Project Goals
1) Create some sort of interactive experience. (I am using the word experience very loosely for this project)
2) Do something fun for myself, and hopefully others, to use or customize.
3) Use the video communications software Zoom in some capacity.
Starting with Zoom, Initially I have some problems with the Zoom system/interface. First, I find it hard to have casual large group conversations. In a group Zoom setting, only one person can speak at a time, meaning not everyone will feel comfortable speaking in front of everyone, and the conversation moves slower and tends to last longer. Also depending on the quality of the users microphone, or internet, simply hearing other people can become a problem.
Second, Zoom has a limited amount of in camera "Reactions" to choose from. Currently in the most recent Zoom update there are only 6 emoticons to choose from. And they include. Hands clapping, a thumbs up, a red heart, cry laughing face, shocked face, and a party horn with confetti. These emoticons, when clicked, appear in the top right corner of the user's screen and allows participants to communicate nonverbally.
Approach
As a possible solution to these problems, It would seem to be useful for Zoom to utilize and introduce more nonverbal communication strategies to the interface. So this is what I tried to prototype. For this project I decided to try and create additional "Zoom Reactions" (or what I am calling "Zoom annotations") for others to utilize, customize, and share. The idea is for users to have an external document with a list of customized buttons that, when pressed, will display unique emoticons, banners, filters, text, or any image into the users Zoom window for everyone in the meeting to see. As an example: when I click on the “HELLO” button, the text "HELLO" will appear in the corner of my Zoom window.
Knowing I couldn't add my own annotations directory to the Zoom interface I needed to conceive a path for other software's to communicate with Zoom. I also needed to pick an external software/program that would allow me to make customized buttons with. The programs and tools I decided to use within my system, in addition to Zoom, are: 1) P5.js - an accessible and inclusive JavaScript library for creative coding. 2) Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) - an open source streaming software. 3) A Web Camera. 4) Photoshop. All of these software's are free to use or download (if you don't have access to Photoshop you could also use PNG's from the internet) so, if you have a web camera and access to the internet, you too can make your very own Zoom annotations and decorate your zoom window however you like. Also by no means is this the only way for this system to function and other programs could most definitely be substituted or changed, use whatever programs or systems work best for you to achieve the same (or better) results.