CS247 Spring 2014 - Team DNA

InterArt

interart.heroku.com

 

Description:

InterArt is a website that enables artists to upload their unfinished artwork or design in order to collaborate with their peers and get inspired from the feedback they receive. InterArt has a newsfeed that lets users filter through a variety of artwork based on associated tags. Users can choose to give written feedback by commenting on the artwork and/or sketch on it using a simple drawing tool. Each user has a profile page that lets him track the feedback of his uploaded artwork as well as comments that he has recently made. InterArt also has a feature that allows users to view a timeline of how their work has progressed from the original upload (version control). This means that he can choose to update the artwork and upload it after receiving comments, which effectively starts a new thread of discussion on the newest version.

 

Progress:

Currently, we have built a functional prototype of InterArt that performs the core features of the website and is ready for gathering feedback from the users. The current prototype has all the main pages: filtering the artwork based on associated tags, giving feedback via comment/editing with the drawing tool, viewing different versions of the drawing, etc. Features such as sketching on the uploaded artwork are built as simple as possible so that we can easily change or modify them based on user testing feedback.

 

Future Implementation & Design Issues:

Here is the list of design and implementation issues that we wish to solve by running user testings and doing research in the area of artistic and design collaboration:

 

1. Artists and designers have different needs and collaboration methods. Our main question is whether the platform is better suited for artists or designers. We are planning to have artists and designers test the prototype separately and figure out which group are more likely to benefit from the platform. Depending on the feedback we receive, we will be directing the website towards one of these two groups.

2. How do artists/designers prefer to collaborate? Are they comfortable with others sketching on their artwork? Does the platform satisfy their need of getting feedback and inspiration?

3. Are they motivated to give comment on others’ artwork in the current prototype? If not, what could motivate them?

4. Is a simple sketching tool to draw on the painting enough or should we let them download the drawing, edit it with their own tools, and upload again?

5. Should we have a newsfeed with every uploaded artwork or should we let the users have a friend list and show their art/design only to their friends?

6. Is the current method controlling the version of art appropriate or do the users prefer to do it in a tree format (where the trunk represents the original artwork and branches represent suggested directions from commenters)? I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.