Interactions

The interactions you have with the table is one of the most important aspects of this project. Since those interactions is what is helping you making connections with others at the table, we had to decide the most effective way to achieve this. Although we had lots of different options due to the technology at our disposal, we decided which ones were most essential to be able to accomplish the goal we had in mind for the table.
To start interacting, you simply place your cup down on the surface. Once you do that a menu system pops up around your cup, that allows you to receive alerts about current games going on, and send messages to other people on the table. Also an ambience animates around your cup once it is placed down. If you want to initiate a game, their is a game roulette in the center of the table, to choose a specific one, or select one at random. Here is a breakdown of how each specific interaction works in more detail.

1. Sending A Message

By choosing the send a message option on the cup interface, a box will pop up to write in. When you finish writing your message in that space, you press the done button underneath it. Once the message is done, you are able to send the message by flicking it across the table to the patron you wish to receive it. The message will glide across the table, and come to a stop at the person you wish to receive it.

2. Doodling

Doodling on the table is the simplest interaction of them all. You can literally use your finger as a pen, to write on the table. Fun, simple, and in a short amount of time the writings fade, allowing you a clean surface to start doodling again!

3. Initiate A Game

When you want to initiate a game you can use the game roulette. By placing your cup in the middle of the table and than removing it, the roulette will randomly select a game. If you want to choose a specific game, you can place your cup in the center of the roulette, and then rotate it to select a specific game. Once a game is chosen, everyone on the table will get an alert at their cup to join in the game if they choose so.

4. Games

There are four games you can play. The game choices are:
  1. Air Hockey: This is a simple, yet intuitive Air Hockey that tracks user’s fingers as the hockey pucks. It can be played by 2-4 players.
  2. Doodle Wars: For this game, the computer will randomly generate a category for people to doodle. The category will be something like “best birthday present“ and everyone has to draw what their best birthday present was within a certain amount of time. After the time, all doodles will go to the middle of the table for everyone to view.
  3. Never Have I Ever: The computer will randomly generate a question saying “Never have I ever...“ and then what the “never“ is. People will choose having done that or not, and the cups will alert the table what you chose, so you can see what other players have in common with you.
  4. Categories: The computer will randomly generate a category. The person going first will have to come up with something that falls under that category with in a certain period of time. The table will give you a countdown and after you give your answer, you will hit the ‘next’ button which will move on to the next person turn. The game continues until a person does not have an answer within the specified amount of time.