Art Science Museum Trip

Finding Inspiration: Our Field Trip to Art Science Museum

On August 31st, 2024, our lecturer organized a field trip to the Art Science Museum at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. This excursion became a vital source of inspiration for my Sign Pals project.

We visited the "Future World: Where Art Meets Science" exhibition, a collection of digital interactive installations that immersed us in a world of art, science, magic, and metaphor. The experience provided new ideas and insights that I'm excited to incorporate into my sign language learning game.

Interactive Installations

What struck me most was how naturally visitors of all ages engaged with the digital installations. There was no awkwardness or learning curve—just intuitive interaction. This is exactly what I've been striving to achieve with Sign Pals: technology that feels natural and engaging rather than technical and intimidating.

Little People Installation

My absolute favorite installation was "Little People," where visitors could interact with tiny digital characters through various hand gestures. We explored fun ways to interact with these characters—drawing shapes, using hand gestures, placing physical objects, and more.

I was particularly impressed by how this installation engaged children, boosting their imagination and encouraging them to think outside the box. The multi-modal approach to interaction gave me fresh ideas about how I might expand the interaction methods in Sign Pals beyond just recognizing specific hand signs.

Learning Through Play

What resonated most with me was how these installations embodied the principle of learning through play. Nobody was explicitly being "taught" anything, yet everyone was learning simply by engaging with these captivating digital experiences.

This reinforced my approach which the goal isn't to create software that feels like studying, but rather an engaging game where learning sign language happens naturally through play and interaction. 


I Love the Aesthetic

Beyond the technical aspects, I was struck by how visually stunning every installation was. The aesthetic quality wasn't just decoration—it was fundamental to the experience, drawing people in and creating emotional connections.

Not only were the installations mind-blowing in their interactivity, but they were also aesthetic enough to make perfect social media posts and stories! This reminded me not to underestimate the importance of visual design in my own project.

For My Software

  1. Playful learning: Designing game elements that feel like play rather than practice
  2. Aesthetic focus: Creating an immersive, visually appealing experience

As I continue developing this sign language software, I'll keep these inspirations in mind. The goal isn't just to create a functional hand-tracking system; it's to create an experience that makes learning sign language joyful, accessible, and meaningful.

I'm grateful to our lecturer for organizing this field trip. Sometimes stepping away from my own development and exploring how others have solved similar challenges can provide insights that hours of programming couldn't yield. It's quite healing LOL.


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