I was a little upset that I wasn’t able to incorporate the letters dispersing and then dissolving into the background before I was able to do the user testing. However, it was still fascinating to see the user testing response even though my project is only 60% finished. Overall, the responses were quite positive. They really liked the idea behind it once I elaborated on what would occur next.
The most challenging part in all three cases was that people weren’t able to recognise the text was reflecting their bodies. Perhaps because they were all seated on a chair on looked at the screen on a low chair, and that limited movement. In the meditation room, I will avoid using any seats and keep the space more ‘free’. Also, the light was dim in the room, and some people wore clothing items similar to the background and that affected how the bodies were reflected. Sometimes, the background and body were indistinguishable. When the letters are smaller, the body appears to be more distinguishable. Hence, I will make the letters smaller. I also found it challenging to see how the program reflected the people’s bodies because I wanted to give people privacy with the program since they entered quite vulnerable emotions on the screen. Therefore, I had to ask them what the program was showing them, and I didn’t always receive the most detailed explanations. Next time, perhaps I will ask them to write emotions that are less vulnerable, emotions they feel more comfortable sharing, for testing purposes. It also really helped to have meditative music in the background to set the mood, and it will be interesting to see how my project will change once I officially implement sound.