Showing papers by "Paul Coulton published in 2015"

Back to the future: 10 years of design fiction

Abstract: The term design fiction was originally coined in 2005 by the Science Fiction author Bruce Sterling. In the 10 years since, design fiction has received considerable interest from a range disciplines most notably HCI which increasingly draws upon generative methods and creative practices. In this paper we consider examples of recent HCI research that refers to design fiction in order to highlight commonalities and ambiguities in how the term is interpreted and used. We argue that design fiction is a compelling and powerful concept but is inherently ambiguous. We therefore suggest strategies to disambiguate communications 'about design fiction' in order to strengthen applications 'of design fiction'.

Game of Drones

Abstract: In response to the recent European Directive the UK government sanctioned the use of drones by commercial providers subject to pilots holding an approved Drone Pilot Proficiency Certificate (DPPC). As the government anticipated the main use has been in providing services to local authorities that aid in the enforcement of local by-laws. Whilst many commercial providers have followed the traditional path of employing dedicated enforcement officers to pilot the drones, in this paper we present on-going research that 'gamifies' the enforcment activities to allow members of the local community to act as enforcement officers. In particular we have worked with retired members of the police and armed services as drone pilots in relation to the enforcement of by-laws relating to parking offences and dog fouling in a small UK city. The initial results indicate that not only does this age group find the game-like activity enjoyable they feel that they are providing an important service to their community.

Playful and Gameful Design for the Internet of Things

Abstract: The emerging vision of an Internet of things (IoT) as a global infrastructure of networked physical objects is undoubtedly compelling across a range of potential application areas. While the vast majority of implementations thus far have presented IoT objects in a passive sensing role, or used them to provide some form of remote access/control, there are considerable opportunities for the creation of novel playful or gameful experiences. In particular, the creation of hybrid physical/digital IoT objects presents designers with a number of interesting opportunities as they can (i) blur the boundaries between physical objects and virtual worlds; and (ii) they provide opportunities for embodied physical play outside a virtual environment. However, in order to maximize these opportunities, designers need to develop new approaches to their interaction design that combine understandings from both product design and computer interface design. In this chapter, I consider the nature of IoT objects and how the digital and physical affordances of such objects can be combined using examples of a number of gameful and playful IoT systems.

Supporting Empathy Through Embodiment in the Design of Interactive Systems

Abstract: Whilst empathy is considered an essential component of what it means to be human, it is frequently absent as a design objective when creating modern communication systems. This paper presents an approach to designing for, as opposed to with, empathy using the example of two design interventions to create embodied rituals reflecting prayers and worries of individuals within a church community. The aim of these interventions is to facilitate conversation and support within the community, thus generating empathy between community members, and inciting prosocial behaviour through embodied cognition.

Perceptive Media – Adaptive Storytelling for Digital Broadcast

Abstract: Storytelling techniques within traditional broadcast media have not made major advances in recent years due to the linear and relatively rigid approach to narrative despite advances in the technology that delivers the content. This research proposes the concept of ‘perceptive media’ in which the content creators have at their disposal different tools and sensors to allow for the subtle adaption of the narrative without any direct interactions from the audience members. The concept is demonstrated through the creation of a ‘perceptive radio’ that is able to play specially designed content that adapts to the physical and social context in which the radio resides.

Visualizing patterns in spatially ambiguous point data

Abstract: As technologies permitting both the creation and retrieval of data containing spatial information continue to develop, so do the number of visualizations using such data. This spatial information will often comprise a place name that may be "geocoded" into coordinates, and displayed on a map, frequently using a "heatmap-style" visualiza- tion to reveal patterns in the data. Across a dataset, however, there is often ambiguity in the geographic scale to which a place-name refers (country, county, town, street etc.), and attempts to simultaneously map data at a multitude of different scales will result in the formation of "false hotspots" within the map. These form at the centers of administrative areas (countries, counties, towns etc.) and introduce erroneous patterns into the dataset whilst obscuring real ones, resulting in misleading visualizations of the patterns in the dataset. This paper therefore proposes a new algorithm to intelligently redistribute data that would otherwise contribute to these "false hotspots," moving them to locations that likely reflect real-world patterns at a homogeneous scale, and so allow more representative visualizations to be created without the negative effects of "false hotspots" resulting from multi-scale data. This technique is demonstrated on a sample dataset taken from Twitter, and validated against the "geotagged" portion of the same dataset.

Walking off the garden path : a design journey

Abstract: This paper illustrates various digital-nature artefacts, which emerged from a reflective design journey to enhance and support novel connections to nature in a garden. The research imperative is to explore possibilities for the design of digital technologies for changing people’s interpretation of a National Trust garden, encouraging encounters through the artefacts that take visitors off the garden path and reawaken them to the “presence” of the garden. The process began with an exploration of the criticisms and possibilities of technologies suggested within the writings of Heidegger, Borgmann and Feenberg, which were complemented by insights from natural history writers such as Deakin. These writings guided the design sensibilities for the creation of a collection of interpretation artefacts including Audio Apples, Rhubaphones and a Nature Meditation Egg. Much of the work was situated in a Walled Kitchen Garden managed by National Trust. Research through design complements the research philosophy because it demands space for reflection and conversation, and enables inclusion of different voices within the design journey. The methodology has helped address the question of whether a design lens that begins with criticism of technology can change the way we design, and the artefacts produced.

Designing for the dichotomy of immersion in location based games

Abstract: The interaction design of mixed reality location based games typically focuses upon the digital content of the mobile screen, as this is characteristically the primary navigational tool players use to traverse the game space. This emphasis on the digital over the physical means the opportunity for player immersion in mixed reality games is often limited to the single (digital) dimension. This research seeks to redress this imbalance, which is caused, in part, by the requirement for the player’s attention to be systematically switched between the two worlds, defined in this research as the ‘Dichotomy of Immersion’. Using different design strategies we propose minimising the reliance of the player upon the mobile screen by encouraging greater observation of their physical surroundings. Using a ‘research through design’ approach for the mixed reality game PAC-LAN: Zombie Apocalypse, we illustrate design strategies for increasing immersion in location based games, which we believe will aid designers in enabling players to more readily engage with the physical context of the game and thus facilitate richer game experiences.

Cartography, location-based gaming and the legibility of mixed reality spaces

Abstract: This paper presents a number of cartographic design solutions to the creation of a web-map for the mixed-reality location-based game ‘Pac-Lan: Zombie Apocalypse’. The research-purpose of this game is to explore ways to encourage players to become more fully engaged with the physical location in which the game is played, by designing the game interface in such a way as to discourage players from becoming reliant solely upon the device screen for navigation. By increasing the level of player interaction with their surroundings, it is intended that a more immersive game experience within mixed reality space may be created. The map is a crucial on-screen element in any location based game, and four maps are presented here as potential solutions for ‘Pac-Lan: Zombie Apocalypse’, each of which approach the design goals of the game in a different manner.

Collaborative research through design:a case study in Mobile Augmented Reality

Abstract: In this paper we outline the challenges and preconceptions that we have experienced in “Taking the Artwork Home”, a collaborative research project across art, design and technology. The project uses Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) to explore ways to enhance engagement with the arts and in this paper we present the challenges relating to performing this type of research more generally as well as specific insights for the sector relating to image based applications.

Physical Playlist: Bringing Back the Mix-Tape

Abstract: To those of a certain age the concept of the mix-tape holds fond memories, and generally not of the musical content they contained, but rather the emotional and physical connection they represented with either its creator or recipient. They provided an embodiment of the time and effort it its creation and thus presented the same qualities of other handmade gifts. The advent of digital content, and particularly the mp3, for storage and streaming meant that audio content could be shared more quickly and easily than ever before. However, the creation of a digital playlist does not embody the same qualities present in a mix-tape and thus has not gained the same cultural significance. This research re-imagines the mix-tape for digital content as physical customizable jewellery that can once again embody values not generally attributed to digital content. Through a discussion of the design process and the results of preliminary evaluation, the potential benefits on the user experience of sharing digital content through physical objects have been highlighted.

Magnetic Files: Exploring Tag Based File Systems Using Embodied Files

Abstract: The widespread use of the desktop metaphor during the early adoption of computers has promoted the utilization of files and folders. However many people have use cases that are not well suited to the strict nature of these systems. As a result, alternative file system paradigms are being explored by the research community, and by leading software vendors. Tangible interactions for exploring these alternative file systems have largely been unexplored, despite the many benefits that tangible interfaces could bring to such systems. Those that do explore this area are limited in information bandwidth by the number of feedback channels used to represent this information. Therefore, in this paper we introduce two associated works in progress: one that explores the design of a tag based file system affording tangible interaction; and a second that initiates the consideration of ways that we can increase the information bandwidth of such systems using physically embodied files. We believe this research identifies an important area that tangible interaction designers should explore given the dominance of file systems in computing tasks.

Evaluating the spraycan: understanding participant interaction with a PPGIS

Abstract: Whilst widely accepted as an important facet of software design, the evaluation of PPGIS usability is often overlooked in research. This work comprises a novel approach to the evaluation of the Spraycan PPGIS, whereby rich insights into participant behaviour are drawn from data that are natively collected by the platform as opposed to through additional questionnaires, log files or similar. The approach will be validated against a ‘traditional’ questionnaire, before conclusions are drawn relating to the usability of the Spraycan as a platform for the collection of vague spatial data, in the hope of developing a greater understanding into the way in which people interact with geographic problems.

Showing mutual support through digital empathy badges

Abstract: Charity badges and empathy (awareness) ribbons are common tokens of support for charities and other worthy causes. In this paper we revisit the concept of smart badges with the aim of developing digital equivalents of the charity badge/empathy ribbon. We describe the design of prototype low--cost digital empathy badges based around infra-red transceiver technology, that light up and play a ringtone in the presence of other badges and we present the findings of a small pilot study involving a dozen badge wearers.

Research & Development Report

Abstract: The Digital R&D Fund for the Arts is a £7 million fund that supports collaboration between organisations with arts projects, technology providers, and researchers. The Digital R&D Fund is supported by Nesta, Arts and Humanities Research Council and public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. For more information about its projects and digital R&D stories from around the world, visit Native: Magazine of the Digital R&D Fund for the Arts at artsdigitalrnd.org.uk or connect with us on Twitter @digitalrnd or using the hashtag #artsdigital.