Human Computer Interaction course certificate

a few weeks ago I "graduated" an online course under the topic Human Computer Interactions by the great Scott Klemmer. i truly recommend this course to anyone developing applications in the modern age.

Bare Knuckles: boxing motion capture game

Bare Knuckles is one of the first game titles of Omek Interactive. It is a classic ring boxing game, only each character has a special twitch. 

Choose your avatar: "D for Dragon" who can blow fire, "the Blob" could swallow his opponent and "Bruce le Sharque" who uses his dead alligator for powerful smacks.

I was one of the two game designers of this title.

created at: 2010


team:
+Eli Elhadad
+Yaron Yanai
+Yinon Oshrat
+Barak Segal
+Bar S
+Amir Rosenberger
+Noam Gat
Edna Nuama

Adventure Park: motion capture video game

Evil Master has taken over the famous adventure park and the Dragon family come to the rescue. Evil Master has a plan to capture the family of heroes in order to be able to take over the world!

Play the family heroes in six different levels, from entering the park, capturing the huge evil Mage and fighting Evil Master. six different gameplays, combining: boxing, magics (fireball, shield, etc), sliding on rails and more.

The game is now available as a part of a new Chinese TV and game console, called CT510, from Eedoo, a publisher from Lenovo.

created at: 2009-2011


team:
+Eli Elhadad
+Yaron Yanai
+Yinon Oshrat
+Barak Segal
+Bar S
+Amir Rosenberger
+Noam Gat
Edna Nuama
and the rest of Omek Interactive

Lecture: Challenges in Designing a Menu System with Depth Sensor Technology

on February 22nd, in a conference meetup of the Israeli User Experience group, I gave a talk about designing a menu with the depth sensor techonology.

here's the abstract:

Touch-less technologies, such as augmented reality, depth camera sensor and voice recognition, are entering our lives. They confront user experience designers with the challenge to invent new interface and control scheme to allow users to interact with a simple menu system and select items.

This lecture would analyze the menu system and its UX guidelines; then we would describe the properties of the depth sensor and emphasis the challenges around it. Possible solutions would be offered and demonstrated.

Omek Interactive Studios create games and applications with the power of depth motion sensors. It has  deals with Intel, Lenovo, Panasonic and more market leaders.

here is the presentation of the lecture

Lecture: The Future Of Augmented Reality Gaming & Hands-on AR In Flash

on 23 of December, 2010 I have talked at the Israeli Flash&Flex group conference about the current vibes and future directions of Augmented Reality gaming. Moreover, I have released an open source code of functional AR flash application and thoroughly explained its code. The action-script developers have learned about the technology, how it influences UI and game design and also how to create one of their own.

Covered subjects:

1. what is augmented reality? what types of AR are there from the technical point of view? what do one need in order to see an augmented reality and to develop one?

2. Limitations and advantages of augmented reality is flash.

3. The augmented reality user interface. how AR influences the creation of UI? what types of UI have already been tried before?

4. AR gaming and influences of game design. how can we design our game to make it most suitable to the advantages and limitation of the technology? Example games and game designs.

5. Creating your first AR in Flash. how does the 3D world works in Flash? what are the basic elements in creating and programming a 3D world? I have released a fully-functional AR application and explained how to continue from there: how to add more objects, interaction and GUI elements. 

ROSETA flowers - Interactive Design Project

concept:

Roseta's flowers deals with the interpersonal relationships inside a group of distant friends. Every given moment the flower pots visualize the strength of the relationship. Roseta's flowers encourage the group members to take an action in favor of the group. That very action together with its consequence provides the members with a feeling of bondage, the presence of the group, even if it is scattered physically.

created at: february-april 2008

with: Eyal David & Ariela Alt

ARIE - Augmented Reality Instructions Editor

concept:

ARIE changes the way we work with tools in the home and office environments. it solves us the dependency from opening the instructions manual or call a technician when wishing to operate a machine.

ARIE is a real-time instructions manual, activated while working on a specific instrument or tool, and more important- the information is presented exactly when and where we need it.

ARIE was presented at several conferences by now:

Synthetic Reality 2010, Israel

Augmented Reality Business Card - your portfolio inside your card!

Concept:

Have your business card present extra information about yourself to complete the picture about who you are and what can you do.

Use-cases:

- Real-time portfolio: show-off with your previous work.

- Show yourself and your agenda: record yourself on video or sound.

- Stay connected: link to your websites and social networks.

What can you do with your card:

- Add many types of media: video, photo, sound, Swf animation. In the future you could add 3D objects.

- Define the way your users will interact with the card. See all available options below.

- Each media can have one web link.

- Spread and embed the application wherever you want.

See it in action:

1. Print one or more of my business cards. each presents different example of design and interaction.

2. Scroll down to the application, and allow it to access your camera. Connect a webcam if you don't have any.

4. Hold one card in front of the camera.
5. Watch and interact with the content: videos, images, SWFs and sounds.

if you wish to have a card of your own- please contact me on:
shachar . oz @ gmail . com

created at: 2009

interaction design hands on! - exhibition movie

concept: interaction design is one of the hottest fields of interest nowadays. at HIT institute, an academic course called interaction design hands on!, and in short IDHO, was opened two years ago, setting the goal to confront the students with this important field. the students were taken from different backgrounds: industrial and product designers, electricity engineers and learning technology men.

this short film introduces the final exhibition of the march-August 2008 course, when i took part in. here a link to our final website, presenting all projects.

created at: August 2008

MusiKritical: combine music and food

Concept:

an interaction design project that deals with the connection of food and music and tries to combine the two. the music changes itself automatically in direct connection with the food served. moving the salt and pepper changes the volume. 

How this works:

this works with the RFID technology using a Flash platform and Phidgets chips. the project was created during the course IDHO 2008 (interaction design hands on!) at Holon Institute of Technology, Israel. 

here's a link to the IDHO 2008 course website for more similar projects. 

date: March, 2008

in cooperation with Alex Lupayev

Skype Chair

the skype chair sets a more intuitive interface with the program. just lean backwards to answer incoming calls, lift your legs to make a call and more. it is all working...

in cooperation with Eyal David

February 2008