Technological Liveliness
The animated phenomena enabled by computing and related technologies.
Animated traffic signals
Images are produced by a matrix of light emitting diodes LEDs are displayed successively at a certain speed to achieve an illusion of movement. The varying playback speed is a technique widely employed in creating moving images. This informed me of the ubiquity of animation in today’s digitally mediated environments. This also encouraged me to consider the purpose, a traffic signal is not there to entertain pedestrians, as decoration, or demonstration instead it gives a sense of warning and urgency.
The genie effect
This takes place on a GUI Graphical User Interface, in the Macintosh OS X system, users may enable a feature called the genie effect under System Preferences. A window will then elegantly shrink and twirl into the dock ( a user interface element of the system holding a list of application icons for convenient launching.) when minimised can be maximised at anytime. As the name suggests the feature effect is intended to conjure up the image and intermittently reveal or hide itself.
Turning a digital page
Common in electronic books, using touchscreen. This allows direct operation by the fingertips without a mouse or touchpad. In an electronic book you can slide a finger across the screen to turn a page very much like how you would with a physical book. Digital pages closely follow users’ finger actions, even more so than their physical counterparts. Electronic books take precedence over paper books in future generations.
Characteristics of an animated phenomena
Animated refers to the meaning of its Latin root. Something animated is instilled with life. Meanwhile, the term phenomena means occurrences people see, hear, perceive; in short experience.
Theorising animated phenomena
A practice heavily influenced by user evaluation revolves around user action and perception but its aims are predominantly inclined toward utility and usability.
Image interpretation
How a visual image makes meaning poses a challenge to semiotics, or the general science of signs.
Interaction and interface design
Interaction and interface design deals with problems arising from the use of instruments or design objects. The use of graphical representation can be used for better communication between users and systems.
The observer: we perceive we become aware
Animated phenomena are technology-mediated presentations of digital objects reminiscent of everyday experiences of life, including spontaneous reactions to stimuli, recurrent behaviours, gradual changes, and even quick shape shifting.
(Mandler,1992) model defines animacy by the following criteria:
- Something starts to move on its own
- The trajectory of the motion has certain rhythmic but unpredictable characteristics
- There is a dependence of motion, one way or two way
- The object not only moves, but also causes others to move
Secondary liveliness
Liveliness is based on spontaneous perception. Primary liveliness corresponds to the primary ways of animating. Secondary liveliness arises in secondary action and is usually accompanied by repetitive rhythmic patterns such as waving.
- Something that moves is livelier than something that does not
- Movement involving internal change (change properties like shape or size) is at a higher complexity than rigid object displacement
- A thing moving by its own force is higher in degree of liveliness than that physically moved by others
- Self movements initiated by internal impulses are livelier than those driven by external forces.
The Body: We Act, We Feel
Some animated phenomena, such as reaction to stimuli or adaptation to changes, entail interactive dynamic presentation supported by a digital environment, where one can act upon certain digital objects or react to them physically via touch based or motion sensitive interfaces. For example users run their finger across a touchpad to move a pointer.
Bodily motion and intention
Repeated engagements in continuous motor action and simultaneous change perception enable our bodies to develop habitual skills. Immediate, pre-reflective bodily motion based on habituation embodies ones intention, which can be impulsive and desire-driven.
Perception of changes and temporality
An interactive environment continuously engaging its users in bodily action also invites them to express felt needs and wants.
Interaction between humans and digital environments should be continuous and simultaneous in order to achieve a user engagement more affective in nature. It has been suggested that a digital environment has to accept user bodily motion as input and present perceivable constant changes.
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