Browsing by Subject "Interaction design"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Exploring spatial interactions
(2012-05) Bruner, Ryan David; Olsen, Daniel M., 1963-; Lee, Gloria
The field of interaction design is constantly shifting with the introduction of new technologies that allow individuals the ability to interact with or act upon an environment, such as installations that use motion tracking as an input device, or allowing users to interact with an environment with their mobile device. This shift from the interaction with traditional computers (static machines) to machines that react to people and environments, requires designers to reevaluate how these new platforms can be effectively used to communicate information and have a lasting affect on participants. There is a great challenge in the articulation of new interaction models. Many people tend to hold on to more traditional or familiar methods of interacting with their devices, as these new methods of engagement require the learning of new metaphors for interaction. How do we construct systems that engage and motivate people to use unfamiliar systems? The work presented in this report is my attempt to answer this question by exploring emerging spatial interface technologies.
Investigating the effects of two virtual reality types on individual self-perception and user experience in adults : realistic humanoid vs fantastical animated avatars
(2023-12) Tang, Junjie; Zhang, Yan (Ph. D. in information and library science); Bailey, Jakki O.
Avatars, in the virtual world, have transformed our ways of interaction and experience. This study investigated the impact of avatar types in VR technologies on adults’ perception, focusing on realistic humanoid and fantastical animated entities. We explored how embodying these two avatars in a basic virtual room affect participants’ emotions, self-perception, and behaviors while taking into account their tendency to anthropomorphize non-human entities. Participants engaged in movement activities and a tiny human-like game using head-mounted displays (HMD) in a simulated environment. From 14 interviews, we identified trends in avatar type and anthropomorphism’s effects on perception shifts, emotional responses, and behavior changes related to avatar embodiment. Our findings offer valuable insights for future avatar design and research, with potential enhancements in healthcare, education, and collaborative technologies, contributing to a deeper understanding of VR embodiment and user engagement.
One Butterfly : understanding interface and interaction design for multitouch environments in museum contexts
(2010-05) Whitworth, Erin Casey; Geisler, Gary; Francisco-Revilla, Luis
Museums can be perceived as stuffy and forbidding; web technologies can enable museums to expand access to their collections and counterbalance these perceptions. Museums are searching for new ways to communicate with the public to better make a case for their continued relevance in the digital information age. With the emergence of multitouch computing, other diverse forms of digital access and the popularization of the user experience, challenge museum design professionals to synthesize the information seeking experience that occurs on multiple computing platforms. As a means of addressing these issues, this Master’s Report summarizes the One Butterfly design project. The project's goal was to create a design for a multitouch interface for federated search of Smithsonian collections. This report describes the project’s three major phases. First, an idea for an interface was developed and designs based on that idea were captured and clarified. Second, a formal review of related research was undertaken to ground these designs in the museum informatics, user interface design, and multitouch interaction design literatures. Finally, the report concludes with a review and reflection on the designs and their underlying ideas in light of things learned in the previous phases.
Prioritizing pedestrians through play : enlivening the ground plane with interactive tiles
(2022-05-06) Martinez, Sarah Ariana; Gorman, Carma; Catterall, Kate
Most pedestrian experiences are truly pedestrian. Although there are many examples of paving and flooring designed to be aesthetically pleasing for pedestrians, over time, cost-effective “quick fixes” often destroy the look of the ground plane. Beauty, humor, and playfulness are some of the most important tools designers have to get other people to care about and pay attention to potentially boring and unpleasant things. For centuries, people around the world have enlivened the ground plane with temporary forms of ornament for both ritual and aesthetic purposes. These installations are often very elaborate, colorful, site-specific, and labor-intensive, but typically last only a day or two before the elements and foot traffic destroy them. What makes kolams, sawdust “paintings,” and chalk art powerful forms of ground-plane enlivenment is that they exist for only a short time, which maintains their novelty and interest. In contrast, the benefit of permanent ground-plane solutions is that they are low maintenance and durable, so the ornamental enlivenment lasts as long as possible. But their novelty and delight usually wears off quickly because they don’t change. A relatively new form of ground plane enlivenment that combines the best aspects of temporary and permanent installations is responsive or interactive tiles: they are both durable and changeable, and invite active engagement from passersby. Responsive interactive tiles have great potential to enliven the ground plane, but right now, most of the available technologies are very expensive and afford users very limited functions and interactions. Most of them are behind paywalls at theme parks or in clubs or trade shows, which means one must “pay to play.” However, because these technologies are quickly becoming more affordable and accessible, I have developed a collection of foot gestures and proposed applications that will make full use of their potential and make the experience of being a pedestrian less pedestrian.
Reengaging people with the world through the design of everyday objects
(2013-12) Samadi, Hamed; Catterall, Kate
This study explores the human-object relationship through the design of a flowerpot that amplifies object/ human communication. Humans frequently anthropomorphize artifacts in their environment, attributing feelings and features to artifacts, so transforming them into companions. For example people commonly name and ascribe gender to their favorite vehicles. Recent advances in digital and interface design have afforded new possibilities for shaping future human/ object interaction. I have chosen to focus my investigations on possible feedback loops that connect human emotionally to the plant. The Morphological chart was the method used in order to generate a broad range of the concepts. The method provides a structure for a less predictable and more experimental form of ideation. The concepts generated focused on defining new roles for, and ways of seeing houseplants and potential routes for interaction and communication between human and plant. The designs focused on attributing human values and features to both the form of the plant pot and communication system used.