#4 Alright… Now What?

So far, I’ve soldered things together (mentally, not literally), tested sensors, debugged serial communication, and got Arduino and Processing talking to each other. That in itself feels like a win. But now comes the real work: What do I actually do with this setup?

At this stage, I started combining the two main inputs—the proximity sensor and the potentiometer into a single, working system. The potentiometer became a kind of manual timeline scrubber, letting me move through 13 steps that represent a line, which should be a test for a potential timeline? The proximity sensor added a sense of presence, acting like a trigger that wakes the system up when someone approaches. Together, they formed a simple but functional prototype of a prototype, a rough sketch of the interaction I’m aiming for. It helped me think through how the data might be explored, not just visually, but physically, with gestures and motion. This phase was more about testing interaction metaphors than polishing visuals—trying to understand how something as abstract as historical emissions can be felt through everyday components like a knob and a distance sensor. This task pointed out to me, how important testing and the ideation of your ideas can be, to get a better understanding of your own thoughts and to form a more precise imagination of your plan.

Things about to get serious

Building on the knowledge I gained during the ideation phase, I connected my working sensor system, a potentiometer and proximity sensor to the Processing sketch I had developed during design week. That earlier version already included interaction through Makey Makey and homemade aluminum foil buttons, which made for a playful and tactile experience. In my opinion, the transfer to Arduino technology made the whole setup easier to handle and much cleaner—fewer cables, more direct control, and better integration with the Processing environment. The potentiometer now controls the timeline of Austria’s CO2 emissions, while the proximity sensor acts as a simple trigger to activate the visualization. This transition from foil to microcontroller reflects how the project evolved from rough experimentation into a more stable, cohesive prototype.