The Tiresias Effect: Feedforward using Light versus Temperature in a Tangible User Interface

In this paper we discuss how light and temperature information can be designed to affect feedforward in a tangible user interface (TUI). In particular we focus on temperature, which has not been widely considered as a mode of information representation in feedback or feedforward. We describe a prototype that implements both information modes in a TUI. Finally, we outline a user study in which these modes are explored as feedforward coaching devices for a decision-making task. The expected outcomes are an understanding of the role of temperature as information for feedforward in TUIs and a set of design guidelines for designers of tangibles working with these physical characteristics

"They Don't Come With a Handbook":Exploring Design Opportunities for Supporting Parent-Child Interaction around Emotions in the Family Context

Parenting practices have a profound effect on children’s well-being and are a core target of several psychological interventions for child mental health. However, there is only limited understanding in HCI so far about how to design socio-technical systems that could support positive shifts in parent-child social practices in situ. This paper focuses on parental socialisation of emotion as an exemplar context in which to explore this question. We present a two-step study, combining theory-driven identification of plausible design directions, with co-design workshops with 22 parents of children aged 6-10 years. Our data suggest the potential for technology-enabled systems that aim to facilitate positive changes in parent-child social practices in situ, and highlights a number of plausible design directions to explore in future work

A Systematic Review of the Probes Method in Research with Children and Families

Since their introduction, there has been wide discussion about how probes are used in human computer interaction (HCI) research. This variation can be problematic for researchers and designers who plan on using probes in the child computer interaction space, as it can be difficult to know which approach is best suited to address their design situation. In this review, we surveyed the ways that HCI researchers have used probes in studies with children and families. Based on 25 articles, we analysed the methodological decisions that researchers have taken in their empirical studies, relating to: a.) the goals for using the probes, b.) the probe itself, c.) participant involvement, and d.) the data and data use. Based on our methodological findings, we highlight four key tensions—including probes as sources of information versus creative input--and consider questions that can guide decision making for developing probes studies with children and families

Panel: Broadening the Discussion of Ethics in the Interaction Design and Children Community

Interaction Design and Children (IDC) as an academic field, and as a community, has a responsibility to engage with the many and diverse ethical challenges that arise from work that concerns the creation of digital technology for and with children – both in terms of research and industry contexts. This panel builds on a short history of similar events at previous conferences and aims to foster and strengthen the debate about ethical conduct and moral responsibilities in IDC. In this year’s panel, we seek to broaden the discussion by collecting ethical concerns, issues or dilemmas from within the community to be discussed at the conference. To this end, we will issue an open call for input that will be publicised via the usual channels. The organisers then will synthesise the responses and facilitate the discussion and debate at the panel

Exploring how a tangible tool enables collaboration in a multi-touch tabletop game

Abstract. Digital tabletop surfaces afford multiple user interaction and collaboration. Hybrid tabletops that include both tangible and multi-touch elements are increasingly being deployed in public settings (e.g. Microsoft Surface, reacTable). Designers need to understand how the different characteristics of tangible and multi-touch interface elements affect collaborative activity on tabletops. In this paper, we report on a mixed methods exploratory study of a collaborative tabletop game about sustainable development. We explore the effects of tangible and multi-touch tools on collaborative activity. Forty-five participants, in trios, played the game using both versions of the tools. Our analysis includes quantitative performance measures, qualitative themes and behavioral measures. Findings suggest that both tangible and multi-touch tools enabled effective tool use and that collaborative activity was more influenced by group dynamics than tool modality. However, we observed that the physicality of the tangible tools facilitated individual ownership and announcement of tool use, which in turn supported group and tool awareness

Child-Computer Interaction SIG: Designing for Refugee Children

The global refugee crisis is a significant current challenge affecting millions of children. The process of refugee migration comes with major immediate as well as long-term risks to children's physical and mental health, education, and prospects. Despite the multiple dangers and challenges during migration, most refugee families have access to and make use of interactive technologies, prior to, during, and after migration. This SIG meeting is an opportunity to discuss novel potential roles for technologies to alleviate some of the challenges faced by child refugees

MYND: Unsupervised Evaluation of Novel BCI Control Strategies on Consumer Hardware

Neurophysiological studies are typically conducted in laboratories with limited ecological validity, scalability, and generalizability of findings. This is a significant challenge for the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which ultimately need to function in unsupervised settings on consumer-grade hardware. We introduce MYND: A framework that couples consumer-grade recording hardware with an easy-to-use application for the unsupervised evaluation of BCI control strategies. Subjects are guided through experiment selection, hardware fitting, recording, and data upload in order to self-administer multi-day studies that include neurophysiological recordings and questionnaires. As a use case, we evaluate two BCI control strategies ("Positive memories" and "Music imagery") in a realistic scenario by combining MYND with a four-channel electroencephalogram (EEG). Thirty subjects recorded 70.4 hours of EEG data with the system at home. The median headset fitting time was 25.9 seconds, and a median signal quality of 90.2% was retained during recordings.Neural activity in both control strategies could be decoded with an average offline accuracy of 68.5% and 64.0% across all days. The repeated unsupervised execution of the same strategy affected performance, which could be tackled by implementing feedback to let subjects switch between strategies or devise new strategies with the platform.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to PNAS. Minor revisio

Designing with biosignals: Challenges, opportunities, and future directions for integrating physiological signals in human-computer interaction

Biosensing technologies are a rapidly increasing presence in our daily lives. These sensor-based technologies measure physiological processes including heart rate, breathing, skin conductance, brain activity and more. Researchers are exploring biosensing from perspectives including: engineering, human-computer interaction, medicine, mental health, consumer products, and interactive art. These technologies can enhance our interactions allowing connection to our bodies and others around us across diverse application areas. However, designing with biosignals in Human-Computer Interaction presents new challenges pertaining to User Experience, Input/Output, interpretation of signals, representation, and ethics. There is an urgent need to build a scholarly community that includes the diverse perspectives of researchers, designers, industry practitioners and policymakers. The goal of this workshop is to leverage the knowledge of this community aiming to map out the research landscape of emerging challenges and opportunities, and to build a research agenda for future directions

Body Matters:Exploration of the Human Body as a Resource for the Design of Technologies for Meditation

Much research on meditation has shown its significant benefits for wellbeing. In turn, there has been growing HCI interest for the design of novel interactive technologies intended to facilitate meditation in real-time. In many of these systems, physiological signals have been mapped onto creative audiovisual feedback, however, there has been limited attention to the experiential qualities of meditation and the specific role that the body may play in them. In this paper, we report on workshops with 24 experts exploring the bodily sensations that emerge during meditation. Through material speculation, participants shared their lived experience of meditation and identified key stages during which they may benefit from additional aid, often multimodal. Findings emphasize the importance of recreating mindful physical sensations during moments of mind-wandering; in particular for supporting the regulation of attention through a range of embodied metaphors and haptic feedback, tailored to key transitions in the meditation process