About the Video
I produced two videos of the youth stage, showing two very different youth periods according to my own understanding. However, I think the videos I produced lacked some sense of logic. Although the video makers in our group used mostly abstract elements, perhaps some concrete emotions could have been expressed in an abstract way. While leaving space for visitors to imagine, it can also play a guiding role.

About the Souvenir
The souvenir part was my responsibility with Xiaoyun. We made two separate versions of the stickers and due to the shortage of time, only one version was finally chosen as the final sticker. Perhaps the other version could have been used as a souvenir card or for other purposes rather than sitting around. This is a bit regrettable.

About Odor
Odor is a difficult factor to control. In the early stages, we focused too much on “what the different stages of life should smell like” and spent a lot of time researching scent ratios. But we didn’t consider how achievable it would be in the overall project. During Dave’s first experience, he didn’t think the scent factor was obvious enough, so when the final presentation was made, we were concerned that the scent wasn’t strong enough, so we made it very strong. However, due to a lack of experimentation and the lack of ventilation in the room, the smells were overpowering and the five scents blended together. They could not be distinguished by visitors and even detracted from the overall experience of the project due to the overpowering scents.
Odor is not like images or music, which the creator can produce and output according to his or her own ideas. The emanation of scent can be affected by the venue, temperature, and equipment and is more difficult to control than images and music. We did not think this through at the beginning of the project and did not experiment with it many times, which led to serious problems with the output of the scent.

About the Whole Project
Although the students in the group put in a lot of effort, the results were not equal to what we put in. In my opinion, the reason for this result was that we did not grasp the project focus accurately enough. Firstly, our group put a lot of effort into researching the sensor light and arranging the wires, but the light had a low presence and visitors could easily forget to press the button. It did not serve as a guide. Secondly, the focus of the project should not be on scent. It can be used as an entry point for the project to unfold and as one of the elements that add to the project, but not as the main body of the project. Perhaps we should spend more time looking at the visual aspects of the project. The visual presentation could also be made more interesting.

In this DMSP project, the whole group of us put in a lot of hard work. I think what’s great about us is that we combine scents with life stages and give different life stages different colors and flavors. But the disadvantage is that the smell is not used as a carrier of memory, and it more clearly reflects the living conditions of a certain period of time. In the project, the smell is more as an embellishment, and the visual is more as the main body.
In the early brainstorming, we wanted to try to make people perceive the brevity of life through smell. I think in this project, we should have thought more about how to display and collect smells. We did not solve the original question: how to minimize the impact of odor mixing on visitors in a small space.
Due to site and technical constraints, we did not implement the draw mode using the M5 sensor in the last part. In the original vision, the interaction of the fifth scene is very interesting, because visitors can interact with the screen pattern by shaking the lottery box in their hands. When you shake the lottery ticket hard, the image will be clearer. When an extreme value is reached (the bamboo stick shakes out), the final state of the visitor’s life will be fixed. Although the above code has been verified to be feasible, unfortunately, due to the failure of the software and hardware docking, we did not realize this step in the final demonstration.
However, we finally tried to do it, and tried to make up for the shortcomings in more places, and I learned a lot of new knowledge. This is a success for me. In the process of group cooperation, I learned to solve problems and improved my ability to deal with conflicts. In the future, I will learn more about MAX related skills, and may use it in the final graduation project.

Ardruino:

In order to control the lights in the scene through buttons, I learned how to use C++to program the Ardurino board, connect the light strip and hardware (through welding), optimize and adjust the circuit. Responsible for the implementation process of light strips throughout the entire project

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=358&action=edit

Game :

I designed the entire Unity game scene switching and voiceover sound effects. The Unity section uses 32 buttons and scene switching scripts to read video playback time and control audio playback. All copywriting and art are completed by members of the same group, while I am responsible for the technical implementation and debugging of the Unity section .

In addition, I am responsible for building all the monitors and sound systems in the entire scene, and controlling the game in the background.

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=356&action=edit

Management:

We have weekly communication with Dave and our own group meetings (usually in the library). I lead the progress of each meeting and record everyone’s inspiration and important words. Mobilize all members and urge them to complete the task before DDL.

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=235&action=edit

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=232&action=edit

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=215&action=edit

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=211&action=edit

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=207&action=edit

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=201&action=edit

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=198&action=edit

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=196&action=edit

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dmsp-perception23/wp-admin/post.php?post=187&action=edit

Following is the role I m in the project (In the last page of the  report):

Group Manager

Sound Part

Arduino Part

Equipment

Exhibition Work

Dismantling Work

After completing the exhibition that used scent as a clue to depict the stages of life, I was left feeling both amazed and inspired, as it was the first time I had ever participated in such a project. I was excited to see how the team had successfully divided their labour, with each member contributing their unique skills to create a cohesive and impactful exhibition that used scent to represent the stages of life.

The exhibition was truly innovative and immersive, triggering a synesthesia experience where our senses of sight, hearing, and smell worked together to create a truly unforgettable experience. However, there were also some details that the team needed to reflect on during the process of the project.

One of the issues the team faced was the improper choice of direction in the early stage of the project. While smell can be an ancillary part of a project, it should not be the main factor. The team realized this mistake and adjusted their direction accordingly.

Another issue the team faced was confusion regarding the development of the project in the mid-term. The direction was adjusted three times within two weeks, and some materials could not be used. This created a sense of disorganization and caused delays in the project timeline.

The team also struggled with judgment regarding their own abilities. When the life selection system was designed, they wanted it to be completely private, with each person producing different results after choosing, which could be realized by using MAX. However, after learning this, they found that it was difficult to master this software in a short period of time, leading to a stalemate in their work for a period.

Finally, many of the forms of interaction envisioned in previous plans never materialized. This is because there is not enough time for exhibition arrangement and rehearsal, resulting in some deficiencies in the final presentation.

Despite these challenges, the exhibition is still going well. The team was able to overcome these issues by working together, making necessary adjustments, and being flexible.

On the other hand, for the failure-themed video, I utilized the following design elements:

• Sombre tones: To evoke a mood of melancholy and introspection, I utilized soft, pastel colours like greys, blues, and browns. These colours helped the audience understand the gravity of the situation and empathize with the character’s struggles.
• Dim lighting: I used dim or low lighting to further emphasize the character’s loneliness and sadness.
• Abstract and surreal design elements: I also included abstract and surreal design elements to represent the character’s inner thoughts and emotions. These elements helped viewers understand the character’s state of mind and empathize with their struggles.