After Presenting our project to our Client, our group received some feedback that included areas that could be improved or changed.
One area was the inclusion of a detail of the intended method of connection between the steering column and the arduino. The proposed solution is a 15mm wooded dowel that is fixed to the wheel providing the turning imput, then fixing some pvc pipe with coupling clamps. The shaft of the potentiometer is then attached to the moving wooden dowel, by drilling in a hole in the base, and the top of the potentiometer is fixed with tape to the pvc pipe.
Dimensions have also been added to the model for easier repeatability.
Reflection
Overall the amount and quality of collaboration between the group was satisfactory, with different levels of participation between members. A lot of communication was done through facebook messenger, however we found that face to face meeting were a lot more beneficial and more issues were addressed.
In terms of the Timeline, if we were to repeat the project more time should be given to the combining of the elements at the end. We each worked on separate parts and were going to combine them all at the end. However this process took more time than intended and the finished product that was presented could have been better or more finished.
I believe we documented the project well, and that it satisfied the brief and the needs of the client. Due to all this documentation it should easily be repeated or improved.
If repeated, the project would benefit from:
more face to face meetings
stricter deadlines and better time management
stricter team leader to control member work loads/completion
Steering column is 15mm wooden dowel that was hammered to fit
Profile view
Sides are made from two panels
Back features a "door" with magnetic catch allowing easy access to the electronics inside
Rear door hinges
Interior Steering column, cable ties are to hold in place while gluing.PVC conduit provides stationary support and reduces friction for turning wooden dowel
Side panels supports
Steering column detail. (Note: cable ties are temporary support while glue dries)
General Information Opened with a video - all about controlling the market around you Definition - "remuneration is a payment made to or for the benefit of a worker, this is not as simple as a wage or salary as it includes such things as remuneration return and reconciliation statement" "What do I have to pay for" vs "what do I want my remuneration package to say" Different types of Remunerations Example of a Successful remuneration package includes:
$ per hour
non monetary
direct
indirect
Pros
Good use of video to introduce the topic - motif of "fuck you" getting in the best position you can
Interesting use of colour as a "contents page"
Good knowledge of topic
Good minimal use of slides - not to much text
Use of statistics to relate to the audience
Used hextic and own project as an example
Cons
No pictures - (although might be hard for topic)
could have at outside use of remuneration
How it relates to us
The employer: contractors (UNSW)
The Employees: (The Students)
All the conditions are already set eg. Hours, leave ect.
We cannot take any risk and not effected by profit loss, ect.
How it relates on a personal level
23% of UNSW FBE job seeker rate
$53.27 average hourly rate
Going to university (UNSW) adds to your overall Remuneration package
You can add to your "personal value" by
General education
Good Results
Extra curricular projects
Study tours
Networking
Internships
How to move forward
documentation
codes, regulations and legislation
project evaluations, programs and feasibility studies
Summary of Information Different Sources of Conflict
Change
Clash of personalities
Leadership
Poor Communication
Sub Par Performance
Emotions - Anxiety - Distrust - Disagreements
Pros Covered a range of situations involving conflict Incorporated the use of Hextic into the presentation which responds with the audience Good use of statistics - (Might be generalized) Good use of graphics and list of types of people that cause conflict. Cons Slides were a bit cluttered with text, pictures, banners and silhouettes How it can relate to our group Avoiding conflict before it "snowballs" Need to use communication Conflict and conflicting interests are different things, and one can lead to the other As a group leader need to address the conflicting interests before they turn to a conflict. Due to the nature of our project -(not design based) conflict is already limited, main issue is the allocation and shared equal work loads between team members
Main summary of information 4 Main Types Regested Design -> physical Trademark Patent -> Process or Function Copyright Boosting innovation Pro's Good delivery - not relying on notes Simple minimal presentation aids - providing efficient information Some examples of IP in their personal project as well as other groups like blacktown marker Good knowledge of information - response to questions Con's Repetition of some information Colours in video not always clear. My Question and answers Q. How would you protect something that you intend to give away for free, so others cannot make money off it. A. Make it an open source program and/or make your users agree to a end user license agreement (EUlA) Also copyright only apply's to something before it reaches 50 production units, then it is void and the user need to apply for a resisted design
How it apply's to our group Registered design is the look, form, how it is protected. Computer -> circuit layout If we want protect our project we would need to get: Patent on the code EULA on use (end user license agreement) If we want to commercialize the production we would need to: Register the design Seek a partnership with arduino as we are currently using it as fair use agreement.
Russell showed my a program called fritzing, that is incredibly beneficial to the documentation of our project.Here you can customize the arduino to your needs, and it creates a schematic in real time.
As Elliot, Daming and Nev finish up on the final stages of coding, editing the arduino and importing into unreal I am starting to document this for others to be able to repeat. It is still in initial stages as the information that is to be recorded is not finalized yet. The plan is to create a"blueprint".
Here is an example of the Aesthetic we are aiming for, however there is a balance between the amount of information we provide.
These First two images may provide too much information confusing the user, whereas these next two are more user friendly. Also worth noting is type of diagram we provide, from an electronics point of view or a more physical photographic example to which the user can compare.
The diagrams we create are from Daming's work which we recorded. Below are examples that both Daming and myself recorded.
We can also include an exploded view of the final design we use for the wheel / dashboard.
Because the code is not too long, and the nature of it we will include the entirety within.
As shown in my previous post some of our feedback towards our group was to move away from a networking style of collaboration, and move towards a move hierarchical approach. After we had a group vote, We decided that with a group leader that could direct workflow and make sure everyone was completing tasks that are relevant towards our project. The group then nominated myself to be this group leader.
The first thing that I completed during the lesson was a plan for what everyone was to work on in the following weeks. I allocated the team members tasks based on their skill sets, and what they had already started working on.
Elliot - Coding - Based on Eliot's computer knowledge, with the completion of COMP1400 programming for designers as well as some minor experience with the hextic installation, Eliot volunteered himself at the beginning of the semester to complete the coding which connects the physical movement of the arduino hardware, to a computer language that contains the instructions we want the computer to Follow
Daming - Arduino - Daming is constructing the imput part of our wheel using the Arduino. This gives us the imputs we need, which go through Elliot's code
Nev - Unreal - Nev is working with unreal which is where our simulation will be held. The user creates an input by moving the wheel which is attached to Daming's Arduino, this then travels through Elliot's code, translating the imputs to something the computer recognises. Nev then uses this and connects Elliot's code to unreal, making sure the physical movement translates to movement of the vehicle within unreal.
Vedran - Modeling / Video - Vedran is modeling a truck that gives the user a realistic and enhanced experience, based on what the client wants, which is a Hong Kong style truck. Vedran is also helping document by creating a video.
Peter - Documentation / Fabrication - Because a main concept of the brief is to create a repeatable project, we are creating a "blueprint" that a person can follow. This will essential allow them to repeat the project without the research work. I am documenting the work that people create in this blueprint. Fabrication is essentially the physical feel of the wheel, including the wheel and dashboard, as well as the housing for the arduino. Timeline After hearing the planning presentation from the week before, I decided to make a timeline to help us reach the deadline, and especially finish before the date, giving us time to beta test and make final adjustments.
Communication generally involves two parties, the contributor and the receiver. The contributor or sender encodes the particular idea or piece of information by selecting words symbols or gestures to compose a message (weather that be spoken, email, text, instant message, tweeting or pen and paper
Here is a quick animation explaining the Cheney model using an example:
George Cheney created a model demonstrating the communication process (as shown) which was published in 2011 in his book “organizational communication in an age of globalization” (explain model) the problems arises with the noise, which is anything that distorts the message. The noise can be physical (such as hardware failure), language barriers or even emotions.
The following are examples of “process barriers” from a guide to communication in the Americann schooling system, which lists 100’s of examples of barrier examples.
It is the combination of these individual elements that form the quality of the communication, meaning that a problem in any one of these elements can reduce the effectiveness. However it can be argued that listening, or becoming the “receiver” is the most important part of communication. it is the role of the listener to actively “decode” the message and more importantly provide feedback. It could be argued that the sender is providing the best quality message from a personal point meaning that they can do no more, and it is the receiver’s responsibility to return feedback in the form of a question, commonly referred to as being an active listener.
Communication in different Environments. The way we communicate is also significantly affected by our environment.
Sport – quick precise needs to get a clear message across as quickly as possible
Mates – very informal, non linear - and not always a clear purpose
Working office environment – efficient, focused, Professional – working towards a goal
Military – efficient precise – almost another language.
Law court
Teaching
exceptions apply, but in general,
You wouldn't talk to your boss like you would to a mate.
You wouldn't include general polite greetings such as “how are you today” in a professional email
The different environments all have unique methods and attitudes towards communication. Many involve similar elements. An example of this would be efficiency, ie. Communicating an idea or piece of information in the least amount of word or smallest message possible seen in the military, emergency situations and sport – all the extra unnecessary words just add to the noise, making it harder for the receiver. This could be idealised as “too much communication”
Here are modes of communication within just one example of an office working environment
This is a list I made of our communication modes we use to collaborate within our group. For our work on the steering wheel, we adopted a slower more working paced and informative approach making sure each team member is on the same page, and is informed about working roles, upcoming submissions, and project briefs. Using facebook groups and messenger as a forum style page, where we can ask questions and submit interesting or important links can be recorded.
Drawing off what Andrew from cox architects said in last week’s lecture the business company model – or how the business is run can also effect communication. Andrew said that the workflow at his office followed a top down design approach, and that only now because of the introduction of grasshopper that more elements from bottom up design are emerging. This is common in a hierarchical approach, however I found a popular networking method is being more commonly used in smaller run businesses.
Feedback:
The general feedback we received was a good definition of communication and the common methods of communication, however we spent to much time explaining what communication is and how it can be used - but lacked how we used it in our group. - (although refer to the table I created above on modes of communication)
Collaboration
We were reminded about not incorporating the word "collaboration" into our presentation which was highly stressed, as it is the name of the course.
Possible ways we could have included this is creating a slide mentioning how communication can be specialized for collaborating and how we have collaborated as a group.
Networking vs Hierarchy
It wasn't until we were asked what method we were using, until we realised we should change our system. Previously we were adopting the networking approach which resulted in the repetition of a few elements in the project. We have since elected a group leader (myself) to insure the tasks required are completed and allocated so work is efficient and directed.
Communication with our clients
A fellow colleague asked a interesting question about how we are going to communicate with the our clients, or the people who are going to be using the steering wheel.
After discussing with our group I have created a list of possibilities:
Constant communication with the main client (Russell) - this will ensure our finished product meeting his expectations, and if we encounter any problems, we have time to fix them
Alpha/Beta testing, we have set our goals to finish the wheel in week 11 - This allows us to test the machine ourselves and use our colleagues as volunteers, which again using this information to make changes before the submission date
In terms of making the usability as best as possible ie. (communicating intent to the client). we plan to
Issue a set of instructions - whether that be in the simulation, or a physical copy
Make the simulation as user friendly as possible - making the truck realistic, wheel feel natural ect.
It was also the client/our intention to document the creation of the wheel, making it possible for others to replicate the system, with our goal of cost reduction, using easy to obtain/recycled materials.
This is to be a set of "blueprints" which communicates a set of assembly instructions or a "recipe".
