Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a Qasion?

The word started out as “Occasion”. Then the O ate the c’s and become the Q in the brand new word: Qasion.

How is it pronounced?

That is not entirely clear, but some pronounce it in the same way as occasion, without the o -
|ˈkāZHən|.

What are QasionTools?

A set of tools that are made as a diploma project in interaction design at AHO. They are prototypes for tools that work with datasets made up of digital photographs, and other data relating to group experience, especially travel.

Is this a design project?

The methods and process used in this project are somewhat untraditional, compared to ways “normal” ways of running a design process. Working with real data in an explorative way with code has definitely helped shape the functionality and interactions. The ability to work hands on with working interfaces and functional prototypes is also a valuable part of interaction design.

Why exactly these six tools?

The tools have been developed in an explorative way, and found their current form towards the end of the process. There could have been other tools, and the ones present could have been different or replaced by other. But they all cover different aspects of how to work datasets from groups of people.

Can the tools work together?

Yes, they can, and some of them do in the background. But for the prototypes it was seemed clearer to keep them separate, as the users will look at example data that are not their own. Ideally, a selection made in SelectEvents could be sent to Collage or Flipbook, or turn up in the Timelines tool to see more structures in the datasets.

Who are the tools for?

The tools have been made with groups of people who experiences events together in mind. The main targets have been travelers, but most of the tools can work with data from other types of events, and even for people not in groups. A requirement is that the users produce digital photography and other documentation during the specific occasions.

Can I upload my own pictures and use the tools with them?

Nope. For this prototype, the meta data have been extracted as a separate process with ExifTool for simplicity, but there is no technical reason why this could not be done automagically if an upload-feature would be added.

Why does the x-axis in the MetaGraph tool not represent time?

The tool was designed for finding trends and patterns in the metadata of a set of pictures, not as a way to look at events as linear narratives. The x-axis does however represent time, just not in a linearly, like we are used to. It ”stretches” time, based on the number of photos taken, which might say something about the users behavior.

Can I look closer at the small pictures in the SelectEvents tool?

Not at the moment. The tool is meant for the photographer of the pictures, and it turns out that the thumbnails are big enough for recognition for that person, most the time.
It is however possible to “hack” the size bigger by zooming in the browser (Cmd and + on mac).

Why is there not a tool dedicated for looking at the actual images, one by one?

The focus of the project is to look at larger sets of images as datasets, and work with the metadata within the pictures as a way to find and tell stories.

How much code was needed to make these tools?

The tools mainly consist of over 3000 lines of JavaScript code, as well as quite a bit of PHP, HTML and CSS. The code is built on top of several other tools.