Arca: Documenting Novel Design Patterns for Improving Interpersonal Privacy with Smart Cameras

Companies and smart product designers prioritize the needs of primary users. However, smart devices with spatial sensors, like cameras and microphones, impact the experiences of people nearby. We refer to these people as adjacent users. We present a research through design project that highlights an overlooked need to design for adjacent users. This research outlines a range of actionable pathways forward in the form of design patterns, principles, and novel problem-framings. We also reflect upon barriers and inherent limits to user-centered design approaches. Our vehicle for generating and communicating these insights is a design concept and prototype called Arca. Presented as a fictional product, we brand Arca as “more inclusive, privacy-enhancing smart camera for you and your extended household.”