4.3 Related Work
4.6.6 Reflection Summary
This work shows that institutional public relations can be enhanced, a larger participant pool accessed, and useful product and theory-level ideas gathered for which there is a user- demand by utilising accessible public spaces in shape-change research. It also evidences that sketching as an ideation output can be gathered from non-expert, potential end users which has relevant contexts for shape-change. This builds upon previous studies in shape-change evaluation, and offers a viable alternative for research participant selection.
4.7
Next Steps
Following the success of eliciting ideas in a non-research environment, I can further develop the methodology used here in an extended and revised fashion (see Chapter 6). Avenues of development might investigate whether using more structured ideation techniques such as co-design might generate more cohesive results — although co-design requires a specific situation or output to design for, and here we are interested in developing a “pre-UCD” process which then leads to additional guidelines and suggestions for shape-change. Additionally, given that there are also differences for demographic factors (although non-significant at the current sample size), running specialised sessions for under 16s or, for example, those with a background in the arts, might produce even more varied data. There is also the possibility of using different shape-changing prototypes in the ideation sessions to explore differences in boundary objects/technology (I explore this in Chapter 6).
Work on the existing data set could also be taken a step further by developing several of the feasible ideas into working prototypes (as in Hardy 2015 [102]), or focusing existing research into areas that are desirable in a commercial setting [149]. Given that several of the ideas generated are already part of research projects, it stands to reason that other ideas within the data set would produce meaningful results in the research setting and beyond. However, these projects may be beyond the scope of this thesis, as I am concerned with putting processes in place tosupportthe development of shape-changing interfaces.
4.8
Conclusion
In summary, 74 non expert, potential end-users generated 336 ideas via sketching and notation that, after coding, split into 11 themes. These themes define directions for shape-change and insights into how and where people see it being used to solve problems in their day-to-day life. The responses of the public to the experiment were positive, and sufficient data was gathered to perform analysis and generate feasible ideas for future research directions in shape-change.
The relative ease in which data was gathered suggests that an over-reliance on readily available participant pools is unnecessary, as an enthusiastic and diverse public can be surveyed if given the opportunity. Thus, the methodology implies that the current range of users for shape-changing prototypes may be unnecessarily reliant on university-based data, which may produce bias. That is not to say that this data should be disregarded, but that it should be used comparatively with data collected from a wider pool.
Using an appropriate qualitative methodological approach involving sketching, it is pos- sible to create a space in which a public participant pool can ideate around the theme of shape-change. The resulting data suggests that the public are not only able to utilise sketch- ing, annotation and writing, to generate ideas directly relating to current shape-changing research prototypes, but additionally, novel problem/desire-based directions for research. This reinforces previous calls for a more human-focused HCI [12] and for user-focus on shape-changing applications from a research perspective [242].
Although the study did not explicitly require a sketched output, over half of participants chose this methodology with which to explain their ideas. Additionally, the sketches produce more detailed outputs than the written-only scenario (with the exception of one participant, who was a writer by employment). The time which was given to the study by the participants was also beyond that which was expected, and many became excited by their ideas, and began to imagine them in a future context where shape-change is as readily available as the modern tablet or laptop computer.
Some participant ideas addressed similar themes by chance (e.g. security and safety), and some ideas also map onto existing research, suggesting that there is a demand and interest in these areas. The duplicated themes and research-linked ideas relate to: security and safety; physical telepresence (Augmented Living); games (Entertainment); wearables, and devices for the blind (Wearables, Medical & Inclusive Living). This overlap between user ideas and current research is a direct source ofdialoguefor shape-change. In the next chapter I explore how we can use this form of dialogue to elaborateupon user ideas, and explore whether subjective researcher-led sketching can produce meaningful insights and requirements for shape-changing interfaces.
Sketching as Dialogue, Sketching as
Elaboration
5.1
Chapter Summary
The following chapter focuses on subjective sketching as a form of design probe in order to generate further dialogue about shape-change. A probe is an approach which invites people to “reflect on and express their experiences, feelings and attitudes in forms and formats that provide inspiration for designers” [75]. Further to the needs of this thesis, it has also been suggested that a probe can create dialogue with future users [198].
Three styles of subjectivesketchingprobe are used: 1) Expansion and revision of user- generated sketches; 2) Expansion of researcher proposals from future work sections in shape-change papers in the form of scenarios; 3) Expansion of a popular shape-change application concept (gaming) in sketched and annotated form.
Following the success of the ideation study in the previous chapter, idea sketches most closely matched to current research — and most duplicated between participants — were identifed (taken from the Augmented Living, Entertainment, Medical & Inclusive, and
Wearablescategories). Specific ideas taken from this selection are then used as a sketched
dialoguebetween user and researcher. The aims of the chapter are to show how this dialogue can be capitalised upon, via a process ofelaboration. Additionally, it shows how by applying this elaboration to both user-data and open research questions, sketching can be a reflective tool for researchers to generate complex requirements for shape-change, and identify potential issues or implications in the design and build process for shape-changing interfaces. This is important as there is currently no provision for generating requirements for shape-change from end-user — or researcher generated — data, and implications for adoption have not
been addressed in current literature. Finally, the three-stage probe process employed here examines levels of elaboration in relation to the quality of tangible research outputs (e.g. requirements) in order to develop the most viable methodology to take forward into the final user study (Chapter 6), and also for researchers wishing to conduct their own reflective practice. To achieve these aims, the following chapter consists of three subjective sketching probes:
5.2)Demonstration of user-output as a dialogue and inspiration for elaborative sketching work, to elicit requirements and applicable research themes: This involves a researcher-led visual exploration of selected ideas and sketches generated by potential end-users (Chapter 4), placed into the context of safety, security and ethics (with associated requirements). From generating diagrams and concept sketches, I show how subjective sketching utilising user-output as a base can lead to technical insights and implications for shape-change.
5.3)Exploration of the potential of sketched researcher-led output in the form of scenarios, generated from examining current research questions, and creating dialogue between a diverse non-expert and research audience: In order to achieve this I build on themes from published research, using detailed sketched scenarios from which I collect user and researcher feedback, creating further dialogue. This shows the ability of users and researchers to consider higher level themes and implications for shape-change from future scenarios, and the usefulness of scenarios as a communication tool between diverse groups. The high- level themes can be used to consider more detailed practical, technical and ethical issues concerning the adoption of shape-change, adding to and expanding on the work in section 5.2.
5.4)Combining sketched research for future shape-change scenarios with textual elabo- ration using design fiction methodology, to examine whether further elaboration on previous themes using sketching and text can generate more detailed requirements and outputs for shape-change: I conduct a researcher-led exploration of a single shape-change application concept, with textual elaboration on the sketching process to create a detailed artefact (di- agetic prototype), and generate requirements for shape-change. This demonstrates that as levels of elaboration increase, so does the detail of of tangible research outputs.
By using sketching as a probe, I provide justification for the use of researcher-led sketching and elaboration activities, and further justification for the ideation methodology in Chapter 4. This work then informs the development of user-led activities using similar methodologies to generate meaningful outputs for analysis in the next chapter.