Precedent Study 3

Precedent Study 2

In-depth Analysis & Critique of Interactive Floor plans Part 2

Precedent Property Pix Interactive Floor Plans

http://www.propertypixtas.com.au/interactive-floor-plans.htm

Overall in comparison to the layout and format of the previous precedent study I completed on the company "Total View", PropertyPIX, is more similar to what I would like to accomplish for my Graduation Project in comparison to Totalview.

Introduction

Similar to Totalview, PropertyPIX is a real estate and photography company. That specialises in the presentation and marketing strategies for already built houses. One of their functions is guiding potential buyers through a virtual tour around their property of interest.

Floor Plan Presentation

Similar to the previous precedent study, PropertyPIX, uses the typical style of, black and white presentation drawings. The floor plan and hotspot outputs are presented side by side. By leaving the floor plan and image side by side makes, it easier for the client to guide their way through and gives them the easier option of going back and fourth to different sections of the house, also creating a sense of space and an awareness of what view and position the client is viewing the image from. Unlike Totalview, where once you click on a hotspot on the floor plan the, the image will appear and the floor plan would be hidden, loosing the user’s sense of space and where they are located in, on the floor plan.

By adapting this idea of leaving the floor plan beside the hotspot output, it will create a clearer understanding for the user, and further develops a relationship between the image and the floor plan.

Hotspots and User Interface

In PropertyPIX the hotspots are also presented as turquoise arrows. Each arrow points in a direction that corresponds to the same view that links to the presented to the image. This is a similar, if anything exact type of presentation style I would like to go forward with. 

There is more interaction when it comes to the process of viewing an image on PropertyPIX. There are colour changes in the mouse over settings and also another slight effect, where once you hover your mouse of the hotspot, no only does the arrow changes colour, but also circular radar styled animations extend from the arrow outwards. This simple effect is very eye-catching and effective as it gives the client a sense of where and what they about to click onto.

The Interface design used on PropertyPIX is much more user friendly and at the same time slightly intricate, as its images correspond with the floor plan much easily than Totalview.

There are more buttons, tabs and options to move onto, in comparison to Totalview. There is a sidebar to the right hand side of the interface, which guides the user to the different levels of the building. Making this easier for the user to guide their own way through the house without having to exit and continually going back to the homepage in order to get to other levels of the building.

Also on the right side bar is an option for ‘Fullscreen’ a ‘Show help/advice button’ to once triggered a list of steps on how to use their project. Also on the side bar is a button that gives the user to hide or show the hotspot arrows. Although this system is very efficient, I would rather place the bar on the left hand side, as per usual when reading, you start from the left to right.

On the bottom of the interface is another set of tabs, which play as an automatic slideshow, if the user decides to play the slideshow the hotspots will automatically light up each playing one image for at least 5 seconds then moving on to the next one. The order of which they play in is in correspondence to the floor plan, although this function is suitable for this project, the arrows play and light up in a random order, which I found confusing.

Both of the elements of interface design from PropertyPIX are well designed and easy for the user to work their way through the plans. I plan on sourcing inspiration from this process and plan to adapt these processes to my own project. Especially the use of side tabs and bars to assist in way finding through the project.

Overall, the projects by PropertyPIX are much more feasible than Totalview, as it has more features and has developed easier ways to guide the user through the plans of the building. I would adapt the uses of the mouse overs and sidebars, which include fast access to the other floors of the building. As for the floor plans, which were the presentation styled floor plans, I will not be adapting that style into my own project, as stated before it is simple and restricts me to the amount information I can place on them, mainly visually, as black and white floor plans only has the ability to present information such as tiled and timber flooring.

Precedent Study 1

Project: Interactive Experience future developments. Used as a marketing tool, this project would assist in developers in enticing their future and

In-depth Analysis & Critique of Interactive Floor plans Part 1

Precedent Total View Precedent Study: Interactive Floor Plans

http://www.totalview.co.nz/iafp.html

After submitting my proposals, getting them reviewed, then finally selecting the project I would accomplish. I chose “Interactive Visualisations” which involves the intertwining mixture of interactivity, high quality renders and a small amount of (BIM) Information.

Introduction

After selecting my project of choice, I commenced research on interactive floor plans as a large component of my precedent studies. I have sourced a company that have produced similar projects to what I would like to accomplish in my graduation project.

Totalview is marketing company that uses the combination floor plans and interior images to create a marketing tool solely for the use of real estate companies. For any clients who are looking to purchase house, and want to lightly skim around the place instead of actually visiting.

Their motive is strongly and if anything very similar to what I aspire to create. Although the main difference between my project and Totalview is that they are marketing for houses that are already built, therefore they rely on images of the interior of the house.

Instead I will be marketing for apartments that have not been built yet; therefore I will be relying on 3D renders and visualisations to create these images that will be intertwined with the floor plans of the apartments.

Critique

Floor Plan Presentation

Although these black and white presentation floor plans are easy and simple to read, from my perspective they feel very bold and flat. Not as eye-catching or interesting to capture my own attention. It doesn’t have enough potential to draw in the specified target market. I would instead, create these plans to make them more pleasing and enticing to the eye.

Instead of Totalview’s presentation plan form of delivery; I aim to create a floor plan including colours and textures, to give the client/user a better idea, visually, of the apartment they are about to purchase. By adding colour and texture to these floor plans it will give the client a better and clearer understanding of the design style and space of the apartments.

These floorplans are the key and central hub for the Totalview Projects. They act as a menu for the interface that channel through information that guides the user around the projects.

Totalview’s projects include black and white presentation floor plans, which come highlighter green arrows hotspots, when these are clicked, it will take you to a colour photograph of the section the green hot spot arrow is pointing towards.

They include hotspots, which guide the user to images of the apartments and very brief dimensions, also room tags that have the room descriptions. To my own project as well as adding simple dimensions and room names I would like to create brief summaries of room space and type of floor to these plans, to make it more thorough and informational for clients to overview.

I would like to adapt this style of the relationship between floor plans and views of room from Totalview into my own project. Although instead I would rather have texturized floor plans rather than simple presentation plans. Also I would like to adopt the additional summarised informational tabs from Totalview, of room naming and also dimensions.

Use of Flash

As you can see the web address bar, the company has used flash to create this. The use of flash in the project is also something I would like to re-create in my Graduation project, although, when clicking through these tabs and hotspots there is very little animation of any form of “interesting” movement, making it very dry form a design perspective. Basically once a hotspot is clicked, a small blurry image expands from the spot and enlargens to the screen, presenting the part of the house the “hotspot arrow” is pointing towards.

This simple means of delivery is decent as meets the basic requirements of presentation through interactive floor plans. I would like to inherit the use this idea in my own project, but instead of creating an image increasing from small to large from the hotspot, I would have it appear softly, as I plan to present 360-degree visualisations, and having “movement” when the image appears and disappears would cause too much movement, from my perspective.

Hot Spots/ User Interface

The interface design for Totalview, is very easy and simple to use. It was a breeze to guide myself through the project without halting to any difficulties. I would like to adapt the simple interface design presented by Totalview.

Instead of having the first image of my project to be a floor plan, instead it could either be 3D model or a menu interface, where the user will be able to skim through the options and select the one they are after. I wanted the first page presented to be a 3D external image of the whole apartment building. From there, it will present options of the different levels of the apartments. Then it will take them to the selected floor plan. From which there they can translate what they apartment space as well as colour schemes and design.

On each of the floor plans are organised scatters of “fluoro green” hotspots circles with a small black arrow in the centre of each one. From there, once you select one of the green hot spots it will take you to a photograph of the exact position the arrow was pointing towards on the floor plan.

As critical as I can be, I extremely dislike the choice of green and the shape of the hotspots. They indeed very eye-catching, which help the client, guide their way through the project, but it is very un-enticing. I would like to stray away from the use of fluoro

The process of way finding through my project is similar to Google Maps and Street View. As you have the floor plan, which is “Google Maps”, then you have the option of clicking the hotspot, which like “street view” the client will have the ability to glide their way through the 360-degree panoramic images.

Hotspot Outputs: Images

Obviously as stated before, I don’t plan on attaching images to my hotspots, like Totalview have done, as my sole goal is to create an interactive project that assists clients in viewing apartments, enhancing the sense of space and also the style of each apartment, before they are built. One thing I did not like about this was that it was just a simple still image rather than a panoramic image which the user could have the ability to pan through, which I am hoping to accomplish with my own project.

Conclusion

Overall what I liked from this project was: The use of flash, Floor plan corresponding with the images and the simple means of way finding your way through this interactive display.

week two

After discussing with Wesley on potential clients for my project, we are still awaiting on responses from them.

I have already decided to narrow most of my 3D modelling and visualisation on programs to

• Autodesk 3D Studio Max
• VRAY

While we wait I have decided to dedicate further study into the different types of methodologies I well test and trial to produce my interactive presentation.

O P T I O N #1 Adobe Flash & Dreamweaver

• Adobe Flash
• Adobe Dreamweaver

Placing flash videos that will be interactive in a dreamweaver/html5 setting. This is what I am leaning towards to this method as I am very familiar with dreamweaver and briefly know how to use Flash. There will be hotspots set on dreamweaver that will take the user to flash videos or images.

O P T I O N #2

•  Using Indigo Studios

A prototyping and interaction design tool which helps creators quickly and simply explore and create functional, animated UI prototypes while maintaining the focus on user experience. It can create interactive controls, prototypes for your desktop, web and mobile.

I could adapt this process into my graduation project. Via presenting an interactive floor plan of a development with interactive hotspots that will take you to renders as well as brief information.

http://www.infragistics.com/products/indigo-studio

O P T I O N #3

• Fuzor

After discussion with Wesley, he introduced me to a new software that produced live real-time information. Though this software is still very new and just came off the market, it may play as a disadvantage as it may have a few gliches and not many people are familiar with this product.

http://kalloctech.com/

I am still open and reasearching more options for the interactive component of my project


Cilent/Project
We are still awaiting from contact with the cilent.

week one

This week I have decided to narrow my choice to proposal 1.

Which involved an interactive floor plan/map of a building or development. This map will enable the user to select parts of the floor plan and view them in depth.