This week marked the start of our app development project, where we were introduced to React and React Native, alongside supporting tools such as Node.js, npm, and Expo. I learned that React structures interfaces using components and JSX, which closely resembles JavaScript. Understanding that Node.js allows JavaScript to run outside the browser helped me contextualise…

This week we explored state, hooks, effects, custom hooks, layout structures, and icon usage in React. We also created a custom hook called useOrientation, which helped me better understand how hooks can be used to abstract and reuse logic across components. Diana set us homework to write a page explaining the purpose and functionality of…

This week we added sound to our piano app and made the white keys interactive using the <Pressable> component in React Native. We implemented the onPressIn and onPressOut functions to detect when a key was pressed or released, which significantly improved the realism and responsiveness of the instrument. To manage audio playback, we used the…

This week focused on a group tutorial session alongside the continued development of my digital instruments. I particularly valued the group tutorial, as hearing other students’ ideas and approaches prompted me to reflect more critically on my own work. One suggestion that stood out was incorporating strumming interactions and vibration feedback into a guitar instrument.…

This week focused on adding the final refinements to my music app, particularly exploring strumming interactions for the guitar instrument. As this was the final week of development, I was conscious of time constraints and made a deliberate decision to prioritise implementing strumming over including both strumming and vibration feedback. While the resulting interaction is…

This week marked the beginning of our new project, Full Stack Development for Sustainability. The brief requires us to select one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and design a prototype that addresses a specific issue within that goal. We began by researching three key areas related to our chosen goals: what is currently…

This week focused on defining the direction of my prototype for the Full Stack Development for Sustainability project. I initially found it challenging to decide between the two goals I had previously researched: Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, and Goal 15, Life on Land. While I feel particularly passionate about Goal 15 due to…

This week I began building my full stack development website based on UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation. From the outset, my aim was to create a prototype that was both visually engaging and informative. My initial concept focused on a water-inspired aesthetic, incorporating elements such as bubbles and fluid visuals, while…

This week was the final opportunity to work on my full stack development project, and I spent the majority of my time refining the visual design, particularly the website background. My original aim was to create an underwater-inspired aesthetic; however, many of the approaches I experimented with appeared unnatural or visually distracting. Through several iterations,…

This week marked the start of our augmented reality project, led by Jamie. We were introduced to the different types of AR tracking methods, and I was particularly drawn to marker-based tracking. The idea of designing a physical marker and having digital content respond to it felt both creatively engaging and technically interesting, as it…

This week I focused on researching existing augmented reality technologies to help generate ideas for my own project. I explored well-known examples such as IKEA Place and Snapchat Lenses. One aspect that particularly surprised me was realising that Snapchat Lenses are a form of AR technology. I had previously thought of them as simple visual…

This week I focused on designing the marker for my augmented reality project. I decided to base the project around a music artist I enjoy, Sabrina Carpenter, as working with a familiar and engaging theme helps sustain my motivation throughout the development process. I felt that creating a poster was the most appropriate format for…

This week marked the final stage of my augmented reality project. I printed my poster in preparation for recording a video walkthrough to showcase the completed experience. This was also the first opportunity I had to fully test the project on a compatible Android device, as I had not had access to one earlier in…

This week marked the start of the final project for this unit, which involves developing an interactive machine learning artwork using ml5.js. We were given the option to either train a new model or use an existing one. Diana shared several example projects and links to the ml5.js documentation, which I found particularly helpful for…