Present

In my Final Bachelor Project, I applied the clean coding principles I learned during my internship to create my own systemized repository. Whilst I used two languages, C# for my unity interface, and Arduino/C++ for my electronics, I applied a consistent formatting style across both languages, for easier connection and coherency. I used abstraction and descriptive function names to make code that is self-explanatory, reducing the need for comments. Whilst time constraints occasionally led to long functions that would benefit from further abstraction, I still maintained an organized and readable structure, considering the scope of the system.

This project provided me an opportunity to work on a intercultural project, and develop a product to fit within a diverse society. I explored cultural trends, traditional toys and what future concepts. Monitoring market and cultural fit shaped design decisions, checking whether certain aspects were feasible or not.

Arduino and Unity are the two platforms I feel most comfortable prototyping with at the moment. Whilst I have worked on projects within Unreal Engine, I much prefer Unity’s usage of C#, as it became my favourite coding language. These tools allow me to prototype rapidly, and were simple to connect to each other through usage of libraries and plugins. This allows for easy data sharing, enabling me to focus on processing the data and designing it’s visualisation.

Unity has many ‘wizard of oz’ features, allowing for development of features before required components are built. This allowed me to develop the mobile app and electronics in parallel, with each informing decisions for the other. Adobe XD provided a quicker digital prototyping platforms during early stages. It allows me to prototype and realize the desired aesthetics and highlight required animations without the need of code. Getting feedback early on in the design process helped me steer away from pitfalls, before spending time developing fully functional features.

I also enjoyed Unity’s shader system, as it allowed me to create a shiny interface through simple manipulations. Coding programs from scratch without an engine, enables quicker load times, but when needing a quick polished prototype, Unity provided me with the tools needed. This project was also my first time building and deploying my own mobile application. Whilst I have created concepts for web before, using Unity and Xcode to build onto devices allows for new interaction possibilities, like the usage of a phone’s Bluetooth connectivity.

Although 3D design is not my core skill, I’ve developed competence in Rhino to create 3D sketches quickly. I needed to create a small element for this project, and this software allowed for fast modification between testing phases and 3D print sessions.