I had to breakdown the installation into its 3 different components before I started building it.

These were:-

Sound

First was what samples I wanted to incorporate in the installation. Was it going to be small audio samples or larger ones that would be triggered over a course in time? Was the user going to generate his own melodies or if a preset was to be determined. This was tricky and took some back and forth but I finally opted for the small audio samples that the user would trigger when they moved their fingers. Each individual sample would be mapped to the different sample and the hand would act as a drum machine with users cuing a clap, hi-hat, kick etc with their fingers and triggering an event if they move the associated finger down far enough towards the leap motion

Video

Secondly was deciding the visuals that would go together with the accompanying audio. For this I had to decide if the visuals would be mapped to the same system that controls the audio or create an entirely different set up that affects the visuals so that there is they had completely independent . I opted for the same audio cues that trigger the audio samples to also change the visuals.  Then I created a particle system to act as the visuals for the installation. I decided to use jit.mo a Max library to create a circle and other shapes that the user would be able to select and manipulate the speed, frequency and scale depending on their finger location.

Gestures

Lastly, I had to decide which gestures I would get from the leap motion and assign to Max and how they would go together with the audio and visuals of the installation. I opted for simple gestures. For example the change in the Y position of the finger tips would trigger an event for a specific finger if it passes the threshold. Opposed to the motion of various fingers to trigger one singular cue.