MYoice is an interactive storytelling experience based on physical installation, which introduces self-talk as a way of doing self-reflection to the users.
A high percentage of the current population in big cities has experienced common anxiety disorder, which could be potentially eased by self-talk experience. I take the capstone as a chance to introduce my personal experience to a wider group of people and explores the possibility of benefiting them.
1) the Final Video of MYoice:
To experience MYoice, users need to walk through a brown curtain into the physical installations with a scale of 1.22 * 1.22 * 2.3 meters painted in agate green. The color is carefully chosen to help users feel at ease when entering the installation. Users can then pick up the phone attached to a story recorder. The story recorder allows users to talk to themselves, share their stories, and listen to others’ shared stories. A vocal instruction is given to encourage users to record their own stories or listen to others’. Users also have an option to print out a receipt of their recordings or of their favorites shared stories.
2) Making Process:
The project is user-centered. It explores how could the design of the experience encourages users to talk to themselves.
The first round of user testing invited five users from inside NYU Shanghai to talk to a voice recorder developed using Minim library in Processing with a physical microphone attached to it as the voice input. The testing turned out to be many users’ first time to talk to themselves. They found a need to have some instructions to guide them.
the user interacting with the voice recorder made in Processing.js
The second round of user testing focused on the context of the instruction. Users from both inside and outside NYU Shanghai were invited for testing instruction in English and Chinese version. This stage finalized the function of the story recorders to record one’s stories, replay recording, share one’s stories and listen to others’ shared stories.
finalizing the functions of MYoice
In the final round of user testing, the project tested the ideal height and scale of the physical installation and the story recorder inside it.
users invited to test the dimension of MYoice
construction of the installation
3) Updates:
Currently, the first physical installation and the database has already been constructed. MYoice is a continuous project as the vocal stories database keep enlarging and the number of physical installations increases. One way to introduce self-talk experience to more people is doing a pop-up campaign or a gallery show.
JUNCHAO (DAVID) LIN 