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USER EXPERIENCE
Within the overall project goals, it is the objective of the Interactive
Institute (in collaboration with the Viktoria
Institute) to focus on Smart-Its from a user experience perspective.
Our approach explores the fundamental implications that the 'disappearing
computer' will have on our everyday lives and environments. With Smart-Its, the form and interfaces of traditional computers dissolve and computation effectively disappears into the products and artefacts that surround us. What does it mean when familiar objects and products become 'smart' and 'communicative'? What do smart objects and systems imply for user interaction and perception? What might be desirable futures with such technology?
From an experiential perspective, Smart-Its can suggest a future where computation is simply another material – like plastecine or electricity – available in the design of new things. The disapparance and ubiquity of computers into the things that make up our everyday lives poses critical questions for user experience and for design process.How can we start to imagine today what we can be creating in the future?
To approach these questions, we work with application concepts, scenario methods, and physical prototyping to probe into the design space opened by Smart-Its technology. We have developed a number of scenarios, application ideas, and interaction models using design materials and working prototypes. In this way, we are driving research questions in the project from use and experiential perspectives and providing a rich testbed of examples to try out and reflect on research issues and potential futures for Smart-Its.
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| workpackage 5: 18MB
zipped powerpoint presentation |