4,605 research outputs found

    An aesthetics of touch: investigating the language of design relating to form

    Get PDF
    How well can designers communicate qualities of touch? This paper presents evidence that they have some capability to do so, much of which appears to have been learned, but at present make limited use of such language. Interviews with graduate designer-makers suggest that they are aware of and value the importance of touch and materiality in their work, but lack a vocabulary to fully relate to their detailed explanations of other aspects such as their intent or selection of materials. We believe that more attention should be paid to the verbal dialogue that happens in the design process, particularly as other researchers show that even making-based learning also has a strong verbal element to it. However, verbal language alone does not appear to be adequate for a comprehensive language of touch. Graduate designers-makers’ descriptive practices combined non-verbal manipulation within verbal accounts. We thus argue that haptic vocabularies do not simply describe material qualities, but rather are situated competences that physically demonstrate the presence of haptic qualities. Such competencies are more important than groups of verbal vocabularies in isolation. Design support for developing and extending haptic competences must take this wide range of considerations into account to comprehensively improve designers’ capabilities

    Expressive haptics for enhanced usability of mobile interfaces in situations of impairments

    Get PDF
    Designing for situational awareness could lead to better solutions for disabled people, likewise, exploring the needs of disabled people could lead to innovations that can address situational impairments. This in turn can create non-stigmatising assistive technology for disabled people from which eventually everyone could benefit. In this paper, we investigate the potential for advanced haptics to compliment the graphical user interface of mobile devices, thereby enhancing user experiences of all people in some situations (e.g. sunlight interfering with interaction) and visually impaired people. We explore technical solutions to this problem space and demonstrate our justification for a focus on the creation of kinaesthetic force feedback. We propose initial design concepts and studies, with a view to co-create delightful and expressive haptic interactions with potential users motivated by scenarios of situational and permanent impairments.Comment: Presented at the CHI'19 Workshop: Addressing the Challenges of Situationally-Induced Impairments and Disabilities in Mobile Interaction, 2019 (arXiv:1904.05382

    Body x Materials: A workshop exploring the role of material-enabled body-based multisensory experiences

    Get PDF
    Over the last 15 years, HCI and Interaction Design have experienced a “material turn” characterized by a growing interest in the materiality of technology and computation, and in methods that support exploring, envisioning, and crafting with and through materials. The community has experienced a similar turn focused on the body, on how to best design for and from a first-person, lived experience, and the moving and sensual body. In this workshop, we focus on the intersection of these two turns. The emerging developments in multimodal interfaces open opportunities to bring in materiality to the digital world as well as to transform the materiality of objects and bodies in the real-world, including the materiality of our own body. The different sensory qualities of (touchable and untouchable, physical and digital) objects and bodies, including our own, can be brought into the design of digital technologies to enrich, augment, and transform embodied experiences. In this “materials revolution” [15], what are the current theories, approaches, methods, and tools that emphasize the critical role of materiality to body-based interactions with technology? To explore this, in this workshop we will focus on five related themes: material enabling expression, material as a catalyst for human action, material enabling reflection and awareness, material enabling transformation and material supporting the design process for the re-creation of the existing and the yet-to-exist. This workshop with technology presentations, panel sessions with experts, and multidisciplinary discussions will: (i) bring together researchers who work on (re)creating sensory properties of materials through technology with those who investigate experiential effects of materials and materialenabled interactions, (ii) discuss methods, opportunities, difficulties in designing materiality and material-enabled interactions, and (iii) form a multidisciplinary community to build synergies and collaborations

    Radically Relational: Using Textiles As A Platform To Develop Methods For Embodied Design Processes

    Get PDF
    This position paper builds on textiles as a metaphor to explore the experiential knowledge observed through embodied design processes. In order to build understanding, we have tailored our tools and methods to support our explorations so far. As literature shows articulating our sensory experiences with materials is a challenging task. In order to support our investigations, in this paper we present a reflection on our diverse approaches to introduce tools that support us in interrogating how designers relate with materials, particularly textiles, and use their sensorial body to experience them during the creative process. We build on our previous research that identified relevant embodied process to textile selection, and reflect on how we have explored how sensing technology can augment and empower each of these phases, to support the design process. We conclude by discussing the learning outcomes from introducing such tools, in order to reflect on the future of our research

    Biosensing and Actuation—Platforms Coupling Body Input-Output Modalities for Affective Technologies

    Get PDF
    Research in the use of ubiquitous technologies, tracking systems and wearables within mental health domains is on the rise. In recent years, affective technologies have gained traction and garnered the interest of interdisciplinary fields as the research on such technologies matured. However, while the role of movement and bodily experience to affective experience is well-established, how to best address movement and engagement beyond measuring cues and signals in technology-driven interactions has been unclear. In a joint industry-academia effort, we aim to remodel how affective technologies can help address body and emotional self-awareness. We present an overview of biosignals that have become standard in low-cost physiological monitoring and show how these can be matched with methods and engagements used by interaction designers skilled in designing for bodily engagement and aesthetic experiences. Taking both strands of work together offers unprecedented design opportunities that inspire further research. Through first-person soma design, an approach that draws upon the designer’s felt experience and puts the sentient body at the forefront, we outline a comprehensive work for the creation of novel interactions in the form of couplings that combine biosensing and body feedback modalities of relevance to affective health. These couplings lie within the creation of design toolkits that have the potential to render rich embodied interactions to the designer/user. As a result we introduce the concept of “orchestration”. By orchestration, we refer to the design of the overall interaction: coupling sensors to actuation of relevance to the affective experience; initiating and closing the interaction; habituating; helping improve on the users’ body awareness and engagement with emotional experiences; soothing, calming, or energising, depending on the affective health condition and the intentions of the designer. Through the creation of a range of prototypes and couplings we elicited requirements on broader orchestration mechanisms. First-person soma design lets researchers look afresh at biosignals that, when experienced through the body, are called to reshape affective technologies with novel ways to interpret biodata, feel it, understand it and reflect upon our bodies

    Multisensory experiences in HCI

    Get PDF
    The use of vision and audition for interaction dominated the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) for decades, despite the fact that nature has provided us with many more senses for perceiving and interacting with the world around us. Recently, HCI researchers have started trying to capitalize on touch, taste, and smell when designing interactive tasks, especially in gaming, multimedia, and art environments. Here we provide a snapshot of our research into touch, taste, and smell, which we’re carrying out at the Sussex Computer Human Interaction (SCHI—pronounced “sky”) Lab at the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK

    Corseto: A Kinesthetic Garment for Designing, Composing for, and Experiencing an Intersubjective Haptic Voice

    Get PDF
    We present a novel intercorporeal experience - an intersubjective haptic voice. Through an autobiographical design inquiry, based on singing techniques from the classical opera tradition, we created Corsetto, a kinesthetic garment for transferring somatic reminiscents of vocal experience from an expert singer to a listener. We then composed haptic gestures enacted in the Corsetto, emulating upper-body movements of the live singer performing a piece by Morton Feldman named Three Voices. The gestures in the Corsetto added a haptics-based \u27fourth voice\u27 to the immersive opera performance. Finally, we invited audiences who were asked to wear Corsetto during live performances. Afterwards they engaged in micro-phenomenological interviews. The analysis revealed how the Corsetto managed to bridge inner and outer bodily sensations, creating a feeling of a shared intercorporeal experience, dissolving boundaries between listener, singer and performance. We propose that \u27intersubjective haptics\u27 can be a generative medium not only for singing performances, but other possible intersubjective experiences

    Haptic Media Scenes

    Get PDF
    The aim of this thesis is to apply new media phenomenological and enactive embodied cognition approaches to explain the role of haptic sensitivity and communication in personal computer environments for productivity. Prior theory has given little attention to the role of haptic senses in influencing cognitive processes, and do not frame the richness of haptic communication in interaction design—as haptic interactivity in HCI has historically tended to be designed and analyzed from a perspective on communication as transmissions, sending and receiving haptic signals. The haptic sense may not only mediate contact confirmation and affirmation, but also rich semiotic and affective messages—yet this is a strong contrast between this inherent ability of haptic perception, and current day support for such haptic communication interfaces. I therefore ask: How do the haptic senses (touch and proprioception) impact our cognitive faculty when mediated through digital and sensor technologies? How may these insights be employed in interface design to facilitate rich haptic communication? To answer these questions, I use theoretical close readings that embrace two research fields, new media phenomenology and enactive embodied cognition. The theoretical discussion is supported by neuroscientific evidence, and tested empirically through case studies centered on digital art. I use these insights to develop the concept of the haptic figura, an analytical tool to frame the communicative qualities of haptic media. The concept gauges rich machine- mediated haptic interactivity and communication in systems with a material solution supporting active haptic perception, and the mediation of semiotic and affective messages that are understood and felt. As such the concept may function as a design tool for developers, but also for media critics evaluating haptic media. The tool is used to frame a discussion on opportunities and shortcomings of haptic interfaces for productivity, differentiating between media systems for the hand and the full body. The significance of this investigation is demonstrating that haptic communication is an underutilized element in personal computer environments for productivity and providing an analytical framework for a more nuanced understanding of haptic communication as enabling the mediation of a range of semiotic and affective messages, beyond notification and confirmation interactivity

    Exploring the potential of physical visualizations

    Get PDF
    The goal of an external representation of abstract data is to provide insights and convey information about the structure of the underlying data, therefore helping people execute tasks and solve problems more effectively. Apart from the popular and well-studied digital visualization of abstract data there are other scarcely studied perceptual channels to represent data such as taste, sound or haptic. My thesis focuses on the latter and explores in which ways human knowledge and ability to sense and interact with the physical non-digital world can be used to enhance the way in which people analyze and explore abstract data. Emerging technological progress in digital fabrication allow an easy, fast and inexpensive production of physical objects. Machines such as laser cutters and 3D printers enable an accurate fabrication of physical visualizations with different form factors as well as materials. This creates, for the first time, the opportunity to study the potential of physical visualizations in a broad range. The thesis starts with the description of six prototypes of physical visualizations from static examples to digitally augmented variations to interactive artifacts. Based on these explorations, three promising areas of potential for physical visualizations were identified and investigated in more detail: perception & memorability, communication & collaboration, and motivation & self-reflection. The results of two studies in the area of information recall showed that participants who used a physical bar chart retained more information compared to the digital counterpart. Particularly facts about maximum and minimum values were be remembered more efficiently, when they were perceived from a physical visualization. Two explorative studies dealt with the potential of physical visualizations regarding communication and collaboration. The observations revealed the importance on the design and aesthetic of physical visualizations and indicated a great potential for their utilization by audiences with less interest in technology. The results also exposed the current limitations of physical visualizations, especially in contrast to their well-researched digital counterparts. In the area of motivation we present the design and evaluation of the Activity Sculptures project. We conducted a field study, in which we investigated physical visualizations of personal running activity. It was discovered that these sculptures generated curiosity and experimentation regarding the personal running behavior as well as evoked social dynamics such as discussions and competition. Based on the findings of the aforementioned studies this thesis concludes with two theoretical contributions on the design and potential of physical visualizations. On the one hand, it proposes a conceptual framework for material representations of personal data by describing a production and consumption lens. The goal is to encourage artists and designers working in the field of personal informatics to harness the interactive capabilities afforded by digital fabrication and the potential of material representations. On the other hand we give a first classification and performance rating of physical variables including 14 dimensions grouped into four categories. This complements the undertaking of providing researchers and designers with guidance and inspiration to uncover alternative strategies for representing data physically and building effective physical visualizations.Um aus abstrakten Daten konkrete Aussagen, komplexe ZusammenhĂ€nge oder überraschende Einsichten gewinnen zu können, müssen diese oftmals in eine, für den Menschen, anschauliche Form gebracht werden. Eine weitverbreitete und gut erforschte Möglichkeiten ist die Darstellung von Daten in visueller Form. Weniger erforschte Varianten sind das Verkörpern von Daten durch GerĂ€usche, Gerüche oder physisch ertastbare Objekte und Formen. Diese Arbeit konzentriert sich auf die letztgenannte Variante und untersucht wie die menschlichen FĂ€higkeiten mit der physischenWelt zu interagieren dafür genutzt werden können, das Analysieren und Explorieren von Daten zu unterstützen. Der technische Fortschritt in der digitalen Fertigung vereinfacht und beschleunigt die Produktion von physischen Objekten und reduziert dabei deren Kosten. Lasercutter und 3D Drucker ermöglichen beispielsweise eine maßgerechte Fertigung physischer Visualisierungen verschiedenster AusprĂ€gungen hinsichtlich GrĂ¶ĂŸe und Material. Dadurch ergibt sich zum ersten Mal die Gelegenheit, das Potenzial von physischen Visualisierungen in grĂ¶ĂŸerem Umfang zu erforschen. Der erste Teil der Arbeit skizziert insgesamt sechs Prototypen physischer Visualisierungen, wobei sowohl statische Beispiele beschrieben werden, als auch Exemplare die durch digital Inhalte erweitert werden oder dynamisch auf Interaktionen reagieren können. Basierend auf den Untersuchungen dieser Prototypen wurden drei vielversprechende Bereiche für das Potenzial physischer Visualisierungen ermittelt und genauer untersucht: Wahrnehmung & EinprĂ€gsamkeit, Kommunikation & Zusammenarbeit sowie Motivation & Selbstreflexion. Die Ergebnisse zweier Studien zur Wahrnehmung und EinprĂ€gsamkeit von Informationen zeigten, dass sich Teilnehmer mit einem physischen Balkendiagramm an deutlich mehr Informationen erinnern konnten, als Teilnehmer, die eine digitale Visualisierung nutzten. Insbesondere Fakten über Maximal- und Minimalwerte konnten besser im GedĂ€chtnis behalten werden, wenn diese mit Hilfe einer physischen Visualisierung wahrgenommen wurden. Zwei explorative Studien untersuchten das Potenzial von physischen Visualisierungen im Bereich der Kommunikation mit Informationen sowie der Zusammenarbeit. Die Ergebnisse legten einerseits offen wie wichtig ein ausgereiftes Design und die Ästhetik von physischen Visualisierungen ist, deuteten anderseits aber auch darauf hin, dass Menschen mit geringem Interesse an neuen Technologien eine interessante Zielgruppe darstellen. Die Studien offenbarten allerdings auch die derzeitigen Grenzen von physischen Visualisierungen, insbesondere im Vergleich zu ihren gut erforschten digitalen Pendants. Im Bereich der Motivation und Selbstreflexion prĂ€sentieren wir die Entwicklung und Auswertung des Projekts Activity Sculptures. In einer Feldstudie über drei Wochen erforschten wir physische Visualisierungen, die persönliche Laufdaten reprĂ€sentieren. Unsere Beobachtungen und die Aussagen der Teilnehmer ließen darauf schließen, dass die Skulpturen Neugierde weckten und zum Experimentieren mit dem eigenen Laufverhalten einluden. Zudem konnten soziale Dynamiken entdeckt werden, die beispielsweise durch Diskussion aber auch Wettbewerbsgedanken zum Ausdruck kamen. Basierend auf den gewonnen Erkenntnissen durch die erwĂ€hnten Studien schließt diese Arbeit mit zwei theoretischen BeitrĂ€gen, hinsichtlich des Designs und des Potenzials von physischen Visualisierungen, ab. Zuerst wird ein konzeptionelles Framework vorgestellt, welches die Möglichkeiten und den Nutzen physischer Visualisierungen von persönlichen Daten veranschaulicht. Für Designer und Künstler kann dies zudem als Inspirationsquelle dienen, wie das Potenzial neuer Technologien, wie der digitalen Fabrikation, zur Darstellung persönlicher Daten in physischer Form genutzt werden kann. Des Weiteren wird eine initiale Klassifizierung von physischen Variablen vorgeschlagen mit insgesamt 14 Dimensionen, welche in vier Kategorien gruppiert sind. Damit vervollstĂ€ndigen wir unser Ziel, Forschern und Designern Inspiration und Orientierung zu bieten, um neuartige und effektvolle physische Visualisierungen zu erschaffen
    • 

    corecore