Brainstorming

Below are some brainstorming pages that I have done. These pages were completed using my own thoughts and assumptions but also from the insights and experiences of other people who have been in house sharing situation. The pages address two very important points to our overarching concept.  
1. What it means to be a good housemate
2. What kind of memories or rituals do house mates have/share that are worth remembering or keeping


The main points that were recognised through doing these mind maps are having rituals related to food, tv and just general routine. 

After this brainstorming i did some very basic initial concept ideas picking out particular rituals that appeared from the mind maps to work with. The drawings below show concepts for the rituals of; routine, scary movie marathons, watching sport and preparing meals together. 











The first concept is similar to the "marauders map" from Harry potter. It would be an electronic device displaying the floor plan of a friends house. The map would indicate the friends location to teach other. This would bring back the feeling of a shared routine and trigger memories of the other person such things like a particular character trait of standing in front of the fridge for a long period of time before deciding what to eat or the memory of the congestion in the bathroom every morning as both people competed to use the shower at a particular time everyday. This concept  is all about triggering particular memories about a person and retaining a kind of routine together but i a more symbolic virtual way. 

The second and fourth concept are very similar. It is applied to the rituals of watching scary movie marathons and the shared experience of watching sport together on tv. The device is a wrist band that both friends wear whilst watching the same programme at the same time  but in different locations. The band are able to recognise heartbeats/pulse and emotion. This information is than transferred to the other person's band where the emotions are indicated.
for example;
The person's band will begin to mimic the pulse of the friend during a tense or suspenseful part of a game or horror movie. Lights will flicker or be steady depending on the other persons movement. There may be lots of movement to celebrate some points in the game or movement simply because the friend is eating chips, no light can also signify suspense or concentration. The steady glow of the band can change colour to represent the friends mood. 


Finally the third concept is based around the ritual of cooking together. It is a specially designed cook ware set including things like wooden spoons, tongs, pots, knives etc. The two sets are connected to enable a shared cooking experience for two friends in different locations. The sets are designed to be used simultaneously to prepare the same meals. The outputs are to signify different stages of the recipe, when a friend has moved on to the next step and is presently doing a particular task.