FAQ: Rapid Prototyping in AR for Enterprise with Bloomberg

Details & Application FAQ’s

In partnership with Bloomberg and augmented reality startup Lampix, NYC Media Lab is presenting a fellowship opportunity for current NYC graduate students working in design and engineering. This is a call for creative technologists and interaction designers and UX prototypers to demonstrate use cases of augmented reality technology with a data-driven user in mind.

The fellowship will support a rapid prototyping process, in which fellows will create live demonstrations of collaboration and workflows across physical and digital interfaces. The goal is to show how augmented reality (ex: overlays of data or overlays of touch interaction points) can allow people to work with data on non-screen digital interfaces such as a table or a desk. With machine-readable digital documents and sophisticated algorithms automatically detecting, recognizing and extracting data from these documents, we are now seeing the possibilities for people to work with and manipulate data and digital documents outside of screen-based interfaces.

Read on for more details regarding the program and application process.

Applications are due on Monday, March 6th. Find the application here.

What are the primary themes I should consider when preparing my application?

Data analysis: on an augmented surface such as a table or a desk, how can one person do simple number crunching (ex: finding an average of a set of numbers) from a table or chart of numbers that has been extracted from a PDF? What are the different interaction design elements for someone to perform simple number crunching functions on an augmented surface?

Display/markup of digital documents: How can we use simple gestures with our fingers, like tapping or sliding, to activate a display of data or a markup of a digital document on an augmented surface?

What are secondary themes for prototyping?

Team collaboration: how can two people work on the same digital document on an augmented surface? What’s the user experience and interaction design flow for two people around one area of augmented display of information?

Reduction of workflow friction: how can two people use an augmented surface to pass on, or pass back and forth, different versions of digital documents?

Document processing: how can two people use an augmented surface to process a digital document for approval?

A couple additional prompts to consider when preparing your prototyping idea:

As we move towards digitizing all paper documents, how can we make these documents “come to life” and be interactive?

Consider how you can plot numbers and visualize data, and interact with it on an augmented surface.

What AR platform will I use to develop my prototype?

All prototypes will be developed with Lampix, a device that transforms any surface into a smart surface. Developing with the Lampix platform is required for this fellowship.

Is there a demo video of Lampix technology that I can watch?

Yes. You can find information on Lampix at their website here. There are several videos describing the Lampix: How it works, and examples of the platform in action here and here. Technical API documentation is available here.

Will representatives from Lampix provide technical support?

Yes. Lampix will be available for technical “office hours” by appointment throughout the fellowship program. The program will kick off with a “technical orientation” on how to use Lampix’s API’s, and the orientation will also include an overview of open-source data science libraries that may be useful for developing your prototype.

Who is the target audience for the prototype I develop?

The ideal users you should have in mind are Bloomberg clients or Bloomberg employees. You should indicate a target audience in the business office setting that you will develop for.

Can my prototyping idea change over the course of the fellowship?

NYC Media Lab expects that your project will change over the course of the fellowship. We encourage experimentation and iteration. However, your application will be judged based on the strength of your proposed prototyping project. You are welcome to submit more than one idea or concept in the same application.

Can I apply in as a team?

This fellowship is geared towards individual contributors. If you are working with another person, you will need to apply separately, and indicate that you would like to work on the same idea(s). If you are both selected, you are allowed to work together in the fellowship.

How many fellows do you expect will be part of the fellowship?

We expect to fund 5 fellows. Individual contributors will be awarded $5,000 from NYC Media Lab.

Do I have to submit my application form via the website? Can I send you a PDF of my answers instead of using the application form?

All applications must be submitted through the application form via the website. We will not accept a PDF of answers in lieu of an application form submission. Please note that the application form will time out after an extended amount of time. Please compose your responses in advance and complete the entire application in one visit. All successful submissions will generate an automatic thank you & confirmation email to the applicant. Email Amy Chen (amy.chen@nycmedialab.org) with any questions on your submission confirmation.

What is the time commitment of the ellowship?

The fellowship will run for 6 weeks. Each Fellow should be prepared to attend weekly check-in meetings at Bloomberg in midtown Manhattan to present their progress. The fellowship will kickoff the week of March 27th, 2017, the midpoint meeting will be the week of April 17th, and the final presentation and demo day will be the week of May 8th.

Apply online here.

Contact Amy Chen, NYC Media Lab Manager of Partnerships, at (amy.chen@nycmedialab.org)