project two: the mobile....

This was another attempt at visually representing my taxonomy. Each round shape represents one of the objects in the taxonomy, and were created using shrinkable plastic and transparency material. The mobile is organized around several different gradients of categorization, attempting to show multiple viewpoints at once.

1. The map objects are represented by the transparency material; the device objects are represented by the shrinkable plastic.
2. Portability is represented by the size of the circular shape.
3. Tangibility is represented by the complexity of the pattern and graphics on each piece.
4. Ease of use is represented by horizontal orientation.
5. Updatability is represented by vertical orientation.

Much of the feedback I received during crit had to do with the fact that I chose to create a mobile in an attempt to give my taxonomy dimension and movement, but then fashioned it in a very static and flat way. Why didn't I consider the viewer, and the relationship between them and the mobile? Why didn't I attempt to create a more concrete third dimension of spatial relationships?

Representation of scale was also discussed: the smallest object within my taxonomy is a compass (which you can hold in your hand), while the largest is the size of a building. But the representation of this within my mobile makes it hard to understand the enormity of that scale. Creating a more expansive (and expressive) scale of size would have made the concept easier to understand, and would have possibly made the visuals more interesting.

Heads spinning and swimming with new possibilities, we all trudged back to the studio to attempt to make better sense of our content and categorization, and to figure out how to create a visually interesting interface to access it.