Felt Experiences with Kombucha Scoby: Exploring First-person Perspectives with Living Matter

Title of the Paper

Felt Experiences with Kombucha Scoby: Exploring First-person Perspectives with Living Matter

Bibliographic Information

• Research Domain: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), specifically design and interaction with living biological materials
• Keywords: Felt experience, living biological materials, design research, sensory interaction, autoethnography, Kombucha Scoby

Research Background and Problem Statement

• What problems or challenges did the authors identify?

  • In the HCI field, design research involving living biological materials has not sufficiently addressed the subjective feelings and sensory experiences of designers when interacting with non-human life forms (e.g., Scoby).
  • BioHCI research primarily focuses on controlling or utilizing biological materials, with limited exploration of the relationship between designers and biological materials, as well as the agency of non-human life.

• Why is this problem important?

  • As biotechnology expands its applications in design, sensory experiences with living matter can help reframe design goals and foster more diverse perspectives, such as moving beyond human-centered design.
  • Understanding interactions with non-human life forms is crucial for exploring "symbiotic design" and sustainable relationships between humans and the environment.

• Research Motivation and Related Work

  • The study is inspired by phenomenological research methods and design theories emphasizing bodily experiences (e.g., "soma design"), aiming to explore how designers establish relationships with biological materials through sensory perception.
  • The authors draw inspiration from other design research practices that focus on interactions with non-human entities (e.g., mycelium design, tissue care devices).

Solution

• What methods or solutions did the authors propose?

  • The authors employed autoethnography to explore the relationship between the designer and Kombucha Scoby by documenting the first author's sensory observations and reflections.
  • They designed "sensory engagement probes" to facilitate sensory experiences (e.g., observation, tactile interaction with the biological layer, auditory experiences) and deepen the designer's reflections.

• What is innovative about this solution?

  • It emphasizes the importance of "designer bodily perception," framing the design process as a holistic "body-mind practice."
  • Unlike traditional material studies, the authors redefine Scoby from a design material to a living companion in the design process, proposing specific strategies to incorporate the sounds and sensory aspects of living matter into design.

• What are the implementation steps? What key techniques were used?

  • Observation and Recording: Regularly documenting the growth process of the Scoby, including evaluations through visual (e.g., changes in layer color, timeline variations) and tactile (e.g., thickness and texture of the layer) methods.
  • Sensory Probe Design:
    1. Watching Probe: Using backlight equipment to monitor changes in light permeability during Scoby layer growth.
    2. Listening Probe: Designing a stethoscope-like structure to place the ear close to the Kombucha jar and capture the hissing sounds of fermentation gases.
    3. Touching Probe: Creating needle-like finger covers to limit full-hand contact while preserving fine tactile interaction with the Scoby.
  • Reflection Cycle: Observing personal sensory experiences, sharing sensory reflections with the research team, and iteratively refining the design.

Research Findings

• What specific outcomes were achieved?

  • The study proposed a method for designing sensory engagement probes and successfully created probe devices for interacting with Kombucha Scoby.
  • It deepened the understanding of the relationship between designers' sensory experiences and design decisions, fostering more connected and reflective interactions between human designers and non-human life forms.

• How does it compare to existing solutions?

  • Compared to traditional biological material design, this research places the designer's sensory experience at the core of the design process, opening up new avenues for sensory-driven design research.
  • In HCI, it highlights the perceptibility of non-human entities (e.g., Kombucha Scoby), offering new perspectives for exploring "beyond human-centered design."

• What were the experimental or evaluation results?

  • During the experiment, the sensory probe designs enabled the research team to document rich subjective experiences and foster emotional reflections (e.g., on the boundaries of Scoby as a living entity and the emotional tensions experienced by the designer).
  • Data such as timeline records and audio captures reinforced the understanding of the dynamic interactions between Scoby and humans.

• Limitations and Future Directions

  • Limitations:
    • The autoethnographic method is highly subjective, which may make it difficult to replicate or generalize to other designers.
    • Sensory engagement probes have not been tested on non-designer users, and the experiences reflected are primarily from the perspective of design practitioners.
  • Future Directions:
    • Expanding research to include multi-species interaction design, exploring dynamic relationships between non-human entities, humans, and the environment.
    • Developing more types of sensory probes and applying them to other biological materials or living matter designs.
    • Investigating the potential applications of sensory probes in sustainable and ecological design.