This project, developed as part of the module Cognition and Technologies at City University London, involved the user research and data analysis to gather requirements for the conceptual design of an electronic bracelet to express social touch.
Some initial sketches of the digital bracelet. It uses haptic technologies to transmit social touch, and it is small and discreet enough to be worn at public situations, for instance while using the tube or the bus.
The first part of the project consisted in researching about social touch, which can be understood as a literal, physical touch or as a metaphorical touch facilitated through technology. To understand better the context in which social touch takes place, observation sessions were conducted in Victoria Station and Regents Park. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of the thoughts, tasks, goals, feelings and decisions of the users.
To help find constraints and inform the design, the data was analyzed with two techniques that focus on the relationship between human cognition and technologies. The interviews revealed that many of the interactions that the users carry out during the day are mobile. One of the methods applied was the Resource Competition Framework technique (Oulasvirta et al.), which seeks to partition the cognitive resources used in mobile interactions in order to design for those most available.
The other technique used was the Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) matrix, in which interactions are classified in remote, co-located, asynchronous and synchronous. The matrix was useful to think about the nature of both kinds of social touches, and to reflect about how technology can support better the interactions and help to bridge the gap between remote social touch and co-located social touch. The concept of awareness, important in CSCW theories, was considered as well in the conceptual design.
Personas (see below) were created with data from the interviews to help guide the design process. The initial conceptual design consists of a digital bracelet that facilitates interaction through haptic technologies. It reduces the number of cognitive resources used in a typical mobile interaction and it makes interactions synchronous and therefore closer to those in real life.
Some initial sketches of the digital bracelet. When the buttons in the outside are pressed, they transmit a signal via smartphone to the other bracelet, which replicates the touch using little cognitive resources.Two small screens show one's own availability and the other person's, therefore improving awareness (right drawing).
Personas were created with data from the interviews as part of the conceptual design process.
