So I don’t actually have a sketch because I had this idea half an hour before class. I was planning on submitting my first idea late since I wanted to discuss the project more to get idea, but inspiration came to me out of nowhere. I’m not able to draw up a compelling sketch as I sit in the lab room waiting for class to start, but hopefully I can explain with words.
The truth I would like to explore is the way in which time seems to scale based on engagement. Time passes quickly when you focus on something you’re invested in, but when you’re bored time seems to stretch.
I intend to prove this by having the user experience both extremes consecutively. My physical interface would be some sort of puzzle or task which is only solvable using information displayed on screen. However, the information is only shown for a limited amount of time (say 30-seconds, for example) When the time is up, the information becomes hidden and they have to wait that much time before they can continue. Assuming I can come up with an engaging task for the user, they should feel the time pass very quickly while they work, while the wait to start again should seem to last forever.
Artists Question: Obviously I haven’t elaborated on what exactly the task is, for what critical information would be displayed on the screen. Do you have any ideas as to what might make for a simple, frantic, fun challenge?
An engaging challenge could be a matching game with fun cards.
Maybe one way to interact with it is to have the classic memory-type game where the user has to match a given pattern. The pattern could be quick but if the user misses it they have to wait a very long time for it to replay. I’m not sure how this would pan out, but it is a thought.
An engaging challenge could be a crossword or sudoku puzzle- something that can get someone into a state of flow and time-altering/engaging thinking.
If you want it to seem like time is passing by quickly while the user is engaged, I think the game/puzzle should be something that’s fast paced and requires the user to have their eyes glued to the screen the entire time. The best example I can come up with is some type of memory game that’s designed so it’s very challenging for the user to remember everything, since they might feel like the set amount of time you’ve given them isn’t enough and it’ll seem quicker.
I agree on the idea of memory-type games with cards. Another idea could be a somehow complicated maze and you can show them the correct way out for a few seconds and see how in detail they could memorize that.