Eva Lenz

An interaction vocabulary. describing the how of interaction.

New technologies and opportunities in interaction design also come with new responsibilities. Besides the products visual aesthetics, design needs to address the aesthetics of interaction. We discuss the various starting points of emerging approaches and then present an own approach to the How of interaction. We suggest an interaction vocabulary, i.e., a set of eleven dimensions of descriptive, non-judgmental, non-technology bound attributes of interaction. First insights from applying the vocabulary in design and evaluation studies and future research are discussed.

Designing for well-being: A case study of keeping small secrets

Abstract To a good part, well-being depends on individual engagement in beneficial activities. The present paper draws attention to the potential of encouraging and shaping well-being-enhancing activities through interaction with everyday objects and technology. Our case study started from the activity of keeping ‘small’ secrets as a way to experience autonomy and privacy. We situated this activity in an office and ‘materialized’ it through a digital picture frame, holding a secret picture. Inspired by seven interviewees’ detailed descriptions of interacting with secrets, we designed an especially secretive interaction to consume the picture and compared it to a more technical interaction. In a first empirical exploration, using video prototypes (N = 276), the secretive interaction was rated as more positive and providing more intense feelings of privacy and autonomy. This hints at the potential of objects and the careful design of interaction with this objects to intensify the positive experiences gained from mundane activities.

Mo. shared music, shared moment

Music incorporates extensive social functions, with joint listening being a central part of it. Interestingly, existing technology rarely addresses the specific requirements for creating a shared music experience. The present design case presents Mo, a music player addressing social and emotional aspects of joint music listening. Based on insights from an interview study, Mo particularly supports the social phenomena of sharing music, influencing music and music functioning as a souvenir. In line with the experience design approach, the actual object of design was the shared music experience. Functionality, interaction and presentation were aligned with that experience.

Four Stories About Feeling Close Over A Distance

Designing for technology-mediated relatedness (i.e., closeness, togetherness over a distance) is challenging. It requires a wellbeing-driven approach, which focuses on the subtle modulation of everyday practices and the creation of positive and meaningful experiences throughout the day. Based on an ongoing project, we tell four stories. Each is about a family, their particular relationships as well as current practices of feeling close, and our suggestion of how to inject new or improved ways of feeling close into their everyday life through technology. Each suggestion (i.e., concept) is used by the families at the moment.

“It’s More Fun to Commute”—An Example of Using Automotive Interaction Design to Promote Well-Being in Cars

Automotive interaction design (AID) becomes more and more important. From advanced driver assistance systems to social media—the number of interactive systems available in cars increased substantially over the recent years. However, AID is still mostly concerned with making interaction either easy or exciting. In this chapter, we argue that AID should focus more on creating and shaping enjoyable and meaningful activities through sensible arrangements of interactive technologies. To advance this argument, we provide an overview of a well-being-oriented experiential approach to AID and discuss the Perfect Commute as an example of a well-being-oriented experiential interactive system.

Prototypen auf dem Prüfstand. Bedeutsamkeit der Repräsentationsform im Rahmen der Konzeptevaluation

Zusammenfassung Prototyping ermöglicht es bereits in frühen Phasen des Produktentwicklungszyklus Rückmeldung zu Konzeptideen und verschiedenen Varianten der Ausgestaltung einzuholen. Voraussetzung für hilfreiche Einsichten durch Evaluationsstudien ist allerdings die Angemessenheit der Konzeptrepräsentation. Wird die Konzeptidee durch die gewählte Art der Darstellung unzureichend vermittelt, können Studienteilnehmer kein sinnvolles Feedback liefern und Evaluationsergebnisse werden wohlmöglich verfälscht. Die vorliegende Studie exploriert die Auswirkungen der Konzeptrepräsentation anhand der vergleichenden Evaluation eines Produktkonzepts in fünf Repräsentationsformen unterschiedlicher Reichhaltigkeit. Neben Effekten für Konzeptverständnis und Konzeptbeurteilung wurde auch die erlebte Wirkung der Darstellung hinsichtlich Effektivität, Emotionalität und Motivationspotential untersucht. Die Studienergebnisse zeigen, dass auch reduzierte Darstellungsformen bereits umfangreiche Einsichten in das Potential eines Konzepts ermöglichen und hinsichtlich bestimmter Fragestellungen sogar besonders geeignet sein können. Allgemeine Ableitungen zur Auswahl geeigneter Formen der Konzeptrepräsentation werden diskutiert.