TINK - sketching product experiences of connected objects

Building blocks
Data To Track triggers Actions
Building block library Code editor Deploy
The behaviour of every entity is identified
by tree different building blocks:
The colour used in the design of the
building blocks helps distinguish the type:
blue for Data to Track, orange for Triggers
and yellow for Actions.
The shape of the right and left side of
the building block represent the kind of
messages that the building block uses as
input/output.
Nothing
Boolean
Int
Floats
Strings
The messages that can be sent between the
blocks have to be either boolean, string,
int or floats.
If the blocks uses messages, the value of
the message will be displayed inside the
shape, attached either on the right or on
the left of the building block.
ciao
Data To Track
Integer trigger 110
String action
115.4
String trigger
Connections
Float action
Boolean trigger
ciao
115.4
110
Connections can be made by dragging the
coloured outlet of a building block towards
the coloured inlet of an other building
blocks. The type of the outlet of the first
has to match the inlet of the second.
While the dragging is performed, a line
will be pulled between the mouse and
the starting building block. The shape of
the connectors helps visualizing where a
certain message can be sent and therefore
which building block can be connected
together.
Entities are able to
collect data. The data to
track building block allow
users to record events
and data coming from
the entities. The data
recorded will be then
visualized in the monitor
view. According to the
type of data recorded,
this will have different
visualization styles in the
monitor view.
According to the entity
that is recording data,
the data recorded might
be related to either a
physical data sensed by
a connected object (e.g
data sensed by a sensor
embedded in a connected
object) or a digital event
recorded by a virtual
entity (e.g. how many
like a picture got on
Facebook, the average
value of the sensor read
among multiple entities
etc.).
Every entity can listen for
events, and fire an action
accordingly. Triggers
are the blocks used to
listen to events; Triggers
are visible in the system
diagram where they can
be connected to Actions
building blocks. either
from the same or different
entities.
Triggers don’t accept any
kind of input messages,
but in order to be
attached to an action
they have at least to send
out a boolean message.
Every time a Data to Track
building block is created
a trigger related to that
data is automatically
generated. The user is
allowed to use it, delete
it or modify it.
Again, according to the
type of entity, triggers
might be related to
physical events or digital
one according to the
type of entity they are
connected t0.
When a trigger connected
to an action sends out
a new value, the action
connected to the trigger
will be performed.
Actions have to accepts
(at least) a boolean
message as input, and
are able to send out
messages as output.
Again, according to the
type of entity, triggers
might be related to
physical events or digital
one.
Add a new action to Coffe machine
Initialize the global variable you will need here
int relayPin = D6;
Initialize the variable you will need here
pinMode (relayPin , OUTPUT);
Write the Check_Coffe_Made function
String newAction ( float val){
}
Featured actions
Boolean
switch digital
Action
Pin
Boolean
Change neopixel
Action
color
My actions
ring bell
Turn the table
Or start from scratch
new Action
Boolean
New Action
Action
String trigger
A new building block can be added to the
entity by clicking the appropriate plus
button.
Once the button is pressed a popup panel
is shown in the foreground on top of the
system diagram; The popup gives the
user the possibility to choose between
predefined building blocks or to create a
new one from scratch.
The user also has the possibility to save
customized building blocks in a personal
library in order to be able to reuse them in
other future projects.
Update LCD text
LCD
Search in the library
Boolean Action
turn servo motor
Because the technological nature of the
different entities is quite diverse different
programming languages are going to be
needed in order to define the behaviours of
the different entities.
It was decided to focus just on connected
object entities for the scope of this project,
some recommendation on how to configure
the other entities will be provided in the
recommendation section.
The connected Object Building block
is programmed using the Arduino
programming language (C).
The coding of the block presents a similar
structure to the way Arduino code is
structured, the editor presents in fact
three distinctive areas to fill in with code
as listed below:
•Firstly the global variables that is needed
in the rest of the snippet has to be defined.
•Secondly the code that will have to go in
the void setup() function of the Arduino
code has to be defined.
•The last area is where the behaviour of the
building block is specified. The user has to
fill in this block by writing a function. The
skeleton of the function will be pre-filled
by the system. The user will have to define
what kind of message will the block sends
out as output, and what kind of values the
function requires as input.
servo float newAction ( String val){
String action
115.4
Once the code is created it needs to be
uploaded to the boards. When the deploy
button is pressed Arduino code will be
generated and uploaded on to the specific
board. If clones of that entity are present
on the system diagram they will be updated
as well.
When the code of a building block gets
modified the deploy button will be
highlighted reminding the user that he
needs to deploy the code to the hardware
in order to be able to see the modification.
The little downward pointing arrow can
be used to access advanced features such
as visualizing or downloading the code in
order to modify it in a different IDE.