DIGITAL SURVEILANCE VISUALISER
https://linushthev06.github.io/MA1805-FINAL-PROJECT-SPRING/
Linush Thevananth
Project Description
My interactive p5.js visualisation explores themes around digital surveillance, data tracking and what people do online. My piece reacts to users’ actions like mouse movements, clicks and keyboard inputs to show that people online are always monitored.
As the user engages, it passes through different scenarios:
Shadow Mode - quiet data collection with little visuals
Surveillance Mode - obvious tracking
Glitch Mode - chaos and a lack of control
Profile Mode - concept of making a profile of a user
Through this experience, the goal is to illustrate the fact that any actions made online are always tracked.
Technical Approach
My interactive p5.js visualisation uses interactive systems as well as live data visualisation techniques.
Features:
Particle System – mouse movements to create particles that vanish over time symbolise the digital trail left by a user
Text/Data Visualisation System – keyboard inputs produce random text blocks symbolising the data captured by the system
Message System – random tracking messages like “Tracking Enabled” to highlight the theme of surveillance
Modes – my application changes modes periodically, and each mode has different visuals and functionality
User Tracking Metrics - the application tracks the user’s activity score, key presses and click count
User Interface Buttons – allows to change modes manually
Sources of Inspiration
https://p5js.org/examples/
https://openprocessing.org/
Black Mirror series
The inspiration helped guide the look and feel of the project as well as the concept behind capturing users’ data and actions in real time.
Author and Roles in Project
This project was created by me.
Roles:
Programmer (programming the code and adding the functionality to it)
Visual Designer (designing the overall experience)
Researcher (exploring different concepts and themes)
Tester (testing and troubleshooting the project)
Reflection
The current project has been carried out solo however, multiple roles have been involved, as I’ve mentioned above.
One of the biggest strengths of the project is the combination of the creative aspects within the development process. In particular, an interactive system with a reaction to user input has been developed and represents the concept of digital surveillance well.
One of the weaknesses was the issue related to maintaining organisation while working on the program that had several elements, such as particles, text, and UI. In addition, some problems occurred because of the duplication and inconsistency between the different modes in the project.
The above challenges were successfully overcome by revising the code and dividing it into classes, for instance, Particle and Message, and gradually testing each feature separately.
Another weakness is the combination of creativity and the technical side because some creative aspects had to be modified for the program functionality.
In summary, the project development has enhanced my skills in terms of working solo in different roles and developing an interactive project.