Category: 05-SoliCheckin

Screen Recording

(using left/right arrow keys for swipes, enter key for tap)

Google Pixel 4 w. Soli sensor

Concept Decision:

I decided to create an app that helps me “work out” since I haven’t done any exercise for a while due to Covid 🙁

I’ve been playing squash for years and I really love squash, but I couldn’t play since March and I really miss being on court ( big sad 🙁 ). So for this project, I recreated squash practicing experience!

Current Problem:

One thing I didn’t anticipate for some unknown reason is that the phone is vertical, hence cuts off the sides of the court. Considering that rail shots (hitting straight deep to make the ball bounce parallel to the side wall) are most commonly practiced in squash, not being able to see the sides makes the experience not quite complete.

Potential Changes to Make:

My goal for next deliverable is to make it playable horizontally as well. I could also add the sound effect every time it bounces off the wall, if I could find a nice clean sound file of a squash ball hitting against the front wall. (Often times the court echos a lot, so it’s hard to get a sound of it without having other noises.)

 

 

The app has storm, summer night, ocean, forest, library, party, driving ambiances that are somewhat interactive with reach and swipe (up, down, right, left) interactions. Sound begins when soli senses your presence. Sounds are associated with certain colors so phone can serve as a colorful lamp as well.

Desktop version because phone app is super buggy

Videos show that up+down swipes adjust volume and that swiping left changes the ambiance and color

Updates to come: fade between colors does not work – need to fix (done), adjust volume of sounds in music editing software for appropriate relative balance (done), use a different function than preload (done), auto change color instead of swipe? (based on feedback, will not implement), make rain and ocean sound more distinctive (done)

Additional ideas from feedback: simulate glowing light (will not implement), unique color and sound combos

This is aimed to simulate the illusion of driving and having random stuff that comes in the way, and users can activate the windshield wiper by the hand swiping gesture.

Currently I'm battling with the swiping effect. Also, this whole thing is just super ugly. I'm planning to add a lot more looping details to the background.

This is what I'm going for, aesthetically speaking.