Author: minjiki2

Part A: … with consideration of global factors(written by Vicky).

As an entertainment physical portable game, our product provides accessibility for individuals with disabilities, offers text-to-speech for visually impaired users and alternative input methods for those with limited mobility, further ensures a globally conscious design. Moreover, since internet access and digital infrastructure vary widely across regions, our system is designed to function offline or with minimal connectivity, making it viable in areas with limited technological resources.

Part B: … with consideration of cultural factors(written by Min Ji).

To make sure that our trivia vending machine is sensitive to culture and engages a diverse audience, we need to carefully consider the content of trivia as well as the experience of the users. One useful way to prevent inadvertent bias or exclusion is to review and edit trivia questions to ensure they are accurate and appropriate for many different cultural groups. From a design perspective, we must provide accessibility through high-contrast screens for better readability and maybe have multiple languages for individuals who are not English speakers. To make sure the UI/UX is as intuitive as possible, we can test it with people from diverse backgrounds and adjust the design as necessary based on their feedback.

Part C: … with consideration of environmental factors(written by Min Ji).

In terms of environmental considerations, we can also be sustainable in the choices for both material consumption and energy use. Our choice of using an MDF(Medium Density Fiberboard) and transparent plastic for the outer candy casing can reduce waste as compared to non-reusable materials. We can save power waste by ensuring that unwanted parts enter standby mode when unused. Using low-power microcontrollers and LED displays can reduce wasteful energy consumption. With these design choices, we can ensure that our trivia vending machine is not only environmentally friendly but also energy efficient.

1. What are the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project? How are these risks being managed? What contingency plans are ready? (written by Vicky)
   Some risks so far are the physical build of the machine and how the assembly will securely come together. Another risk is we are unsure how long it will take for the final integration, as of now, Vicky is working on the Arduino control for dispensing and building the standard mode game code without styled ux graphics, and the website interface; Min Ji is working on the speech audio generation, graphics for standard mode and the website interface; and Fei is working on the touch game. Our plan is to allocate one week before the interim demo to straighten out the mismatches during integration
2. Were any changes made to the existing design of the system (requirements, block diagram, system spec, etc)? Why was this change necessary, what costs does the change incur, and how will these costs be mitigated going forward?  (written by Vicky)
   Due to consideration on making an intuitive design and more portable physical product, we eliminated the horizontal/vertical fetching tray inside the machine, thus getting rid of the aluminum bars, stepper motors, and attachment wood hardware, making the product much lighter. We also eliminated the physical buttons and the LCD screen in exchange for using a bigger touchscreen of size 10 inch. The change in screen incurred some order delay and shifted around our task order slightly.
   
3. Provide an updated schedule if changes have occurred. This is also the place to put some photos of your progress or to brag about a component you got working. (written by Min Ji)
   
   This is the updated Gantt Chart. No big changes but added minor tasks that have to be done by 3/14 and 3/21.
   For progress: The updated code for audio narration is in our git repo. Attached is a sample recording of our SweeTrivia audio narration.
   

1. What are the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project? How are these risks being managed? What contingency plans are ready?(written by Vicky)
   So far one risk is how the unknown touch screen lag time will affect the player question-answering experience in the challenge mode, we plan to mitigate that by using one button for the user tap signal in the flappy bird logic if the touch lag time is too long. Another challenge is the integration of the project, for example so far our work division on the standard mode and challenge mode is separate. We also need to integrate the arduino motor driver side of the system with the rpi game side of the system.  So we need to allocate additional time (1 week minimum before the set MVP date) after each mode is finished. We also faced the question of players being confused with how to navigate the interface and how to reset, so we need to have graphics on the screen display to show optional new player instructions.
2. Were any changes made to the existing design of the system (requirements, block diagram, system spec, etc)? Why was this change necessary, what costs does the change incur, and how will these costs be mitigated going forward? (written by Fei)
   After receiving feedback from the design review presentation, we made some changes to our microcontroller choice and refined aspects of our design. It was apparent that our design was confusing for the audience. We decided to change the microcontroller because the previous option was not powerful enough for our design. Within our budget, the new selection is a better fit. This switch might delay some timelines until the new microcontroller arrives, but we’ve adjusted our plans to minimize the impact.
3.  Provide an updated schedule if changes have occurred. This is also the place to put some photos of your progress or to brag about a component you got working. (written by Min Ji)
   There haven’t been any big changes in our schedule so far. Instead, the following are the upcoming plans until the end of spring break week(~3/9):

• Assemble the rpi screen with the touch screen and buttons and upload the standard mode
• Write the arduino control code(motor + servo + lcd) for the dispense process
• Make sure the AI audio narration works with speaker + rpi
• Implement flappy bird game and upload it onto the rpi to test on touch screen