service technology.

The technology related to my service is about authenticating - using technology to provide trust.

This table shows a wide range of technologies I have explored - ranging from blue sky to tangible-and gives examples of how they could add value to the service experience of Douceurs.

Potential Technology	Description	Relation to Douceurs	Application
	Natural products that package themselves.	Creating a product that packages itself is economically sound and may involve research into material properties.	Packaging design: the envelope and letter becoming one product.
	Natural products that package themselves.	Creating a product that packages itself is economically sound and may involve research into origami.	Packaging design: the envelope and letter becoming one product.
	Natural products which open up themselves when the ‘time is right’.	Creating a product that could be programmed to open after a particular amount of time had passed.	Using a sensors and hinges, and locks to enable product to open on a particular date.
	Natural product which open up themselves when the ‘time is right’.	Creating a product that could be programmed to open after a particular amount of time had passed.	Using a sensors and hinges, and locks to enable product to open on a particular date.
	Natural product that portrays the passing of time in a subtle manner.	Creating a product that would aesthetically convey the passing of time – through use of materials or electronics.	Exploring material technologies to create the visual notion of passing of time.
	Product directly related to the passing of time.	Integrating a mechanical device or timer to physically	Integrating a clock mechanism or clock hands into the outer packaging.
	Mechanical fastenings to strengthen security.	Using nuts and bolts to physically secure the product.	Integrating nuts and bolts into final packaging.
	Rivet machine to securely fasten object.	A mechanical fastener to secure product.	The design of rivet machine to enable the envelope to be sealed closed.
	Direct route to reinforcing notion of security.	Featuring a portable lock to protect against any degree unauthorized entry. The key has potential to become an interesting touch point.	The key may become a commodity; introducing a new perspective on the service.
	Direct route to reinforcing the notion of security.	Featuring a portable lock to protect against any degree unauthorized entry.	The key may become a commodity; introducing a new perspective on the service.
	Traditional security method associated with letter writing.	A wax seal makes an impression fixed upon a document to provide authenticity.	Have brass stamp made with company logo and use wax seal on envelope.
	Scratch- off technology used to reveal hidden message.	It is impossible to duplicate a document that features a scratch and reveal component.	Document will be validated as the original.
	Simple method of informing a database with product info.	A bar code is a machine readable representation of information.	A simple method of updating service database with details.
	Highly personal route to identification and security.	Handwritten depiction of someones name.	Digital or traditional signatures could feature in the retrieving of the letter.
	Validation of security marks only visible under particular light.	Certain fibres visible under ‘black light’.	Involve service staff in using technology to view security marks.
	Digital watermarking is the process of embedding auxiliary information into a digital signal.	The marking of an unobtrusive ingrained logo.	Involve service staff in using technology to view security marks.
	Self-adhesive security holograms- ready to apply.	An image can be recorded in three dimension.	Label which will identify the letter has not been opened and convey a particular logo.
	USB finger print scanner	Document is protected by unique finger print identification.	Tangible aspect to portray future scenario. Access to website/document using finger print technology.
	Biometric trait that has been used for over 100 years – finger print recognition.	Face recognition, iris recognition and voice recognition.	Blue sky exploration into identification methods that will feature in the service in the next decade. Seal with a kiss?
	ReacTIVision is a system used to tack markers attached to physical objects,	Design of a database to allow ReacTIVision to update database.	Design a computing language to allow the scanning of product to update website.
	Toner Fuse technology causes Laser Toner to bond permanently to the paper surface making it impossible to open without destroying paper surface.	Reinforcement of document security.	Opportunity to let the recipient read a private message from douceurs and be assured of security.

The following table shows the conclusions I drew after researching each individual biometric solutions.

"A good idea when looking at biometrics is to weigh up the obvious pro's and con's of each application."

Biometrics	Universality: Each person should have his characteristic.	Uniqueness: how well biometrics separates individuals.	Permanence: how well biometrics resists aging.	Collectability: ease of acquisition for measurement.	Performance: accuracy, speed and robustness of technology used.	Acceptability: degree of approval of technology.
Face	High	Low	Medium	High	Low	High
Fingerprint	Medium	High	High	Medium	High	Medium
Hand geometry	Medium	Medium	Medium	High	Medium	Medium
Iris	High	High	High	Medium	High	Low
Retinal Scan	High	High	Medium	Low	High	Low
Signature	Low	Low	Low	High	Low	High
Voice	Medium	Low	Low	Medium	Low	Low
DNA	High	High	High	Low	High	Low

After creating this chart I decided I wanted to explore the following further:

• voice recognition
• biometric technology
• technology and identity protection
• biometrics and the government
• types of biometrics
• signatures

This sketch depicts a service scenario integrating technology to add value to the experience of Douceurs. The aim is to create a 'virtual keyhole' to enable users remote access to their letter. The concept was evolved through several discussions with lecturer, Andy Law who was inspired by the idea as he has a relative who has a letter from someone who has passes away, his relative knows she has to open the letter on her 18th birthday. The important fact is that because she physically has this letter and she can look at it and feel it, it builds up anticipation and provides comfort.

This would have be created using a website linked up to a remote web cam. As each letter is coded anyway, the system would search through the codes until the desired letter was found and then the web cam would film it. In order to physically create this - a storage system would have to be mocked up.

I tested this concept by asking people I worked with in the development stage if they would use this aspect of the service and if indeed they felt they would want to remotely access their letter. The general feedback voiced this idea was not needed or desired therefore the idea was dismissed.

Creating the security label to seal the product has been an exploration into the wide range of technologies used to create tamper proof labels and tapes. Pictured below is a security label that leaves a message on the surface of the product.

I worked closely with Coastline Tape and Premier Labels to develop a label such as this for Douceurs. Unfortunately I was unable to test these labels or indeed purchase them as they are normally used by credit card companies so they are very expensive and are not available in small batches.

Reading and Learning. Applying Knowledge.

Reading documents, papers and journals have been a critical part of expanding my knowledge about the technology used in future proofing, securing and tamper proofing. The following documents my findings -

I have been learning about current projects involving Biometrics, as well as studying a special report on the evolution of biometric applications.

Large scale government applications of biometrics have brought the focus of discussion towards the usability of Biometrics in real life situations. For instance, we all have biometric enabled passports. It is not a questions if biometrics will become a mainstream application - it is just a matter of when and how.

The idea of using a smart card within my service - to enable user to access letter - is a pretty secure and counterfeit proof personal token. However, proving the right person is using the right card - the card holder verification process - has not been supported by technological solutions.

The use of a smart card can be seen in both public and commercial domains - biometrics is finally proving to be an effective method of linking humans to their electronic transactions. Very blue sky biometrics such as vein geometry and voice recognition are also a key evolution in the field - none of these work perfectly they are all of sufficient robustness and effectiveness. Perhaps,when these techniques are integrated it will leave us wondering how we ever coped with passwords and pins. However, it is important to note that for biometric schemes to be acceptable by society there needs to be alot of user education backed up by rock solid rules of engagement.

Voice recognition is perceived as one of the most user friendly biometrics - vocal characteristics are a rich source of information that can be used reliably to authenticate identity. The technology is not bullet proof - no technology is - success or failure of any biometric system often comes down to good system design.

Throughout this intense study I have creating scenarios - imagining the environment and anticipating the users.

The UK governments Enrolment Trial in 2005, was designed to contribute towards the plans for biometric identity cards and electronic passports. Looking at the performance of biometrics used in this trial could lead to the conclusion that fingerprint, facial and iris recognition are shockingly bad. Good examples of such trials include the Facial Recognition Vendor Trial 2006 and the Iris Challenge Evaluation. These trials are excellent at showing how the algorithms used by leading systems perform on biometric images taken in less than ideal circumstances - and they demonstrate just how highly accurate biometric systems can be, given the restraints of the trial. However, these results are not as concrete as a scenario test or actual implementation would be.

"Companies are realising that smart cards and tokens can be lost, stolen or cloned."

By the year 2015 the government believes that everyone will carry an identity card - these will include the owners fingerprint and a photo of them. Perhaps, as Douceurs evolves this identity card will be used to identify letter recipients.

testing fingerprints.

The concept of users receiving thier letter or accessing the service sites using their fingerprint was an issue regarding biometrics I tested using a standard USB fingerprints scanner device.

 

Among all the biometric techniques, fingerprint-based identification is the oldest method which has been successfully used in numerous applications. Everyone is known to have unique, immutable fingerprints. A fingerprint is made of a series of ridges and furrows on the surface of the finger. The uniqueness of a fingerprint can be determined by the pattern of ridges and furrows as well as the minutiae points. Minutiae points are local ridge characteristics that occur at either a ridge bifurcation or a ridge ending.

Fingerprint matching techniques can be placed into two categories: minutae-based and correlation based. Minutiae-based techniques first find minutiae points and then map their relative placement on the finger. However, I found there were some difficulties when using this approach. It is difficult to extract the minutiae points accurately when the fingerprint is of low quality. Also this method does not take into account the global pattern of ridges and furrows. The correlation-based method is able to overcome some of the difficulties of the minutiae-based approach. However, it has some of its own negative aspects. Correlation-based techniques require the precise location of a registration point and are affected by image translation and rotation.

This image shows a snapshot of the system I set up to enable access to a web browser via finger print. However, this method proved to be very temperamental as well as unreliable. Sometimes, it would take up to ten attempts for the system to accept an individual print.

"People accept fingerprints as being very reliable, they are also a very good way to build up a database."

Although, the learnings could be applied theoretically to service scenarios the testing of the service proved it to be unsuccessful.Therefore I made the decision that this feature would not be included in my final portrayal of the service.

signatures.

Your signature is a biometric that is measured by how your hand and mind communicate and it's unique to you. Conversations with users highlighted that people don't want to carry swipe cards and tokens or remember passwords.

We are all used to signing a piece of paper to say who we are - infact it is a daily occurrence for most of us. Simple squiggles and lines on a piece of paper have evolved into measurements of the speed of the pen throughout the process and rates of acceleration and deceleration , as well as varying pressure applied to the stylus. These measurements allow a computer database to know exactly how someone writes their signature even if it sometimes it looks slightly different to the naked eye.

"it is very easy to copy an image but impossible to copy the physical act of how someone signs."

Testing of various digital pens and tablets was carried out in the development stage and I decided then that they lacked the quality of writing traditionally - pen to paper. Therefore after exploring this aspect I decided to feature my signature in various touchpoint to create a trustworthy atmosphere.

Processing and Face recognition.

The distances between different parts of our facial features and how they are aligned in relation to one another can produce a biometric 'map' which is unique to each person. I was really interested in this concept and quickly developed a test peice using Processing and the web camera built into my laptop.

"No single biometric application is fool proof, even a DNA sample gives the tiniest uncertainty."

This was a playful experiment and enabled me to imagine how face recognition could be applied to Douceurs in the future. This is a screen shot of the code I used.

ReacTIVision.

This program is used for the robust tracking of fiducial markers attached to physical objects. Each object has a unique ID number. Therefore this program was used with a database to enable the letters to be tracked , from a camera across a network.

With help from an applied computing student we created a program that updates to log events to a mysql database ( for both console and gui versions). Below are images of the class and ER diagrams, prototype source code and binaries.

For examples, if the output from ReacTIVision was a number value of 28. When this product was put infront of the camera the program will update a database to say that I.D 28 is now active. Therefore, the Douceurs service will be automatically updates with sender and recipients details, as well as the delivery date.

The MYSQL Database updates the following information:

• ID
• Sender name
• Sender address
• Recipient name
• Date added
• Date received by office
• Future delivery date
• Letter is now active

The following images are screen shots of the program working.

To view this code document more closely click here.

This is how the system works: reacTIVision tracks specially designed fiducial markers in a real time video stream. The source image is first converted to a black and white image with an adaptive thresholding algorithm. Then this image is segmented into a tree of alternating black and white regions. This is then searched for a unique ID number, which has been encoded in the symbol. The design of the symbol allows the efficient calculation of the markers center point as well as its orientation. Messages implementing the symbols presence, location, orientation and identity is transmitted as data to the client application - the service database.

This flow chart illustrates how this technology is integrated into Douceurs.

These are the 'markers' that are needed for the program to function.

The main focus of the technologies I have created as well as researched has been to provide trust and help me as a designer imagine what technology will be in the future, and the effect that will have on my service.