Affordances

Duration: 4 weeks.

Readings

Additional Reading:

Brief

This assignment is meant to expand each student’s understanding of customized user experience and interactivity on the web. Each student will select an object that exhibits a human-nonhuman function. This object will be used to create a simple website that translates the human-nonhuman dynamic into a user-site relationship*.

This should be a specific analog object (i.e. a "clock" is not a viable option, but a Swiss railway clock is). Being specific in the object you choose allows you to better focus on its individual qualities/affordances and how they might translate on the web.

Through studying their chosen object, each student will compile a list of affordances exhibited by their object and begin to sketch how these qualities might translate into a single-page website.

In addition, students will incorporate at least one Javascript Library in their project.



*A user-site (or human-nonhuman) relationship is one in which the functionality of an object influences how a user begins to navigation content. How might the object you've chosen influence how a user may interact with your site?

Timeline

By November 27 you should:

  • Have submitted responses to each of the the readings (Latour & Fulton Suri) on Canvas
  • Have submitted a PDF presenting your specific researched object, its affordances, and an initial sketch of how you plan to translate it into a website (also on Canvas).

I will provide written feedback regarding your submissions by November 30th.

By December 4 you should:

  • You should have your sketch programmed using at least one Javascript library

By December 11 you should:

  • Incorporating in the feedback you've received the past two weeks, your project should be 90% complete.

By December 18 you should:

  • Final Critique!

Additional Notes

  • If you would like to work on this with a partner, please let me know within the first week (with your initial project proposal).