About
interaction design @ ciid, italy. previously, independent web designer & automotive journalist
Projects
Giving Plants a Voice: An Exploration in Interspecies Communication
bloomie emerged from a simple observation: most people struggle to understand their plants' needs. After witnessing countless plant deaths and frustrated urban gardeners, the team recognized a critical gap in plant care technology. bloomie is a smart plant pot that translates plants' environmental conditions into human-readable communication, bridging the understanding between plant owners and their green companions.
How Does It Work?
Using embedded sensors, bloomie continuously monitors critical environmental data including soil moisture, light levels, and ambient temperature. The device connects to a cloud network, sending real-time smartphone notifications that explain the plant's current state. An adaptive lighting system visually represents the plant's condition, transforming silent botanical signals into clear, actionable insights. Primarily designed for urban plant enthusiasts, tech-savvy millennials, and individuals who want a more intuitive approach to plant care. bloomie targets those who love the idea of having indoor plants but struggle with maintaining them.
Key Learnings
Through developing bloomie, the team discovered technology's potential to create more empathetic, responsive relationships with the natural world. They learned that effective communication transcends traditional human-plant interactions, offering a new paradigm of care and understanding. The team also learnt about rapid prototyping, effectively incorporating Arduino with networking and communication APIs, soldering and programming stepper motors and fabricating a prototype in a span of a week.
Rocks, Camera, Action!
RockMusic is an ‘instrument’ to make music through rocks. Placing rocks on the device generates beats, based on where the rock is placed and how many rocks are present in its proximity. Students developed a system where a phone camera tracks rocks positioned on a surface, using OpenCV to process their location and proximity. Each rock's position generates specific beats, with the number and arrangement of rocks directly influencing the musical output. The processed information is then routed through VCV Rack, a virtual music platform, which translates rock placements into real-time musical beats across multiple virtual instruments. This approach breaks down traditional barriers to music production, making sound creation accessible and intuitive. By exploring object-recognition algorithms, image processing, and music theory, the project demonstrates how everyday objects can become instruments and how technology can reimagine creative expression. RockMusic is an attempt to make music production easily accessible and independent of the tools you have.
Fastest fingers first. Fill your half of the screen with pixels to win!
Lumen Duel is a fast-paced, two-player game built using an Arduino Uno micro controller. Designed and developed in under 24 hours, the project pits players against each other in a contest of speed and reaction time. Each player is assigned a controller with a single button. The objective is to press the button as quickly as possible, causing the LED pixels on their side of the screen to move towards the center. The first player to reach the middle wins the round.
Lumen Duel is a simple yet engaging game that challenges players to test their reflexes. The competitive nature of the experience encourages players to continually improve their timing and reaction speed, making for an entertaining back-and-forth between opponents.
At the core of Lumen Duel is an Arduino Uno board, which manages the game logic and controls the LED display. The two player controllers, each with a single button, communicate with the Arduino to register button presses and update the on-screen pixels accordingly. The project was built within a 24-hour timeframe, demonstrating the team's ability to rapidly prototype a functional, engaging game using accessible hardware and programming skills. Through the development of Lumen Duel, the team gained valuable experience in Arduino programming, hardware integration, and rapid product design. Moving forward, the project could be expanded upon with additional features, such as scoring systems, difficulty settings, or even wireless multiplayer capabilities.
Work Experience
Successfully delivered front-end projects from conception to deployment. Collaborated with a broad range of clients to transform their vision into effective, high-performance websites.
Led the road-testing of numerous bikes, with a strong emphasis on addressing consumer concerns and providing solutions with creative storytelling.
Education
Taught by experts in design, technology and innovation, the Interaction Design Programme is a one-year, immersive experience that imparts the skills, mindset, and knowledge to become a proficient interaction designer.