Studies through Conductive Ink is a fun project that uses conductive ink to create unexpected interactions for children. By detecting the change in electric current from touch, these five static drawings come to life with fun sounds and visuals.

*This project is currently in progress. I am planning on using this medium to create a learning platform. 

Scope: 3 Weeks

Categories: Physical computing, UX design, product design and fabrication

Role: Individual Project. Owned all idea generation, prototyping, coding, and execution. 

The Process

I used an Arduino Uno, p5, and conductive ink to make this project. Most of the programming was done in Javascript and C++, and I used capacitive sensing as the primary interaction.

In the original iteration, I used potentiometer dials to create an electronic piano. However, it was not as simple, intuitive, or scalable. The conductive ink made the project more flexible. 

My original proof of concept, the piano, was a resounding success. However, because so many of my classmates played with it and I originally used normal paper, it fell apart in about 30 minutes. 

FAILS, Feedback, and Next Steps

The main point of feedback I received from users was that it was too difficult to switch between the different cards. Although the current medium is really flexible, the paintings can be very easy to ruin, and swapping between the different paintings is difficult because I need to switch out all the alligator clips.

I am in the process of standardizing the cards so they can be easily interchanged.  I think there's also a lot of potential to take this medium to make more educational games and quizzes. 

I'm still in the process of leveraging this medium to create a more scalable and educational product.