{"id":617,"date":"2018-10-10T11:03:55","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T11:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/?p=617"},"modified":"2018-10-10T11:03:56","modified_gmt":"2018-10-10T11:03:56","slug":"phoney-colour-system-keith-flavia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/2018\/10\/10\/phoney-colour-system-keith-flavia\/","title":{"rendered":"Phoney colour system – Keith & Flavia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Process:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After the tours around the costume shop and the IM Lab, we decided that we wanted to design a creative system that used props and symbols for signaling. However, before jumping to the props we wanted to create a semaphore system that would be easy to decode, adaptable for 38 characters, and intuitive to the eye. We decided to start with vowels and numbers, thinking that we would be able to adapt either of the two approaches. For vowels, we quickly mapped out the vowel order into our fingers (this is explained further in methodology) and then realized there wasn\u2019t much we could further expand on with that system. We therefore moved into numbers, and realized that we could easily map out the numbers from the phone keypad into leveled fist-pump symbols (further explained in methodology). Since we wanted to create a clear division between letters, we chose the blank space to be represented with a clap above the head. This turned out to be the only visual and auditory signal, which was a clear differentiator from the rest of the symbols. \u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we still faced the problem of adaptation. We needed to cover all the consonants, but we couldn\u2019t decide on how to do it. However, we also realized we hadn\u2019t used props yet, so we started thinking about how props could help us adapt either the vowel or the number model. Given that the number model was easier to visualize and differentiate at a distance, we decided to map the consonants accordingly. We created a hierarchy system, where we divided the consonants between vowels in separate groups, creating a total of 5 groups, two groups of three consonants and three groups of five consonants. Using a hierarchy system proved to be more intuitive once the number system is understood, and the use of colors made the letters easy to track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We then went to the IM lab in order to cut out the flags from cardboard paper. While we were there, Keith became fixated on a stick. However, Flavia couldn\u2019t really think of a use for it and didn\u2019t want to make an overly complicated system just for the sake of using a stick. Therefore, she told Keith \u201cFind it a useful purpose, and we can use it\u201d. Keith then came up with the amazing idea of having a feedback flag, where Flavia (the sender) would be able to see if her message was making sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we tested our system out with random sentences, we realized we could also create symbols from recurring words for the purpose of time saving. After implementing this section to our semaphore and practicing it several times, we decided we were content with our semaphore and decided to wrap it up there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methodology & Design:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our entire semaphore system was inspired by the phone digit system in the telephone. Expectedly, the numbers were easy to follow with each number located in their respective positions: (1-3) above the head, (4-6) chest level, (7-9) waist level, and 0 below the waist. Next, we decided to take out all the vowels in the alphabet (a,e,i,o,u) and symbolize them with hand signals for 1 to 5. As vowels were the most common letters in the alphabet, we wanted to make its signals as easy and efficient as possible. We also divided up the consonants into separate groups between the vowels, which were classified by the colours – orange, purple, blue, green, and red. For example, between a and e, there are the letters b,c,d – these were represented by the orange flag. And, between e and i, there are the letters f,g,h – these were represented by the purple flag. Once again, within each consonant group, we followed the phone digit system. We chose to follow the phone digit system because it was easier to visualize from a distance as compared to indicating numbers just with the fingers on one’s hand. Finally, we created different body signals for commonly recurrent words such as \u201cand\u201d, \u201cthe\u201d, and \u201cfor\u201d, and other aspects like \u201cspace\u201d or separation of repeated letters.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A unique element of our semaphore system is our ability to introduce a feedback system by the receiver. The receiver would carry a red-green flag stick to indicate the understanding of each letter and word. For example, each time the receiver decodes a letter, he\/she would indicate confirmation by raising the green flag, and vise versa with the red flag if the receiver was unable to decode the message. This is also supported by a repeated check after the completion of each word. Lastly, if the receiver places the red-green flag stick horizontally, it would indicate to the sender that the receiver has guessed what the word is, and to save time, the sender should move on to the next word. \u00a0\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all this in mind, we headed to the IM lab to construct our signals. We chose the required colours, and used cardboard papers to construct the flags. We also found a wooden stick in the lab that helped create the feedback signal for the receiver. In addition, we created two cheatsheet – one for the receiver, and one for the sender. Having said that, our system is well-structured with the organization easy to follow, hence making it easy to memorize if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Output:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Keith’s Perspective (Receiver):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day before the Semaphore competition, we practised our system using random tweets in the Internet. In a calm environment with no time pressure, we were able to complete a 40-character tweet in about 3 minutes. However, I believe, on the day of the competition, the pressure of getting the message absolutely correct within a set time frame caused us to be prone to errors. For instance, I personally found it rather difficult to read some signals especially the hand signal between \u201ci\u201d and \u201co\u201d. Given how small Flavia\u2019s hands are, it was quite a challenge to differentiate two fingers from three in that distance. I also misread the colour orange and red flags, resulting me in writing down \u201caboid\u201d instead of \u201cavoid\u201d. On the day of the event, I think one thing that really saved us was our feedback system. Without it, there would have been no way for me (as the receiver) to indicate that the message was not clearly received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flavia’s Perspective (Sender):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the competition, I realized that I had to take into account many factors when performing my signaling. I had to make sure I was making a mirrored sign from the cheat sheet so Keith could understand it, grab the correct color, and make the correct sign. With the time constraint, I messed up some of these actions. However, thanks to the feedback flag, I was able to correct my symbols and get the message through to Keith. One thing that I found complicated when correcting my symbols was that at some points I wasn\u2019t able to traceback what word was it that Keith was not understanding. Therefore, in order to make sure, I went back one word and started spelling it out. Given that our feedback flag had a \u201cI guess the word\u201d signal, Keith was able to indicate that that word had already been spelled out correctly, so I jumped to the following word. Thanks to the instant feedback, I was able to correct my symbols right and write out the full message right on the six minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Process: After the tours around the costume shop and the IM Lab, we decided that we wanted to design a creative system that used props and symbols for signaling. However, before jumping to the props we wanted to create a semaphore system that would be easy to decode, adaptable for 38 characters, and intuitive to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":621,"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617\/revisions\/621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commtech.nyuadim.com\/homework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}