Memory Technology

In pairs we were tasked with creating a learning module based on content taken from our lectures. The final deliverable could be in any medium of our choice. My partner, Katrina Schouten and I chose a topic focused around the different types of memory (SRAM, DRAM, Flash Drive, Magnetic Disk), comparing their speeds and prices. 

Our Design

Katrina and I decided to make an interactive data visualization using the coding language Processing. We created a click through interface that moves through an introduction, instructions definitions, price comparisons and the data visualization itself, which compares the speed of different memory technologies (at a speed the human eye can see).

My Role

A way that Katrina and I were able to split up the work was by focusing on different aspects of the design. I worked primarily on the platform and making the design interactive by using a Processing library called ControlP5. This allows you to create clickable buttons as well as sliders. Katrina focused more heavily on make the circles move and react to the different speeds.

Challenges

When coding it can be a challenge to determine the scope of your project and realistically how much you can get done under a time limit. Because coding can be very finicky, there were times where we had to reevaluate what we wanted to complete and accommodate accordingly. In our original design, we had planned to have the price page also be controlled by sliders, but after focussing on the crucial parts of the design, we switched to a static page to ensure we had quality over quantity.