Ideate. Initiate. Innovate
Life’s an experiment! Do as much as you can before you run out of it!
Interesting Reads Written by Me
Analysis: Is it possible today to create a “Super App”?
Recently I was tasked at my work to do some research on “Everything App” trend that has been going on since quite a while. The first example that came to my mind was WeChat and I immediately became very curious about how they did it...
16 min read
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How better UX for job portals can bring better job applications?
Since I graduated, I was looking for jobs, going through various job portals and applying. After applying to 10–15 jobs each day, I started to lose interest, not because I was applying to so many jobs each day, but because I was frustrated of job portals being so inefficient.
15 min read
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Experiments
2019: AR First-Person Shooter Concept
Imagine a world where realistic 3D models and animations can be loaded in real-time from cloud to an AR device which is just the shape of your sunglasses. Now add the ability to interact with real world using AR. This concept prototype tries to explore the same idea to make gaming even more lifelike. A first-person shooter which can be played as solo and multiplayer with in-person players and remote players as AI avtars. This could be a serious gamechanger for players and military training alike!
Viewing Paper UI Prototype.
Makeshift cardboard AR headset
Storyboarding AR Game
Top: A person selecting the gameplay map; Bottom: First-person view during the game.
View from the AR Headset for creating a 3D map.
AI generated image of a person playing the AR game with virtual players.
AI generated image of two people playing AR game against virtual players.
AR Game Menu Design
Weapon upgrade screen.
Singleplayer game options screen.
Existing map selection screen.
Multiplayer Lobby screen.
Weapon inventory screen.
Procedurally-generated suggested maps screen.
Real-time player body stats screen.
2019: Your Heart Makes Art
What happens when you merge art, technology, and industrial design? That’s what I explored with my friends at DePaul University. The goal was to create a standalone art installation that uses technology to engage people in a public setting. This plotting machine was created using Arduino to control a couple of motors, connected to a pulse rate sensor. The readings are taken by custom software on a laptop and are converted to X-Y axis data, one of which is a circular piece of paper connected to the first motor and another one is a pen connected to another motor, plotting the readings on paper. This project was regarded as one of the most innovative projects in the university.
Me with my classmates interacting with the innovative art installation prototype we created for DePaul University.
A random student trying out the art installation at the entrance of a lab.
2023: Experimental Circular Patterns in PowerPoint
A while ago, I saw a circular pattern and wanted to use it in one of my slide decks I was working on at the time. However, there was one problem: I did not have the source svg file. Though I got the svg file later, but it was quite difficult to use it for my need. And the experiment began! I created a chain of circles in PowerPoint and experimented with the border weight and styles to generate not just that one pattern, but tens of completely new patterns. Use the button below to download editable 17 patterns in PowerPoint.
Set of 17 unique patterns, free to use personally or commercially.
2018: Indestructible Business Card
What are the issues with most of the business cards? They can get destroyed very easily. The contents can get erased. Well, not anymore! Get the Indestructible Business Card. Laser cut and engraved, filled with liquid acrylic. This card can’t be crushed, and contents can never be erased. Plus, since it’s made of plastic compound, it will outlive you in some landfill!
2009: Portable PlayStation + Phone
2009 to 2017 was the time I was truly experimenting with my skills and learning all sorts of things. Around that time Google released a 3D modeling software called “Google Sketchup” which was easy to use and free, compared to the complicated and expensive ones. I loved sketching phone designs in my notebooks, and I used Sketchup to translate my sketches to 3D models. That’s when I envisioned a phone which has a slide-out panel with all the PlayStation remote buttons and this device can play PSP games. And 2 years later, Sony brought the PSP phone to the market.
Screenshot of a 3D model of a PlayStation Phone I created in 2009.
Sony Xperian Play from 2011.
2009-2012: Nokia Themes
At the time when everyone owned Nokia S40 phones, the company released a tool to create custom themes and icon packs for Nkia S40 & S60 phones. This was the time when I learned Adobe Photoshop and Nokia Theme Creator, and published quite a few themes on Nokia/Ovi Store. I also managed my Nokia Themes blog on Google Blogpost and Wordpress. My themes got quite a popularity for their clean and clear aesthetic, and helped me earn enough money for my first Nike Sneakers!
