Broken Display = Broken Interface? The Impact of Display Damage on Smartphone Interaction

This paper is the first to assess the impact of touchscreen damage on smartphone interaction. We gathered a dataset consisting of 95 closeup images of damaged smartphones and extensive information about a device’s usage history, damage severity, and impact on use. 88 % of our participants continued to use their damaged smartphone for at least three months; 32 % plan to use it for another year or more, mainly due to high repair and replacement costs. From the dataset, we identified three categories of damaged smartphone displays. Reading and text input were most affected. Further interviews (n=11) revealed that users adapt to damage with diverse coping strategies, closely tailored to specific interaction issues. In total, we identified 23 different strategies. Based on our results, we proposed guidelines for interaction design in order to provide a positive user experience when display damage occurs. Author Keywords Smartphone; mobile interaction; broken display; displa

Exploring DIY practices of complex home technologies

We are surrounded by increasingly complex networks of smart objects, yet our understanding and attachment to them is rather limited. One way to support stronger end users’ engagement with such complex technologies is by involving them in the design process and with the advent of Arduino prototyping platform, even in their making. While DIY practice offers the potential for stronger user engagement with physical artifacts, we know little about end users’ DIY practice of making complex electronic technologies and their potential to ensure engagement with such devices. In this paper, we report on interviews with 18 participants from two green communities who built and used an open source DIY energy monitor, with the aim to explore the end users DIY practices of making such complex electronic devices. Findings indicate four key qualities of DIY monitors: transparent modularity, open-endedness, heirloom and disruptiveness, and how they contribute to more meaningful engagement with the DIY monitors, elevating them from the status of unremarkable objects to that of things. We conclude with three implications for design for supporting end user development of complex electronic DIY: designing transparent open hardware technologies, standardizing communication protocols for the current and future DIY of IoT; and deliberately calling for personal investment and labor in the assembling of DIY kits

ICS Materials. Towards a re-Interpretation of material qualities through interactive, connected, and smart materials.

The domain of materials for design is changing under the influence of an increased technological advancement, miniaturization and democratization. Materials are becoming connected, augmented, computational, interactive, active, responsive, and dynamic. These are ICS Materials, an acronym that stands for Interactive, Connected and Smart. While labs around the world are experimenting with these new materials, there is the need to reflect on their potentials and impact on design. This paper is a first step in this direction: to interpret and describe the qualities of ICS materials, considering their experiential pattern, their expressive sensorial dimension, and their aesthetic of interaction. Through case studies, we analyse and classify these emerging ICS Materials and identified common characteristics, and challenges, e.g. the ability to change over time or their programmability by the designers and users. On that basis, we argue there is the need to reframe and redesign existing models to describe ICS materials, making their qualities emerge

Understanding the language of unexpected: a critical and experimental approach to enhance the productive defect

No processamento industrial, os erros e marcas de produção são eliminados porque vistos como aspetos que diminuem o valor do objeto, quando visíveis. Esses fatores considerados comummente como ‘defeitos’, no entanto, evidenciam a narrativa do processo produtivo, fazendo, portanto, parte da história do objeto. Partindo do estado de design e produção de assuntos sobre produtos industriais e artesanais, a tese pretende investigar e analisar novos métodos de projeto relacionados à experimentação de forma capaz de deixar traços e significados capazes de permanecer impressos em a superfície e a memória do objeto e daqueles que o usam. Em particular, tem como objetivo trazer o valor do processo de imperfeição em objetos durante a fase executiva. Através de um processo experimental de Auto produção, este projeto quer dizer, através do uso de material cerâmico, a mutação da forma de um objeto através da deterioração do molde investigando, ao mesmo tempo, a estética processual. O objetivo é o de desenhar uma diretriz específica útil para a análise crítica das tecnologias de produção.In industrial processing errors are eliminated because considered as defect, if visible, as elements that decrease the value of the object. These imperfections are commonly considered ‘defects’; however, they reveal the narrative of the production process and part of the story of the object. From the design, the craftsmanship, and the industrial process as a whole, the thesis intends to investigate and analyse new design methods related to experimenting shapes, that are able to leave traces and meanings related to the object’s past for those who use it. In particular, it aims to bring the value of imperfection into objects. This project wants to convey to the consumer, that through the use of ceramic material, the change in shape is the result of the mould’s deterioration over time. The aim is to draw a useful specific guideline for the Technology production

Designing speculative artifacts

In recent decades, Mark Weiser's vision of ubiquitous computing has become today's reality through embedded electronics, the rise of machine learning, and the proliferation of wireless Internet access. This development brings not only opportunities but also new challenges for the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) community. Technology, for example, is (1) entering novel application scenarios and pristine interaction environments, (2) leaving the screen and conquering the physical world, and (3) changing the previous tool-like nature of computers to social, self-learning, and pro-active entities. As a result, there are no already established interaction paradigms, metaphors, and design strategies for designing such systems. Thus, HCI faces questions about the interaction design in the context of embedded systems and novel materials, the conceptualization of intelligent systems in everyday environments, and, subsequently, the consequences on human-technology relations. To approach such questions, a standard tool in HCI research is the human-centered design process, which creates knowledge about user needs and considers user perspectives to inform design decisions. Observations and interviews are used to understand the context, workflow, or tools, before developing ideas and concepts for technological improvements or solutions. This process has proven to be effective when dealing with matters familiar to users, such as their workplaces, leading to improved workflows and experiences. However, it remains open how design can be grounded if future technologies result in unfamiliar situations. When people can no longer contribute with their domain knowledge, what are novel interaction concepts, paradigms, and designs based on? To tackle these problems, I present and discuss a programmatic design approach to generate original design ideas and concepts. This approach builds on Speculative and Critical Design practices within the HCI context. The main idea central to this work is to create designs using real-world patterns to inform HCI since these patterns still comply with users' prior knowledge, experiences, and perception of fundamental social or natural principles. Such Real-World Patterns (RWP) can be familiar metaphors, morphologies, or mental models - e.g., understanding causality in the physical world or knowing the basic working principles of musical instruments. These patterns are chosen and then transferred into designs to meet or contradict users' expectations of the technology in order to create confrontational situations in which new perspectives are opened up. Based on the confrontation with the speculative artifacts, implications and requirements are deduced, which in reverse can be applied to future technologies. The projects presented apply this approach in various HCI research domains, including human-robot interaction, new interfaces for musical expression, and deformable and flexible interfaces. In this dissertation, I reflect on the approach using three questions: (Q1) How does the use of RWPs complement the Research through Design practice?; (Q2) How can RWPs be instrumentalized in the design of HCI systems?; and (Q3) How does the use of RWPs in design affect the relation between humans and technology? This thesis contributes (1) an overview of the approach as well as three perspectives which are instrumental in understanding and applying RWPs in the design of HCI, (2) eight speculative artifacts, which exemplify the approach, (3) theories and concepts inspired by the used RWPs, and (4) empirical knowledge deduced from the associated studies and surveys.In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist Mark Weisers Vision des Ubiquitous Computing durch eingebettete Systeme, den Aufstieg künstlicher Intelligenz und die Verbreitung des drahtlosen Internetzugangs zur heutigen Lebensrealität geworden. Diese Entwicklung bringt nicht nur Chancen, sondern auch neue Herausforderungen für die Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Community mit sich. Technologien dringen bspw. in neuartige Anwendungsszenarien und noch unberührte Interaktionsumgebungen ein, verlassen den Bildschirm und erobern die physische Welt und verändern so den bisherigen werkzeugartigen Charakter von Computern zu sozialen, selbstlernenden und proaktiven Entitäten. Infolgedessen gibt es keine bereits etablierten Interaktionsparadigmen, Metaphern und Designstrategien, auf die für die Gestaltung solcher Systeme zurückgegriffen werden könnte. Für die HCI stellen sich daher Fragen zur Interaktionsgestaltung im Kontext eingebetteter Systeme und neuartiger Materialien, zur Konzeptualisierung intelligenter Maschinen in Alltagsumgebungen und folglich zu den Auswirkungen auf die Beziehung, in der Mensch und Technologie zueinander stehen. Um sich solchen Fragen zu nähern, ist in der HCI der Human-Centered Design Prozess eine verbreitete Vorgehensweise, die Erkenntnisse über die Bedürfnisse der Benutzer:innen schafft und deren Perspektive bei Designentscheidungen berücksichtigt. Beobachtungen und Interviews werden genutzt, um den Kontext, die Arbeitsabläufe oder Werkzeuge zu verstehen, bevor Ideen und Konzepte für technische Lösungen entwickelt werden. Dieses Vorgehen hat sich als effektiv erwiesen und führt zu Verbesserungen von Technologien, solange die betreffenden Situationen den Nutzer:innen vertraut sind. Offen bleibt jedoch, worauf Design-Konzepte bauen können, wenn zukünftige Technologien zu ungewohnten Situationen führen. Worauf basieren neuartige Interaktionskonzepte, Paradigmen und Entwürfe, wenn Menschen nicht mehr mit ihrem Fachwissen und Erfahrungen beitragen können? Um diese Problematik anzugehen, präsentiere und diskutiere ich in dieser Dissertation einen programmatischen Ansatz, um neuartige Designideen und -konzepte zu entwickeln. Dieser baut auf den Praktiken des spekulativen und kritischen Designs im HCI-Kontext auf. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Entwicklung von Designs unter Verwendung von Mustern aus der realen Welt, da diese das Vorwissen der Nutzer:innen sowie soziale und natürliche Prinzipien einbeziehen. Bei solchen Real-World Patterns (RWP) kann es sich um vertraute Metaphern, Morphologien oder mentale Modelle handeln, bspw. um das Verständnis von Kausalität in der physischen Welt oder um die Kenntnis der grundlegenden Funktionsprinzipien von Musikinstrumenten. Potentielle Muster werden ausgewählt und derart in Entwürfe übertragen, dass die Erwartungen der Nutzer:innen an die Technologie erfüllt oder ihnen widersprochen wird. So werden konfrontative Situationen geschaffen, in denen sich neue Perspektiven eröffnen. Aus der Konfrontation mit den spekulativen Artefakten werden Implikationen und Anforderungen abgeleitet, die sich im Umkehrschluss auf zukünftige Technologien anwenden lassen. Die vorgestellten Projekte wenden diesen Ansatz in verschiedenen HCI-Forschungsbereichen an, unter anderem in der Mensch-Roboter-Interaktion, im Kontext neuer Schnittstellen für die musikalische Interaktion, sowie für deformierbare und flexible Schnittstellen. In dieser Dissertation reflektiere ich den Ansatz anhand dreier Fragen: (Q1) Wie ergänzt der Einsatz von RWPs die Research through Design Praxis?; (Q2) Wie können RWPs für das Design von HCI-Systemen instrumentalisiert werden?; und (Q3) Wie beeinflusst der Einsatz von RWPs die Beziehung zwischen Mensch und Technologie? Der Beitrag dieser Arbeit liegt in (1) einem Überblick über den Ansatz sowie in den drei Perspektiven, die für das Verständnis und die Anwendung von RWPs in der Gestaltung von HCI maßgeblich sind, (2) den acht spekulativen Artefakten, die den Ansatz beispielhaft darstellen, (3) den Theorien und Konzepten, die von den verwendeten RWPs inspiriert sind, und (4) den empirischen Erkenntnissen, die aus den zugehörigen Studien und Umfragen abgeleitet wurden

The People Inside

Our collection begins with an example of computer vision that cuts through time and bureaucratic opacity to help us meet real people from the past. Buried in thousands of files in the National Archives of Australia is evidence of the exclusionary “White Australia” policies of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which were intended to limit and discourage immigration by non-Europeans. Tim Sherratt and Kate Bagnall decided to see what would happen if they used a form of face-detection software made ubiquitous by modern surveillance systems and applied it to a security system of a century ago. What we get is a new way to see the government documents, not as a source of statistics but, Sherratt and Bagnall argue, as powerful evidence of the people affected by racism

Remember the Future

The starting point of this study is the prehistoric “teganoschemo” archaeological find of the Syros-Keros civilization in the Aegean Sea. These artifacts have been causing debates among archaeologists as their raison d'être is still contested. The aim of this study is to bring a prehistoric ontological model of design and craft to contemporary design practices. In order to explore such alternative ontologies, we turn to the past and address themes of death and life embodied in these prehistoric artifacts. As we leave Modernity behind and transition towards Sustainment, a new ontology for Design is necessary. By understanding the ontological framework of prehistoric designers, we aim to create propositional artifacts that exemplify what design can be. The propositional artifacts created act as different phases in a research-through design process that aims to investigate how design operates within an alternative system of values

Remember the future: Prehistoric design and sustainability

The starting point of this study is the prehistoric “teganoschemo” archaeological find of the Syros-Keros civilization in the Aegean Sea. These artifacts have been causing debates among archaeologists as their raison d'être is still contested. The aim of this study is to bring a prehistoric ontological model of design and craft to contemporary design practices. In order to explore such alternative ontologies, we turn to the past and address themes of death and life embodied in these prehistoric artifacts. As we leave Modernity behind and transition towards Sustainment, a new ontology for Design is necessary. By understanding the ontological framework of prehistoric designers, we aim to create propositional artifacts that exemplify what design can be. The propositional artifacts created act as different phases in a research-through design process that aims to investigate how design operates within an alternative system of values

Exploring New Metaphors for a Networked World through the File Biography

We present a body of work undertaken in response to the challenge outlined by Harper et al. in their paper, ‘What is a File?’ [9]. As a reimagining of the file metaphor, we intro-duce the file biography, a digital entity that encompasses the provenance of a file and allows the user to keep track of how it propagates. First, we describe the design and con-ceptual work that grounded the file biography. We then report findings from two studies in which we (i) asked users to sketch out file biographies for their own content, and (ii) deployed a tool called Milestoner, which enables users to build their own file biographies across multiple versions of files. We conclude by drawing implications for new file metaphors and the actions they enable