Becoming One with Kuddi: Touching Data through an Intimate Data Physicalisation

Research Background and Problem

• Identified Problems or Challenges:

  • In the current field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the practice of data physicalization for interpreting and exploring personal data has limitations, particularly a lack of concrete examples and research paradigms for tactile data physicalization.
  • Digital tools for menstrual tracking, such as popular screen-based period tracking apps, often present data in simple binary or visual formats, lacking rich interactive methods that foster immersive and sensitive experiences.
  • Few technological designs addressing menstruation and related bodily states engage with the complex emotions and experiences of the body, especially in interactions involving pain and discomfort.

• Significance of the Problem:

  • Menstruation and bodily changes are highly personal and sensitive topics. A more intimate presentation of this data can deepen users' understanding of and care for their own bodies.
  • Data physicalization technologies, through novel methods like tactile interaction, can foster emotional connections with data, which is of significant importance for expanding the design dimensions of the HCI field.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • The authors were inspired by new trends in data physicalization within the HCI and interaction design fields, with a particular focus on the potential of tactile modalities for data interpretation.
  • Previous related work (e.g., experiments on touch-based emotional and data transmission) provided inspiration for this study, but these works lacked in-depth exploration of holistic bodily interaction.
  • This study uses menstrual data as a medium to provide innovative approaches to physicalizing and tactilizing complex but often overlooked data, such as "pain" or "bodily discomfort."

Proposed Solution

• Proposed Solution:
  The authors developed a tactile data physicalization tool called Kuddi, designed as a dynamically shape-shifting soft pillow embedded with 12 inflatable silicone pockets. Kuddi uses menstrual tracking data (e.g., pain, fatigue, bleeding volume) to drive interactions, allowing users to experience the changes and complexities of their bodily data through the pillow's dynamic tactile feedback.

• Innovative Contributions:

  1. Introduced a whole-body tactile interaction approach, surpassing previous studies that primarily focused on hand-based tactile data physicalization.
  2. Encoded menstrual data using simple and clear tactile patterns, designing dynamic and deeply metaphorical interaction methods.
  3. Combined tactile data physicalization with "first-person design methods" and "Soma Design" to maximize the design's attention to and responsiveness toward users' bodies and emotions.

• Implementation Steps and Key Technologies:

  1. Data Collection and Material Design:
     • Collected the author's personal bodily data using a menstrual tracking app, mapping menstrual pain and other sensations onto the silicone tactile pads.
     • Used soft silicone and silky fabrics as primary materials to create a comfortable tactile experience for the body.
  2. Shape Transformation and Simulated Interaction:
     • Employed programmable air technology to control the inflation and deflation frequency of the silicone pockets, reflecting daily data variations.
     • Integrated light and touch sensors to dynamically adapt to the environment and detect user touch.
  3. Exploration of Design Space:
     • Applied Soma Design principles, shaping the interactive experience through practices like Feldenkrais techniques to encourage users to sense their bodily states.
  4. Long-term Deployment and Self-Experience:
     • The author lived with Kuddi for two months, documenting emotional and physical experiences of coexisting with the pillow through interactions and observations.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Outcomes:

  1. Kuddi serves as a paradigm for the tactile physicalization of menstrual data, successfully embodying and tactilizing menstrual symptoms through dynamic shape transformations.
  2. The author reported "moments of transformation" during interactions with Kuddi, where caring for the pillow fostered a reciprocal sense of care for their own bodily pain and discomfort.
  3. Rich descriptions demonstrated the potential of combining tactile interaction with private data to inspire users' deeper reflection on their bodily sensations.

• Advantages:

  • Compared to traditional screen-based data visualizations, Kuddi provides a platform for directly perceivable, emotionalized data experiences through the body.
  • The design of tactile interactions evokes empathy and feedback from users toward their own data, a form of emotional connection rarely seen in previous design approaches.
  • Soma Design enables users not only to "see data" but also to "feel data" through their bodies, fostering deeper self-reflection and learning.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • During the two-month deployment, the author developed a new bodily and emotional understanding of their menstrual cycle, recognizing Kuddi as an effective strategy for enhancing "bodily sensitive knowledge."
  • The interactive experience demonstrated the unique value of dynamic tactility over static visualizations, guiding users to recognize and care for themselves through intimate bodily contact.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  1. Limitations:
     • Since the first author also served as the user, potential biases may arise due to their designer background, making their intimate experiences less directly generalizable to broader user groups.
     • The physicalization of data involved relatively simple categorical mappings, which may struggle to represent more complex data (e.g., variations in pain intensity over time).
  2. Future Directions:
     • Expand to other user groups, particularly those with diverse cultural backgrounds or non-designer identities, to validate generalizability.
     • Enhance the tactile data representation capabilities to accommodate more dynamic and complex personal data.
     • Explore Kuddi's potential during non-painful phases of the menstrual cycle (e.g., ovulation) to provide more balanced full-cycle support.

In summary, Kuddi offers a pioneering example of tactile interaction in the field of data physicalization. Through meticulous Soma Design, it not only enhances users' perception and empathy toward their bodily experiences but also provides new directions for designing care-oriented technologies based on bodily tactility.