Simon Niedenthal

Opening the digital box for design work: supporting performative interactions, using inspirational materials and configuring of place

We started the work reported on here with the ambition to create inspirational learning environments for design and architecture students in the spirit of Weiser’s vision of taking the computer “out of the box” and making computational resources augment a design studio environment ubiquitously. Computing environments are becoming populated by a rich and diverse set of devices and networks, many of them integrated with the physical landscape of space and artefacts. Early attempts to take the desktop metaphor of graphical interface design back to the real desktops and whiteboards by exploring new semantics of interaction was pioneered by Weiser’s group, as well as by Buxton and others (Weiser 1993; Fitzmaurice 1995; Rekimoto 1997). The idea to have a new and more complex set of physical handles to digital media promised a richer interaction between people and technology, and, in line with Engelbart’s pioneering work on direct manipulation for graphical user interfaces (Engelbart 1962), a new set of generic interface building blocks would open up a new realm for design of interaction technologies.

Glamourized Houses : Neutra, Photography, and the Kaufmann House

The current debate on reproduction and architectural publication has established new terms for the examination of architectural photographs. No longer treated simply as a species of architectural documentation—such as renderings or plans—photographs of building are acknowledged as sharing in the cultural power of the photographic medium and must consequently be examined as a form of social production. The publication of Richard Neutras 1946 Kaufmann house reveals the power of the print media in the establishment of an architectural canon; moreover, Neutras habit of reworking photographs of his built designs suggests the appropriateness of reexamining his contribution to the legacy of involving photography and the media in the architectural process.

Learning from the Cornell Box

The Cornell Box serves as a visual emblem of the divide between arts and sciences first articulated by C.P. Snow over 40 years ago. To historians of American art, Cornell Box refers to the shadow boxes of Joseph Cornell; in the world of computer graphics the Cornell Box is the evaluative environment in which the Cornell University Program of Computer Graphics refined its radiosity rendering algorithms. Considering both boxes with reference to the perceptual thought of James J. Gibson allows us to generate a site for collaboration at the intersection of light and art for designers and computer scientists devoted to the development of new digital media.

Beyond Smell-O-Vision: Possibilities for Smell-Based Digital Media

Research Problem: The purpose of this research synthesis is to identify new opportunities for smell-enabled games based upon current olfactory research, and to present early game concepts that have emerged from our empirical assessments. Literature Review: We briefly summarize key projects in the history of scent technologies for film and media. Human-Computer Interaction researchers have also explored a number of uses for scent delivery in interactive digital media. Recent developments in olfactory psychology and neuroscience research suggest that a fruitful avenue for exploration is to develop learning games that expand olfactory capacity. Methodology: We have conducted two studies of computer-based perceptual and cognitive olfactory tasks. Mixture perception experiment: We designed a perceptual experiment where the task was to correctly estimate the intensity of odor components in a blend of coffee and tea. Blended odors were presented to 10 healthy adults by means of a computer-controlled olfactometer. Following each stimulation, the participant used a computer interface to estimate the intensity of components of the blend. Event-based memory experiment: We have developed a digital olfactory version of the children’s game “Memory.” The game interface consists of 32 white squares that are presented in a grid pattern on the screen and that, when participants click on them, triggers the release of one of eight possible smells from the olfactometer. Fifteen healthy adult participants were tested in 10 laboratory sessions distributed over three weeks. Results and Conclusions: Our empirical results suggest that smell training through learning games holds promise as a means of improving cognitive function. The results of our event-based memory experiment suggest that both olfactory and visual memory capacities might have benefitted from olfactory game training. The results of our mixture perception experiment indicate that binary odor mixtures might provide a suitable starting point for perceptual training, and we suggest that a smell-enabled game might include adaptive difficulty by progressively introducing more complex mixtures. We have used event-based memory and mixture perception as “olfactory targets” for game mechanic development, and present early design concepts for “Smelly Genes” and “Scenter.” Finally, we discuss future directions and challenges for this new, interdisciplinary research topic.

Interaction design as understanding and transforming place

Space becomes place through a rich interplay of actors, actions and associations, and techniques drawn from performance, gaming and architecture are well adapted to helping us understand and design for complex environments. Our experience working with masters-level interaction design students in the ATELIER project has demonstrated that these ‘cross-dressing’ techniques can create a climate of awareness in which inspirational learning and innovative design can occur.

Experience and design methods: Cross-dressing and border-crossings

We are pleased to present this special issue on experience and design methods. This issue has its origins in a workshop organised by Ron Wakkary, Thecla Schiphorst and Jim Budd (2004), titled ‘Cross-dressing and border crossing: exploring experience methods across disciplines’, held as part of the ACM SIGCHI 2004 conference in Vienna, Austria. The workshop was to all appearances among the strangest gatherings at SIGCHI 2004. Blindfolded researchers were spied wandering the fluorescent-lit lower concourse of the Austria Center in Vienna, or dashing from table to food-court table in a tag-like game whose rules remained obscure. But the playful, seemingly aimless movement of the participants belied a serious purpose. The practice of designing interactive objects, environments and systems has outgrown its roots in Human Computer Interaction (HCI), with its residual load of cognitive science. We engage in interactive experiences out of choice, in search of the pleasures of the mind and senses we have hitherto found in performance, art or our experience of architectural spaces. For the workshop organisers and participants, a provocation is required: hence, cross-dressing, the opportunity to try on new roles and experience design methods coming from art and design— disciplines often marginalised by the research community. The workshop received an overwhelming response and unfortunately only about fifteen percent of the position papers submitted were accepted. The Experience and design methods: cross-dressing and border-crossings