Steering Towards Safety: Evaluating Signaling Gestures for an Embodied Driver GuideWe investigate the integration of embodied agents within the automotive environment to enhance driver guidance. We explore the concept through two user studies. Through a gesture elicitation study using motion capture technology, we first identified a set of whole-body gestures suitable for in-car driver assistance. We then recreated the selected gestures by acting them out and recording them as animations. The selected gestures were then evaluated and mapped to different driving-related scenarios in the second study conducted in a simulated in-car condition. The most promising gestures for an embodied in-car driving assistant were pointing towards a certain direction, showing warning signs by crossing the arms either on the chest or arms on top of the head, and performing waving gestures to alert or to grasp the driver's attention. By charting the potential signaling gestures, we aim to advance the development of more intuitive in-car guidance systems, ultimately promoting road safety.2024JHJonna Häkkilä et al.In-Vehicle Haptic, Audio & Multimodal FeedbackFull-Body Interaction & Embodied InputAutoUI
Designing and Using the Wild Probes Toolkit (v1) to Co-Design From-the-WildRecent research calls for new design methods and tools that respond to the idiosyncrasies of emergent design spaces. Here we address one of them: the design of nature-related technology. To facilitate increasingly situated practices in this space, we created the Wild Probes: a set of probing tools for displacing co-design into the wilderness. Our toolkit enables forestry future-making by helping forest goers to pay attention to, reflect on, ideate around, and document their forestry experiences. Here we present the design and early use of the toolkit. We hope other designers will find it useful and extend it with new Wild Probes of their own.2023FBFerran Altarriba Bertran et al.Participatory DesignHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)DIS
Snowflakes: A Prototyping Tool for Computational JewelrySmart-jewelry design has many layers such as comfort, ergonomics, fashionability, interactivity, and functionality that create a complex design process, making the form exploration challenging. Various wearable prototyping tools were developed to overcome this challenge; however, they are usually textile-based and do not target smart jewelry design. To bridge this gap, we developed Snowflakes that differentiates from existing tools by \textit{1) allowing designers to explore different jewelry forms, 2) incorporating external materials such as leather, 3) creating form factors that fit body parts with flexible connectors.} In this paper, we explain the design process of Snowflakes which is inspired by 7 design parameters (limbs, materials, grip, fastener, decoration, placement, form) extracted through the examination of non-smart jewelry. We also demonstrate three reimplementations and design concepts implemented with Snowflakes. Our exploration with Snowflakes contributes to the wearable community in terms of smart-jewelry visual expressions, interaction modalities, and the merger of traditional and computational materials.2021OBOğuz 'Oz' Buruk et al.Tampere UniversityHaptic WearablesCustomizable & Personalized ObjectsCHI
BuSiNec– Studying the Effects of a Busyness Signifying Necklace in the WildWorkplace stress is a growing problem, which is often not identified by sufferers and those around them until it becomes chronic. Moreover, admitting to feel stressed is a highly private and therefore sensitive topic, particularly at work. Informed by the findings from six in-depth interviews, we designed the manually self-adjusted wearable BuSiNec: a Busyness Signifying Necklace. 18 participants wore it at their workplace and reported on their experiences and their usage behavior through a diary and in a focus group interview. Our findings indicate that BuSiNec supports self-reflection on stress and further stimulates valuable discussions among co-users which in turn increased mutual consideration. Participants were conscious of their their displayed busyness status towards others and used the display to encourage or discourage discussions and interruptions, or as a warning of upcoming hurry. From these findings, we derive recommendations for the integration of affective state information in wearable displays.2020JHJonna Hakkila et al.Haptic WearablesWorkplace Wellbeing & Work StressDIS
More than the Sum of Makers: The Complex Dynamics of Diverse Practices at Maker FaireHuman Computer Interaction has developed great interest in the Maker Movement. Previous work has explored it from various perspectives, focusing either on its potentials or issues. As these are however only fragmented portrayals, this paper aims to take a broader perspective and interconnect some of the fragments. We conducted a qualitative study in the context of two Maker Faires to gain a better understanding of the complex dynamics that makers operate in. We captured the voices of different stakeholders and explored how their respective agendas relate to each other. The findings illustrate how the event is co-created at the nexus of different technological, social and economic interests while leaving space for diverse practices. The paper contributes a first focused analysis of Maker Faire, probes it as a site for research and discusses how holistic perspectives on the Maker Movement could create new research opportunities.2019JMJanis Lena Meissner et al.Newcastle UniversityAging-Friendly Technology DesignMakerspace CultureCHI
Investigating the Effect of Orientation and Visual Style on Touchscreen Slider PerformanceSliders are one of the most fundamental components used in touchscreen user interfaces (UIs). When entering data using a slider, errors occur due e.g. to visual perception, resulting in inputs not matching what is intended by the user. However, it is unclear if the errors occur uniformly across the full range of the slider or if there are systematic offsets. We conducted a study to assess the errors occurring when entering values with horizontal and vertical sliders as well as two common visual styles. Our results reveal significant effects of slider orientation and style on the precision of the entered values. Furthermore, we identify systematic offsets that depend on the visual style and the target value. As the errors are partially systematic, they can be compensated to improve users' precision. Our findings provide UI designers with data to optimize user experiences in the wide variety of application areas where slider based touchscreen input is used.2019ACAshley Colley et al.University of Lapland360° Video & Panoramic ContentPrototyping & User TestingCHI
Together in Bed? Couples' Mobile Technology Use in BedIn this paper, we investigate the use of mobile technology in an underexplored context, the bed that couples share. Despite large amounts of research on the impact of pre-bedtime technology use on our sleep and mental state, scant research in the HCI field focuses on the physical bed as a negotiated site of technology use by couples. This paper explores (a) the meaning of the bed accessed by mobile technology and (b) the strategies of both individual and shared technology use in bed, in the context of couple's relationships. We investigate the effects of mobile technology to couples' bed-sharing practices through in-depth interviews (n = 12) and an online survey (n = 117). We report on creative and negotiated bodily practices of mobile technology use by couples in bed, and the perceived effects on couples' verbal and physical interaction and the intimacy of the bed.2019TSTarja Salmela et al.University of LaplandSleep & Stress MonitoringWorkplace Wellbeing & Work StressCHI
HCI Outdoors: Understanding Human-Computer Interaction in Outdoor RecreationHCI in outdoor recreation is a growing research area. While papers investigating systems in specific domains, such as biking, climbing, or skiing, are beginning to appear, the broader community is just beginning to form. The community still seems to lack a cohesive agenda for advancing our understanding of this application domain. The goal of this workshop is to bring together individuals interested in HCI outdoors to review past work, build a unifying research agenda, share ongoing work, encourage collaboration, and make plans for future meetings. The workshop will result in a report containing a research agenda, extensive annotated bibliography, an article about this topic and plans for unifying the community at future meetings.2018MJMichael D Jones et al.Brigham Young U.Context-Aware ComputingField StudiesCHI