Heekyoung Jung

Interaction gestalt and the design of aesthetic interactions

Although there has been a drastic increase in the research of aesthetics of interaction, we still lack well-defined practical knowledge of how to design aesthetic interactions. In order to develop such knowledge, we adapt three important ways of thinking in designing interactions influenced by traditional design disciplines, namely, 1) understanding what it is that is designed---i.e. interaction, 2) knowing what is possible to be manipulated when designing interactions---i.e. attributes of interaction, and 3) mastering how to manipulate the attributes to shape the interactions. We explain our approach by arguing from the somaesthetic perspective. We propose the concept of interaction gestalt, as a way to achieve those three ways of thinking in design. We then propose a set of interaction gestalt attributes that can be used in designing aesthetic interactions. We end with a discussion of the implications and benefits of this approach in interaction design.

Toward a framework for ecologies of artifacts: how are digital artifacts interconnected within a personal life?

Assuming that an interactive artifact cannot be fully understood by itself due to their increasing number, we explored how individual artifacts are related to each other and how those relationships can be investigated for further design and research implications. This study suggests a concept of ecology of artifacts to describe any implicit or explicit relationships among interactive artifacts in ones personal life. We conducted two types of studies -- personal inventory study and an ecology map study -- to explore multiple dimensions for understanding a personal ecology of artifacts. We expect the knowledge of artifact ecology would help designers and researchers in the field of HCI to create and analyze interactive artifacts considering their dynamic interplays in an increasingly ubiquitous technology environment.

Digital form and materiality: propositions for a new approach to interaction design research

Advanced information and interaction technology pervades everyday life, introducing new forms and meanings of computer applications beyond desktop computers---from varying types of digital devices to interactive fashion and architecture. Motivated by the notion of digital technology as a material for interaction design, this research aims to develop a theoretical foundation to create and critique digital artifacts in the context of interaction design and HCI research. Specifically we conceptualize digital form and materiality as two reciprocal aspects of digital artifact based on the perspectives from relevant disciplines including design, arts, craft, material culture and philosophy of technology. The conceptualization emphasizes the process of making, personal meanings, and socio-cultural values of digital artifacts, constructing a new theoretical framework for exploratory and critical research approaches. In the end we discuss a proposal for form-driven interaction design research as a new approach to HCI with its focus on form and materiality aspects of digital artifacts based on the reflection on our theoretical propositions.

Material probe: exploring materiality of digital artifacts

We present an approach for exploring materiality of digital artifacts by suggesting a study method---material probe. The purpose with the method is to understand how people perceive material qualities of artifacts and to discuss how designers could intentionally and methodologically include such non-functional user desires related to material qualities in the design of digital artifacts. The study procedure and results from preliminary studies are described with their implications for future work.

SKIN: designing aesthetic interactive surfaces

In this paper we propose SKIN as an interdisciplinary design approach for sophisticated interactive surfaces, with an emphasis on their meanings and aesthetic qualities. SKIN: Surface Kinetics INterface, aims at integrating concept-driven design process and exploratory critical engagement with forms and materials into current user-centered design approaches in HCI research. The procedures of developing three design concepts and prototyping one of them--an interactive lampshade--are described in detail to illustrate the proposed approach. The narrative of the design process is followed by a pilot study and designer reflection, suggesting the broader epistemological and methodological implications of this kind of approach.

Form and materiality in interaction design: a new approach to HCI

This paper is motivated by the increasing significance of form in design and use of interactive artifacts. The objective of this paper is to conceptualize what we mean by form in the context of interaction design and HCI research and how we can approach it in regard to emerging type of digital materiality. To do this, we first examine conceptual dimensions of form in interactive artifacts through the lens of three existing perspectives with their respective focus on: material, meaning, and making. We then apply these perspectives in our analysis of specific forms of interactive artifacts. Based on this analysis, we suggest a model of four different types of forms: the cognitive, embodied, expressive, and exploratory forms. Reflecting on this model, we propose form-driven interaction design research with its epistemological and methodological implications.

Emotional Experience and Interaction Design

The emotional experience of an interactive system has been the subject of a great deal of recent interest and study in the HCI community. However, many of researchers have pointed out the extreme difficulty in predicting or controlling these emotional experiences through intentional design choices. However, the user study we conducted proposes a different point-of-view than these claims. Although these emotional responses were not always tied directly to the device itself and influenced by contextual factors, we discovered that certain controllable aspects of interactive products showed clear patterns of emotion in the responses of our participants. We discuss our findings and provide implications for the design of emotional experiences in interactive devices.

Device ecology mapper: a tool for studying users' ecosystems of interactive artifacts

This paper presents a tool for both researchers and designers called the Device Ecology Mapper, which allows users to share devices they own and describe to researchers how they believe these devices are connected. We built this tool from the theoretical perspective of ecology of artifacts in which designed artifacts do not exist independently, but rather in complex ecosystems with other artifacts through physical and perceptual connections. We designed the evaluations of this tool to evaluate the extent to which designers found the tool valuable and users found the tool true to the way they understand their ecology of interactive artifacts-rather than how closely users perception of their ecology represents how these devices are actually connected. We found evidence for both perspectives from these studies.

Exploring design concepts for sharing experiences through digital photography

In this research, we aim to explore meaningful design directions for future photography applications with a focus on the experiences around sharing. We review a wide-rage of photo-related applications, extracting emerging patterns of different photo-related interactions to inform a framework for their discussion. We extract two themes from the first stage of our analysis: contextual annotation and tangible representation, and then examine interesting application ideas around those themes. We categorize design ideas into four groups: augmentation of photo taking, editing as creating new memories, building new social networks through photo sharing, and tangible representation to mediate intimacy. Finally, we present user reactions to our design ideas. In addition to providing a framework for describing different photography applications, this work provides an example of an integrative approach to designing new sharing experiences through digital photography.

Exploring early evaluation techniques of ambient health promoting devices in home environments of senior citizens living independently

In this paper, our goal is to explore different early evaluation techniques and their effectiveness for designing better ambient health- promoting devices for the elderly. One cannot assess the complete impact of these devices without full implementation of the device. However, through early evaluation, we present a set of considerations that can help gain meaningful insights to refine and improve upon the existing conceptual models of health monitoring ambient devices.