Now that i have a fully functioning website, i now need to consider how it would be used as a real-life installation and how it would potentially bring people together!
I didnt really contextualisemy work into one specific site, and instead looked at various different sites and tried to gain a greater understanding of the community itself, and how it functions and adapts to different surroundings. I stand by this research, and feel it enriched my outlook and allowed me to create something uself, but looking back i do ned to contextualise it into a particular 'site'.
I have decided to focus in on schools in particular, as it was one area that i knew was quite time consuming i.e. getting kids ready for school, dropping them off and picking them up, as well as ensuring they ate soon after they got home. Food preparation times was a big one, and thats why i feel that a school context i appropriate. 5 out of 7 times a week, food is prepared for kids when they finish school, so it is the most visited place around the time that dinner is eaten.
I have chosen a primary school called 'Mission Grove' as my selected site as it is a place that i used to be very familiar with as i attended there, and i could get access to and i knew a few parents whose children went to school there. I know from experience that my parents would get there early to ensure that i saw them as soon as i got out of classes, and they could be waiting upto 25/30 minutes as the classes are let out one or two at a time to ensure that they know where all the children are (for safety). I visited the site today to pick up a cousin, and took a few sketches and notes. Although it is a chance to socialise, from my site visit i saw that the parents were talking in small groups, with quite a few people on their own with nothing to do, smiling at a few people but generally not doing much. there was a good atmnosphere, but after making small talk with a few parents, i realised that they were impatient to get the children home.
I asked a few parents (non-exclusively single parents-only one of them was a single parent but i did feel that my idea relates about what they were making for dinner, and i got the impression that there was little variety week to week, and i find myself that its easy to get stuck in a rut despite having much more free time. i also asked if they threw a lot of food away, and in contrast to my original research, the parents i spoke to were quite responsible with their food, and said that they didnt throw much away, although it could be better if they could find uses for them! I mentioned my website, and they seemed enthusiatic about the idea especially the sale alerts and the 'cheapest places for their weeks shop' would be a great help although they were worried about inputting their shopping lists being time consuming. They said that the recipe ideas was great and that it would be a great inspiration to get some variety into their diets.
As i have gotten some really positive feedback, i feel that it is now time to bring the functionality of the website to them for them to use its ffeatures within the space. It will hopefully bring them together as a talking point.
I essentially just was a touchscreen installation. I have designed a 'touchscreen' version of the website, with larger icons and only four features: quick search, full search, kids area, and sale alert section. The first three sections are all very simialar, but the sale alert section diplays sale items locally to the shops. I considered having a login section to display the cheapest place for your recipe list, but it would require the user having to login to an account in a public space and i think that this is inappropriate.
The search functions would then allow you to print out the results of your search onto a piece of paper, and there would be a printer in the installation which would allow you to print out the kids activities. I feel that this itself would bring people together, and would actually be useful aswel.
Surrounding objects would play some part in the placement of the interaction.
I now have to design a google sketchup model of the site and animate it. I am going to use the edited sketchup video footage to explain how it would be used and give it a context of use. This woud be mixed with the website and the interactive simulation (also hosted online) to bring the whole project together.
The installation interface mockup is hosted on dinnermate.net but is accessible only directly here http://www.dinnermate.net/interface1.php
NOTE: Photography is not allowed on primary school grounds (child protection) so i am going to take my images from google maps, have done brief sketches instead.
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