Glimpses of the future: designing fictions for mixed-reality performances

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Design fiction for mixed-reality performances

Designing for mixed-reality performances is challenging both in terms of technology design, and in terms of understanding the interplay between technology, narration, and (the outcomes of) audience interactions. This complexity also stems from the variety of roles in the creative team often entailing technology designers, artists, directors, producers, set-designers and performers. In this multidisciplinary, one-day workshop, we seek to bring together HCI scholars, designers, artists, and curators to explore the potential provided by Design Fiction as a method to generate ideas for Mixed-Reality Performance (MRP) through various archetypes including scripts, programs, and posters. By drawing attention to novel interactive technologies, such as bio-sensors and environmental IoT, we seek to generate design fiction scenarios capturing the aesthetic and interactive potential for mixed-reality performances, as well as the challenges to gain access to audience members’ data – i.e. physiological states, daily routines, conversations, etc

Developing UCAF, an administrative functionality for the U-Call IVR reporting system

Mobile phones and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) applications are being progressively used in developing countries to collect voice-based reports about bad governance or poor public service delivery, reported by citizens. Such systems (e.g. Avaaj Otalo, Foroba Blon, etc.) can give an opportunity to rural users in developing countries to easily influence and participate in public affairs. Despite the ongoing efforts on using such solutions, the lack of an efficient system of administration can cause delays in broadcasting the collected reports as quickly as possible, to reach the relevant authorities. This thesis presents the results of a real-world deployment of an administrative functionality for an IVR system called U-Call, used in the Northern districts of Uganda. U-Call Administrative Functionality (UCAF) interacts with the U-Call administrators through mobile phones and gives the moderator access to the registered users. It allows administrators to easily publish and tag audio reports over the Web using their mobile phones. It also uses a semantic tagging module to increase findability and information categorization on the U-Call’s website. After an initial validation and successful evaluation of UCAF in the field, during a trip to Uganda, additional features were incorporated, such as multiple authentication process and dynamic tagging. UCAF and its additional features was succefully delivered to the end user, as part of the  U-Call reporting system.People’s Voices: Developing Cross Media Services to Promote Citizens Participation in Local Governance Activitie

Interweaving Technology : Understanding the Design and Experience of Interactive Performances

This thesis builds on the growing interest in studying interactive performances within the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Interaction Design (IxD). The overarching goal of this research is to investigate how creative teams and artists can incorporate interactive technologies into their artistic productions. This thesis draws on four empirical studies of interactive performances carried out in collaboration with artists, performers, and designers. These studies focus on: (i) investigating scenarios of sensor-based and bodily tracking technologies in interactive performances, (ii) investigating how professional guitar players experience and express the smart qualities of a smart guitar in their artistic practices, (iii) investigating the audience's sense of immersion in a mixed-reality performance through introducing the concept of friction, and (iv) exploring frictions as a design resource in sketching scenarios of performances with VR. Two main methodological approaches were used throughout this research: Research through Design (RtD) and performance–led research in the wild. Beyond the result of these investigations, this thesis also presents the following contributions. First by presenting insights and knowledge generated through explorations of the incorporation of interactive technologies in performances through ideation, through studies of technology in use, and through design activities. This includes discussions around artists’ and audience members’ experience of technology including novel opportunities of interaction and participation, their collaborative roles and their agency and control within artistic productions. Second, by introducing friction as a Strong Concept to analyse interactions within a mixed-reality performance and to discuss how immersion is experienced throughout such performances. Finally by further developing the concept of friction through the collaborative design and staging of a novel mixed-reality performance

Being Hacked : Understanding Victims' Experiences of IoT Hacking

From light bulbs to smart locks, IoT is increasingly embedded into our homes and lives. This opens up new vulnerabilities as IoT devices can be hacked and manipulated to cause harm or discomfort. In this paper we document users' experiences of having their IoT systems hacked through 210 self-reports from Reddit, device support forums, and Amazon review pages. These reports and the discussion around them show how uncertainty is at the heart of 'being hacked'. Hacks are sometimes difficult to detect, and users can mistake unusual IoT behaviour as evidence of a hack, yet this can still cause considerable emotional hurt and harm. In discussion, we shift from seeing hacks as technical system failings to be repaired, to seeing them as sites for care and user support. Such a shift in perspective opens a new front in designing for hacking - not just prevention but alleviating harm.  Funding details: Vetenskapsrådet, VR; Funding text 1: This research is partially funded by a Digital Futures postdoctoral research grant, and the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) under the project Securing Things (2017-04804: Säkra saker: Säkra sakernas Internet).</p

Why Users Hack: Conflicting Interests and the Political Economy of Software

It is often assumed that the interests of users and developers coincide, sharing a common goal of good design. Yet users often desire functionality that goes beyond what designers, and the organisations they work in, are willing to supply. Analysing online forums, complemented with interviews, we document how users, hackers and software developers worked together to discover and apply system exploits in hardware and software. We cover four cases: users of CPAP breathing assistance machines getting access to their own sleep data, 'hacking' the Nintendo switch game console to run non-authorised software, end-users building their own insulin supply system, and farmers repairing their own agriculture equipment against suppliers terms and conditions. We propose the concept of the 'gulf of interests' to understand how differing interests can create conflicts between end-users, designers, and the organisations they work in. This points us in the direction of researching further the political and economic situations of technology development and use.Securing Thing

Being Hacked: Understanding Victims’ Experiences of IoT Hacking

From light bulbs to smart locks, IoT is increasingly embed- ded into our homes and lives. This opens up new vulnerabili- ties as IoT devices can be hacked and manipulated to cause harm or discomfort. In this paper we document users’ ex- periences of having their IoT systems hacked through 210 self-reports from Reddit, device support forums, and Amazon review pages. These reports and the discussion around them show how uncertainty is at the heart of ’being hacked’. Hacks are sometimes difficult to detect, and users can mistake un- usual IoT behaviour as evidence of a hack, yet this can still cause considerable emotional hurt and harm. In discussion, we shift from seeing hacks as technical system failings to be repaired, to seeing them as sites for care and user support. Such a shift in perspective opens a new front in designing for hacking - not just prevention but alleviating harm

Bodystorming for Movement-Based Interaction Design

After a decade of movement-based interaction in human–computer interaction, designing for the moving body still remains a challenge. Research in this field requires methods to help access, articulate, and harness embodied experiences in ways that can inform the design process. To address this challenge, this article appropriates bodystorming, an embodied ideation method for movement-based interaction design. The proposed method allows for early consideration of the physical, collocated, and social aspects of a designed activity as illustrated with two explorative workshops in different application domains: interactive body games and interactive performances. Using a qualitative methods approach, we used video material from the workshops, feedback from participants, and our own experience as participants and facilitators to outline important characteristics of the bodystorming method in the domain of movement-based interaction. The proposed method is compared with previous ones and application implications are discussed.peerReviewe

WS_Frictional Realities

<div> <div> <div> <p>Mixed-Reality Performances that employ immersive technology, do not need to rely on its presumed immersive nature to make the performance an engaging or coherent experience. Immersion in such performances emerges from the audience’ transition towards a more active role in the performance and by creating different realities through frictions. We look at aspects of friction between the different layers of the Mixed-Reality Performance, namely: temporal friction, friction between the physical and virtual presence of the audience, and friction between realities. </p> </div> </div> </div