Mariano Velamazán
Design & interaction for learning
Superbleeper is a system of wooden blocks that map music concepts to tangible tokens. These blocks have been designed to visualize the math behind music.
The system is shaped by the relationships between concepts like patterns, shapes, measurement, set and number sense.
The element of discovery in this project came when numbers were given a physical shape with certain characteristics that mapped their mathematical properties.
Children normally get stuck with the superficiality of operations without understanding the higher –more abstract– power of their use. This system tried to give numbers a body that children could touch, explore and get to know.
Learning is a complex process. How can you explain what you have learned? What happens if you try to visualize it? Can you use quantitative data visualization techniques to explain feelings and emotions?
Is it possible to get the whole picture while being able to address the small details? We finally asked ourselves: Is a graph able to tell a story?
One of the main complaints about math is that people don’t see the connection to their everyday life. Do people think so because math is abstract or because it is presented in a very abstract way? The moment of wonder comes when children can touch a triangle and change it and see it working in everyday objects like the slides in a playground.
Triangles is another learning project that tries to explain visually the geometry, properties and importance of triangles in our daily life. It tries to do so with interactive and visual demonstrations of properties of triangles and with real life problems. Written in ActionScript 3 using Adobe FlexBuilder ®.
Children master the physics of inclined planes when they learn to skate but the formal knowledge of the simple laws that apply remain dark, mysterious and boring. Could we reveal the inner potential of one of the simplest and most capable machines of human history?
The time for surprise came when we tried to separate the different parameters of a ramp into the different screens of a video game against ButMan.
About me
My c.v.
Contact
Hi, I am an intreaction designer with a background in Computer Science and Visual Communication. Research through design, ethnography design and participatory design are my main methods of working.
I have a passion for designing learning experiences and making visible the invisible.
Take a look at my c.v. if you want more details.
Drop me a line at: hi@marianovelamazan.com