and they had a good time flipping through the pictures. They talked about how much she (Miss Ford) enjoyed taking the pictures that it actually got annoying having to wait for her.

Overall, I think the cultural probe gave me great insight into how different people take and react to pictures. Observing Tony’s family and how they came together around the pictures gave me a lot of inspiration. This was the type of energy I wanted to harness - the type that makes for great interactions with a product. I saw it again in Amor as he told his story to me. I feel like he could have spent days with me talking about these pictures. I was also inspired by Miss Ford’s desire to take meaningful pictures. Her commentary on the digital camera would become fuel for me as I began my design.
I continued my cultural probe by interviewing a professional photographer. Dennis Daubney (22 years old) goes to SCAD and is studying photography. Studying in school, he has trained his eye to see not only the technical side of the each photograph but has also become more proficient at seeing the elements in his subject matter that will allow his photograph to tell the story. Dennis prides himself in documenting different cultures around the world as well as being able to experience them. He is constantly on the search for subject matter. Innovative picture taking to Dennis is not only taking pictures of things people don’t get to see every day but composing pictures of everyday things in order to bring about a hidden beauty.

Creating Personas
After researching I was able to start visualizing my design. I was beginning to imagine the interaction between the product and the user but I needed to make the story stronger. I imaged three different types of people going through this experience that I was trying to design and thusly I created three personas. A persona to some might seem like an “imaginary” person but to designers they are an integral part to the creation of any product. The persona is created in order to help the designer understand how the product might be viewed from a different prospective. It’s a way of stepping outside ones self and looking critically at a design. The persona is not just randomly thrown together. By researching and coming to understanding the psychology and behavior patterns of a specific subculture the designer can put together a so called “Adam and Eve” of this particular subculture to design by. My personas are manifested from my cultural probe.

Jacklyn House
- 26 years old
- Went to college and has a degree in photography
Jacklyn, much like Dennis understands how to tell a story through her photographs. There is more to it than just point and shoot. Taking pictures is an art, and is a medium that can impact people in ways no other medium can. When she goes out with her camera she is constantly taking shots and looking for angles. Her interaction with the camera is like a scripted dance. Her command of her instrument is flawless during the act of shooting. People see her taking photos and they know right away that she is a professional.

Elizabeth Ryan
- 58 years old
- Just got her first digital camera
- Her husband took most of the photos for the family.
Liz absolutely despises technology and seems to always be confused by all the buttons and warnings. Her granddaughter (7 years old) loves to take pictures with her Disney digital camera Liz bought for her. Liz felt silly for saying it but this child’s camera was just what she was looking for. She loved having all the luxuries of a digital camera without all the bells and whistles. Just point and shoot, quickly, with no worry.

Nathan Cobey
- 21 years old
- Junior in college
- Parents just bought him a new camera.
Nate just had his 21st birthday and his parents bought him a new digital camera. It is compact and has a large viewing screen. Almost everyone in Nate’s group of friends has a camera but no one ever wants to carry it with them when they are out trying to have fun. Nate’s new camera allows him to carry it around easily in his pocket. When taking a picture of himself and his friends Nate usually just holds the camera up, facing it backwards, and takes the shot. At the end of the day when Nate goes home he loads the pictures onto his computer under a folder called NatesPics. There is an estimated 400 pictures on his computer.

Each persona had great potential for design but it was Nathan Cobey’s story that I felt created the greatest opportunity. Photos are continually downloaded onto our computers and filed away never to be seen again. Web based storage over the years has become the method of choice for most digital camera users to share and view their pictures. Websites like Flickr and Webshots are a few of the more popular photo sharing sites but the interaction is still the same, with the only addition being a space to comment on the picture. Interestingly enough none of the camera companies have been able to tame both photography and storage. Can the two become more seamless? Can these storage systems help to tell a story?

Seamless Storage that Tells a Story
In an example scenario I explored the idea of using GPS location ability to pinpoint where a picture was taken. The picture would then be plotted on a global map for later viewing. The map could then be put on the internet for many to view and could even become a network for friends to share and view photos, the added element being you could see how the photographer was traveling as well as being able to view the scenery around the photographer when the picture was taken.
The quality I like in this concept is its ability to tell a story without the person there. You can follow along and travel where the photographer was traveling. With the addition of comments then becomes almost tour like. I began to think about the community that would be created around a website like this. People like to feel like they are a part of something and when on this website they could view not only their pictures lighting up on the globe but they can see everyone in the network pictures lighting up the globe.

What is PikGlobe?
PikGlobe.com is a community for people to share photographs unlike any other website has done. It takes the storage nature of websites like Flickr and combines it with the social aspect of websites like Facebook and tops off with the global feel of Google Earth. It is targeted to a young audience that is not afraid of technology. The skills of these photographers are moderate to expert.

Designing the PikGlobe Camera
It was important for the pikglobe camera to be small enough and easy enough to use to compete with the other digital cameras out on the market already. Its biggest competition would be the camera phone, fighting for space in pockets and hand bags. I did not put a screen on it because I wanted to change how my user takes a picture. Lining up the shot, taking the picture then quickly looking down to view it, then having to decide whether or not to keep it or trash it. All these interactions I feel are not necessary and are taking away from the user’s experience of life. With the pikglobe camera they just point it in the direction of the subject matter and click, and as they become more aware of the system they then don’t just click once, they click four, five, six times and they twist their hand around getting different angles in each shot. There is a loop hole on the camera to encourage the user to connect the camera to their car keys because the more this camera gets out the better it is for the pikglobe network. The more people are taking pictures in different places the brighter the globe becomes and the more unified people will become within the network.

Designing the PikGlobe Website
When a user signs onto PikGlobe they will have all their pictures already uploaded onto the globe which is located in the Pikviewer. They can scroll around the earth zooming in and out in order to take a closer look at where they had taken pictures. Upon selecting a picture a viewer will slide out to the left and they will be able to rotate, crop, or trash pictures. Under the Pikviewer is the Pikstream which show the user pictures that are relate to the picture that is currently being viewed in the Pikviewer. If they would like to make a comment on the picture they are viewing they can simply pull down the comment tab and type in a comment. By selecting the make button they will be able to place a marker on the picture surface. To view a comment the user must simply scroll over the marker and a comment box will pop up displaying the comment. On the far left is a view selection menu displaying six different options: MyPiks, FriendPiks, FavoritePiks, PikGlobal, PikComments, and PikSearch. Clicking on these will change the content displayed on the globe in the Pikviewer. Orange markers will be displayed when viewing in MyPik mode. Purple markers represent the pictures of the users Pik friends. White markers are the pictures from all PikGlobe users. Lastly, the light orange markers are for those pictures labeled the users favorite pictures.After showing the website to several people and having them walk through it telling me how they would use it I decide to make a few changes. There was an overwhelming consensus that the green and yellow background was distracting and made it difficult to read the titles. In the new version I attempted to remedy this by using a darker background to contrast with the light titles. I also experienced some confusion with the comment box. Some of the people that tested the old site didn’t know what they were commenting on. In the new version of the comment box is a pull down screen which is connected to the picture viewer which helps create a visual connection between the two.

Logging On

Pikviewer
Viewing pictures

Viewing comments

New Look!

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