DesignforNext

12thEADConferenceSapienzaUniversityofRome

12-14April2017

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UsingDesignFictiontoInformShape-ChangingInterfaceDesignandUse

MiriamSturdeea,PaulCoultonb,JasonAlexanderaaSchoolofComputingandCommunications,LancasterUniversity,UKbLancasterInstituteofContemporaryArt,LancasterUniversity,UK

Abstract:Shape-changinginterfacesaretangible,physicallydynamicdeviceswhichenable user-experience beyond 2D screens.WithinHuman Computer Interaction,researchers are developing these from low-resolution, low-fidelity prototypes,toward a vision of a truly malleable world. The main focus is in producing andtesting hardware, and basic user interactions, which leaves the questionunanswered: what are shape-changing interfaces good for? In response, wepropose the use of design fiction to investigate potential applications for thistechnology: to create and analyse artifacts relating to future use-scenarios forshape-change. Whilst research within shape-change often proposes future use-cases for prototypes during discussion, they are seldom in a form that presentsthem as everyday artifacts. Here, we present and discuss a printed game-playinstructionmanual for a truly high resolution shape-changing game entitled FirstHand, which aims to draw parallels between current gaming practices and thetangiblenatureofshape-changinginterfaces.Keywords:Shape-Change,DesignFiction,Interfaces

1.IntroductionAsweprogressbeyondthedesktopcomputerortablet,theideaoftheinterfacemovesfromflat,planardevicestowardsinteractivesurfacesthataffordtheuseraphysicallytangibleexperience.Shape-changinginterfacesareabranchofthisideal,weavingapplicationwithtouch,soundandimageinaphysicallydynamic,temporaluser-environment.However,thisareaofinquiryremainsfarfromthehigh-resolutioninterfacesweseewithinsciencefiction(Troiano,2016),andresearchersarelefttopondertheimplicationsoftheirprototypes,shouldtechnologyallowtheblendingofsurfaceandmaterialintoaseamless,malleableinterface(Ishii,2015).Discussionaroundfutureapplicationareasisacommontheme,withsuggestionsencompassinggaming(Ye&Khalid,2010,Khalilbeigi2011),dataphysicalization(Jansenetal.2015;Taheretal.2016),roboticpets(Nojimaetal.2013),andmultipurposeclothing(Follmer,2012).Additionally,therearestudieswhichexaminethepotentialofshape-changefromtheusers’perspective:e.g.Sturdeeetal.(2016)employedaparticipatorydesignprocesswhichshowcasedashape-changingprototypingtoolinordertogainperspectivesonthedesiresforthisnewtechnologyfromapublicparticipantbase.Therearealsoa

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growingnumberofpaperswhichexaminethedeeperimplicationsofthistechnology,suchasemotionality(Kwaketal.2014)andtemporality(Vallgarda,2007).

Combiningthescopeofthecurrentstate-of-the-artintomeaningfulavenueofenquiryisadifficultproposition,asisconsideringdevicesthatcanoperatebeyondthecurrentapplicationdesign.Toenableustotakethenecessaryleapforward,weemploythetechniqueofdesignfictiontocreateaplausibleproductbasedonthecurrenttrajectoryofthefield,whichcanthenfeedbackintocurrentresearchpractice:exploringboththeviabilityofthemethodologicalapproach,andgeneratingmeaningfulresultsforshape-change.

Designfictionisnotanewconcept,althoughithasonlyrecentlybecomepopularinHCIresearch(Lindley&Coulton,2015;Sturdeeetal.2016),andreferstothecreationofartefactswithwhichwecanexploreandanalysefuturescenarios.Designfictiontellsworlds–notjuststories(Sterling,2013),blendingnarrative,films,comics,andephemeratoimmersethereaderinapossiblefuture(Coultonetal.2016).Designfictiondescribesthearea,thoughtheartifactdiscussedwithinthispaperisclassedasadiageticprototype(i.e.anobjectexistingwithinapieceofnarrativeart),exploringthegamingscenarioasause-caseforshape-changingtechnology.WeproposeFirstHand:agameconceptthatallowstheuserto“playgod”andeithershapeplanetarylife,ortheplanetitself,asasingleplayerorinaMassiveMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame,presentedintheformofagameplayinstructionmanual,withfurthercredencegivenviaanarticlewrittenaboutthegamelaunchandthecorrespondingtechnologyrequiredtoruntheprogram.

2.RelatedWork2.1Shape-ChangingInterfacesShape-changinginterfacesareanexcitingpartofHumanComputerInteraction,creatingabridgebetweenourplanar,screen-basedcomputers,withdevicesandsurfacesmorecommonlyseeninscience-fiction(Troiano,2016),butnotyetatangiblereality.Shape-changinginterfacescanbedefinedasdevicesthatutilisephysical3Dsurfacesthatcanmoveindependently,reacttovaryingstimuli,acceptandrespondtouserinputanddisplayinformation.ExemplarsinthefieldincludeTransformbyMIT(Ishiietal.2015);Emerge(Taheretal.2016)whichisconcernedwiththechallengessurroundingdataphysicalisation(seeFigure1);SachikoKodama’sdynamicferrofluidsculptures(2008);and,Jamminginterfaces(Follmeretal.2012)whichexaminetheinterplaybetweencontrollablestiffnessandfluidity.Thesearebutafewoftheprototypesinthefield,whichoffersarichtapestryoftangible,interactiveandexpressiveinteractions.Alongsidethisexpandedinteractionpotentialcomesthechallengeofhowdesignersbegintocreateapplicationsthatmayspandifferentmaterials,resistance,temporalityandevenemotionality(Kwak2014;Rasmussen2012).Thismulti-dimensionalareagoesbeyondthecurrentscopeofinteractiondesign,requiringanewapproachtoensurethatdesignkeepsupwithhardware.

2.2DesignFictioninHCIDesignFictionisafairlyrecentresearchtrend,buthasalreadybeenincorporatedintoseveralareaswithinHCI.Tanenbaum(2014)makesthecasefordesignfictioninHCIandinteractiondesign,bysuggestingthatitcanbemethodology,communicationtool,andmotivationorinspirationfordesign–allowingustoexplorerequirementspriortothebuildprocess.Mostrelevanttothispaperperhaps,areLinehanetal’sAlternateEndings(2014)whichlooksatcontemporaryHCIresearchandalongtermviewofthetechnologiestheydepict–challengingtheshort-term,utilitydrivenworkthatisseenthefield;andLindley&Potts(2014)workonprototypingusingdesignfiction.

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Figure1.Emerge(Taheretal.2015)isanactuator-basedinterfaceallowingtheusertoexploremulti-dimensionaldata.

2.3DesignFiction,Shape-Change&GamesThegapbetweentechnologistanddesignercanbebroad,buttherearethosewithinthefieldofshape-changewhoarealreadyembracingtheconceptsexploredindetailhere.Ishiietal.(2012)proposedamaterialcalledPerfectRed,whichwaspartofaprojectexploringavision-drivendesignprocessofshape-changinginterfaces,andexplorestheideaofaclay-likematerialthatalsohascomputationalattributes(suchassnappingtogeometricshapes,ormergingdistinctpieces).

Thefutureofgaminghaslongbeenseeninsciencefictionfilms(e.g.eXistenz,LawnmowerMan),andisapopularspeculativetopic,butnotoftenaddressedinresearch.Gamedesignersarequicktoadoptnewtechnologiestoexploretheirentertainmentpotential,e.g.eye-tracking(Vidaletal.2015)ormixed-reality(Simeone,2015),butdonotfocusonwhatisnotyetavailable,asmuchastheydoonimprovingcurrenttechnology.Designfictionasamethodologyhasnotyetbeenappliedtothedesignspaceofshape-changinggames,despitethepopularityofgamingasathemeinresearch.

3.FirstHand3.1Whygaming?Gamingasathemeforthediageticprototypewaschosenforseveralreasons.Primarily,Sturdeeetal.(2015)foundthatduringapublicideationworkshopinvestigatingshape-changinginterfaces,themostpopularcategoryofideawasgamesandentertainment.Second,severalpapersconcerningshape-changeareeitherbasedaroundgaming(Ye&Khalid,2010)orsuggestgamingasafuturedirectionforresearch(e.g.Leeetal.2008;Khalilbeigietal.2011;Kildal,2012;Makino&Kakehi,2011).OthersinHCIalsosuggestthatgaming,andgameplay,playsavitalpartinshapingthefutureoftheinterface(Isbister,2011).Centraltotheprincipleofshape-change,isthefactthattheinterfaceisphysicallytangible,dynamicanddirectlygraspableinawaythateludescurrentgame-readyhardware.Thuswefocusedonbuildingthegameconceptaroundtheinterfacenovelty,ratherthanadaptinganexistinggameforthepotentialinterface.Featuresthatarecollectivelyuniquetoshape-changinginterfaces(inthisapplication)include:

Physicality–Tangiblesurfacesandspacesuponwhichtheusercanexertforcetochangethephysicalshape.

Dynamicity–Thesurfaceoftheinterfacecanreactphysicallytostimuli(beitenvironmentalorprogrammed)andisnotpassive.

Sculpting–Usinghandsortoolstomanipulatethesurfaceinmeaningfulways.

Multi-sensoryinteraction–Shape-changecanharnessawidevarietyofinputsandoutputs.

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Optiontoincorporatehybridgamingenvironments–Shape-changecanbecombinedwithexistingtechnologytoenhancetheplayerexperienceandaddmultipledimensionstotheinterface.

Althoughadditionalfeaturesarepossible,forthepurposesofthecreationofthedesignfictionwefocusedona“wish-list”whichwouldbenecessaryforarichuser-experiencewithinthegameworld.Thesefeaturesinformedandwereexpandedonduringthedesignprocess.

3.2TheMakingofFirstHandThecreationofFirstHandtookplaceoverseveralstages.Initially,anexplorationofcurrentandpastgameswasmadewhichfitaroundthethemetheresearchershadenvisaged(e.g.Populus,Civilization,Spore,Elite),utilizingtheknowledgeofexperiencedgamersandbibliographicalresearchconductedonline.Theinitialthemeitselfwasborneoutoftheideathatshape-changegivesusinfinitepossibilitiesandsensoryexperience,andtohavethatkindofpowertomanipulateourenvironmentmightbeakintobeingomnipotent(albeitwithintheconfinesoftheinterface).

Noveltywasanimportantfactorinthedesignofthegameanditsplay,thuswecombinedboththeideaof“playinggod”andtheconceptofasecondstageinvolvingspaceexplorationandanoverarchingthemeofintergalacticdominationtodifferentiatethegamefurtherfromitspredecessors–notrelyingsimplyonthetangiblenatureoftheinterfacetocarrytheidea.Themultiple-stagegameplayallowstheshape-changinginterfacetoshowoffnumerousfeatures,whilstmaintainingaconsistentnarrative(e.g.planetformation,speciesevolution,speciessaturation–explorationofspaceandsettlingnewworlds.Sketchingeventhebasicsofthegameideathrewupquestionsthatrequiredansweringbeforefinalizingthediagesis.Thesearediscussedinthefollowingsection.

4.Analysis4.1AnalysisoftheDiageticPrototypeUsingdesignfictiontocreateanartefactorprototypemeansthattraditionalevaluationcannotbeemployed(Blythe,2014).HCIuser-studiesusuallyinvolveaworkingprototypewithwhichtheusercanperformsettasksandtheresearchercangatherdataastotheefficacyofthedeviceorapplicationinuse.Incomparison,adesignfictionordiageticprototypemightbeexaminedviamultiplemethods.Here,weviewFirstHandviaanticipatoryethnography(Lindleyetal.2014)–atechniquedesignatedto“operationalizethepractice(ofdesignfiction)inindustrycontexts”–bylookingattheprocessofcreation(e.g.whatinsightsweregainedduringthemakingprocess,howweredesigndecisionsmade?),andthestudyofthecontentitself(whatinsightscanbemadebytheviewer/readeruponcompletion?),thendocumentthefindingsfromthecontent/thematicanalysis(thepotentialforaudienceinteractionisexploredwithinthediscussion).

4.2Themes,IdeasandImplicationsCreatingtheFirstHand:QuickStartGuideproducedmanypointsofinterest,e.g.theneedfortoolbasedinteraction.Somepointswere“solved”duringthecreativeprocess(i.e.decisionsweremadebythedesigner),andothersemergedasthemesdiscoveredafterthegamemanualwascompleted(seeFigure2forexamples–fullmanualavailableonlineatshape-change.org/design-fiction).

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Figure2.PageexamplesfromtheFirstHandQuickStartGuide

Followingcompletion,thecontentwasexploredviathematicanalysis,andthreedistinctcategoriesemerged:interaction,hardware,andconceptual(i.e.non-tangibleconceptsorthemesnotdirectlyrelatingtointeractionorgameplay),containingatotalof19features.Thesefeaturesweregeneratedbycomparingcurrentworkingprototypeswiththeproposedhardwarecapabilitiesofthenovelinterface,lookingspecificallyatnovel(andcurrentlyundeveloped)interactionstylesandapplicationdesign:

INTERACTION:

• TheRiffler:Examiningsculptingasaninteractioningameplayquicklygaverisetotheneedfortool-basedinteractionforfinedetailwhensculptingcreaturesandlandscapes.Thistoolbecameanadditiontotheinterfacedesign,namedtheRiffler(atoolusedforshapingfinedetailinanumberofmaterials).

• Rotationofsuspendeditemsaboveanotherlayer:Editingthelifeform/planetnecessitatesa360degreeview,henceitemsbeingeditedneedtoberotatedinspaceandremaininplacewhenpressureisapplied.

• Painting/drawingonshape-changingsurfaces:Mark-makingondynamic3Dsurfacesisakintopainting3Dobjects,buttheremustbeanalgorithmwhichdictateshowthatsurfaceismanagedduringtopologychanges–i.e.surfaceareavsperceptualvolume

• Usingbuttonsandmenus:Despitetheaddeddimensionalityofshape-changeandtangibility,itwasstilldeemednecessarytohavetoolbarswhichcouldbe“raised”andinteractedwithtochangebetweeneditingmodes,layersandscreens.

• Animationbyrecordingmovements:Thisfeaturecanbelinkedtoroboticsorphysiotherapyintermsofmanipulatingitemsinthedesiredmannerand“saving”oradjustingthemtothemostfavourablemovement.

• Physical“Undo”:Thisworksinthesamewayasitwouldinantextorimageeditor–physicalchangescanbereversed,stepbystep.

• Addinggesturalinteraction:Gesturalinteractioncanbeusedtoexecutelarge“area”commands–i.e.closelayer,closegame.

• Movingsolidobjectswithinspace:Objectswithinthegameenvironmentmustretainarigidpositioninspace,andbemovedonlywithinthelimitsofthegameprogram.

HARDWARE:

• Distancefrombaseline:Device-basedgameplaycannotbeinfiniteduetolimitationsofcontainedmassintheinterface,range,andsafetyaspects.Thereforewepostulatethattheremustbealimitastohowfarmattercanbeprojectedormovedfromthecentralprocessingunit.Ingameplay,thismanifestsitselfasasmoothingofsurfaceswhenmaximumzoomanddistancefrombaselinearereached,orasamaximumdistancethatspaceshipsorotherobjectscanbeplacedfromtheprocessingunit.

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• Representingliquidandsolidconcurrently:Variablerigiditymustbepossibletodifferentiatebetweenliquidsandsolidsintheinterface–e.g.aliquidmustbepliableandflowaroundobjectswithagreaterdensity.

• Placementofpre-formatted3Dobjects:Itemscanbedraggedfromtoolbarsandhaveapre-set3Dform,i.e.limbsincreaturemodeorvolcanosinterraineditor.

• Switchingbetweensolidandholographiclayers:Gameplayrequiresthefunctiontoworkbetweensolid(i.e.tangible)andprojected(non-tangible)layers,andchoosewhichissolidataparticularpointintime.

• Multiplesolid-stateshape-changinglayers:Thegamerequiressolidobjectstobepresentatvariousdistancesfromthebaselineatanyonetime–e.g.spaceshipsfloatingaboveplanets.

• Transitionsbetweenmodes/views:Transitionsmightneedtooccurinstantaneously(switchingbetweenplanetandspace/creatureview)orgraduallyduringinteraction(zoominginandout).

• Exportingphysicalitemsfor3Dprinting:Thetangiblenatureofthesculptingprocessmightgiveformtoworksofartthatcanthenbeexportedinafixedstate.

• Physical“lifeforce”bars:Gamedynamicssuchashealth,interventions,technologyetc.mightberepresentedbyphysicalobjectswhichvaryinginsize,shapeandcolour.

CONCEPTUAL:

• Ethicsandsafety:Temporalityandphysicalitygiverisetothepotentialofphysicalharm,eitherviahardwaremalfunctionorsafetysettings,orviaathirdpartyactingupontheplayer.

• ManagingMMPORGonaphysicallevel:Levelsofattachmenttolifeformsorplanetsmaybehigherthanthoseonplanarscreensduetothetimetakentocreatethemandtheemotionalattachmentpresentinphysicality,thereforeresultingdamagecausedbythirdpartyplayersmaycauseadditionaldistressorconsequencesthatmightbeexplored.

• Proficiencyatreal-worldsculpting/paintingtranslatingtogameplay:Relatingtotheprevious,proficiencyatsculptingcreaturesandplanetscandirectlytranslateintoartisticpracticeoutsideofthegame-world.

Thesefeaturesaddressvariousaspectsinherentinthedesignofshape-changinginterfaces,fromanapplicationperspective.Theirpotentialcontributiontothefieldisconsideredwithinthediscussion.

5.Discussion5.1SummaryThecreationofdesignfictiononthesubjectofshape-changinginterfacesisannovelapproachthathasgreatpotentialvaluetoapplicationandfurtherprototypesdevelopment.Thiscanbefurthercapitalisedupon:viaapplicationofthefindingstoexistingresearchpractice;examiningthepracticeasartisticendeavour;consideringthelimitationsandpotentialimprovementsoftheapproach;viadiscoursearoundhowtheworkpresentedherecouldbefurtherexpandedtoallowwideraudienceaccess;andfinally,usedwithexistinguser-basedstudiestocreateablendedmethodology.

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5.1ImplicationsforShape-ChangeViathematicanalysisofthediageticprototype,weidentified19novelfeaturesorideasacross3categories–somebeingrecentlyunderconsiderationintheresearchcontext,whichsupportsthevalueofthedesignfictiontechnique,althoughnotatthelevelofdetailpresentinthefictionalaccount.Interactivequalitiesinshape-changearecurrentlythemostcomprehensivelyexplored:examplesfromInteractionincludeVallgardaetal’snotionoftooluseinshapechange(2016),whichhasparallelstotheRiffler;movingsolidobjectswithinpredefinedspacee.gdata-plottingusingultrasound(Omirouetal.2016);addingbuttonsandmenustointerfaces(Taheretal.2015)orgesturalinteraction(Hardyetal.2015).

SomefeaturesfromHardwarearelargelyabsentfromcurrentresearch,notbecausetheycannotbeexplored,butbecausetheyhavenotyetbeenapproached,e.g.smoothingofsurfacesatthelimitsofdevices(distancefrombaseline),orpaintinganddrawingonshape-changinginterfaces.Others,liketransitionsbetweenmodes,requireanadvanceintechnologythatisbeyondcurrentpractice–mostinterfacesemployasinglemateriality,orthetransitionisdictatedbythehardware(i.e.actuatorspeed/elasticityinTableHop–Sahooetal.2016).Otherthemesherearebetweentheaforementionedstatesofenquiry,suchashowtoswitchbetweensolidandholographiclayers(jammingonlyworksforphysicallypresentsurfaces(Follmeretal.2012),althoughthereispotentialtouseultrasound/sonicmanipulationintandemwithprojections(Longetal.2014).Also,theadventof3Dscanningmeansthatthereisthepotentialinthenearfuturetoscantime-pointsofaninterfaceandexportthisdatatoprint.Thiscombinationoftangiblemakingandcomputationalintervention/outputhasalsobeenseeninprototypessuchasReForm(Weicheletal.2015).

Figure3.Articlecreatedtoadddepthtothegame-worldimaginingscenariosinwhichbusinessplaysaroleinfurtheringtheresearchintoshape-changinginterfaces.

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TheConceptualthemesgiverisetothepotentialforphilosophicalenquiry,encompassingemotionality(Kwak&Frens2015,Rasmussenetal.2013),personalsafetyandboundaries,andeventhelongproposedideathatplayingcomputergameshasabenefitindevelopingreal-worldlifeskills.Theideathatutilisingshape-changinginterfacescanbridgethegapbetweenthedigitalandphysicalworldinameaningfulcontextisperhapsonethemostexcitingpropositionsarisingfromtheanalysis.Themagazinearticle(Figure3.)alsoapproachessomeofthemoreconceptualthemesfromasocietalpointofview.

Giventhepromisingidentificationoffeaturesandideasfromtheuseofthediageticprototype,itishopedthattheoverlapinthemesandchallengesseenbetweenthedesignfictionapproachandthatoftraditionaltechnologistscanbridgethegapbetweendisciplines,andofferupanewdesignspaceforenquiry.Thismightbeachievedbydisseminatingresearchandpresentingworkatlargescaleevents,aswellasviacollaborationwithotherresearchersatthedesignstageofshape-changinginterfaces(e.g.usingtheidentifiedfeaturesascomponentsinthedevelopmentofnewprototypes).

5.2DiageticPrototypesasArtisticEndeavourAdesignfictioncanexistasastandaloneartifactwithinaresearcharea,however,wemightexplorehowitworksasablendedmethodologytoencourageinteractionanddiscussion.Inmanycases,themakingofdiagesisisnotsimplyamethodofinquiry,itisacreativeactthathasmeaningfortheresearcherbeyondtheactofinvestigation.Forsome,itaffordstheopportunitytobringcreativepracticetotheirwork,forothersitaddsaninterdisciplinaryangle.Lindleyetal.(2014)suggesttheimportanceoftheactofcreation,anditisthisprocessthataddsdimensionalitytotheresearch.HCIresearchhasscientificrigour,butthehumanaspectsaresometimeslost(Bannon,2012).Byemployingdesignfictionasartisticpracticeinadditiontoresearchpractice,wecanappreciateresearchonadeeperlevel.

5.3LimitationsDesignfictionsanddiageticprototypesareoftenco-created(e.g.Tsekleves&Darby,2016),butarealsooftentheproductofonepractitioner.Thisleavesthevalueoftheartifactopentobias,beitduringtheprocessofcreation,orwhilstpresentinganalysis.Theeasiestwaytoaddressthisbiaswouldbetorequiretheartifacttobeexposedatsomeleveltoanon-expertaudience:examined,reworkedandre-presentedforconsideration.

Thereisalsothepossibilityofcreatinga“bubble”aroundcertainscenariosorartefacts–somethingthatcanbeaddressedviaaprocessofworld-building(Sturdeeetal.2016)–ratherthanrelyingonsingleobjectsorindividualideas.Theseworldscancontainmultipleideas,artefacts,storiesandimagery,bymanydifferentresearchersorparticipants,thusexpandingtheviewaroundtheinitialdiageticprototypeinadetailedandmeaningfulmanner.Itmightbesuggestedthattheinitialprototypesetsthestagefortheassociatedexplorations,thuslimitingfurthercreativity,butbybuildingtheseworldstogetherwecaninspire–ratherthanlimit–eachother.

5.4FutureWorkWeinvestigatedthepotentialofusingdesignfictionasatooltoinformthedesignofshape-changinginterfacesviaadiageticprototype,howeverthenextstepsrequireadoptionofsuchmethodologieswithinthefield,tosupplementandenhancecurrentthinkingandprototypedesignatanearlystage.Forexample,theresearchermightbetterimaginethecontextanddirectionoftheirwork,ortheusermayexplorehowprospectivedevicesmightfulfilltheirneeds.Thechallengesinthisapproachliewithinadoptionintheresearchsetting,andintakingonboardtheinnovationsitproduces.

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FirstHandisacomprehensiveenquiryintothefuturepotentialforshape-changinggames,however,thisworkcouldbeextendedfurtherfromtheinitialartefactandarticletoincludefurtheritemstosupportthe“worldbuilding”proposedbySturdeeetal.(2016).Suchitemsmightincludephysicalartefactssuchasgamecartridges,3Dprinteditemsdepictingthegameenvironment(e.g.creaturesinvariousstagesofevolution,orworldtypes).

AnadditionalextensionwouldbetocreateaWOZ(WizardofOz)study,wheretheideasandimplicationsbornefromtheworkshopandcreativeprocesscouldbetested.WOZtestinginvolvescreatingrealisticprototypesthatparticipantsdonotrealisearebeingcontrolledbyahiddenresearcher,e.g.Rasmussenetal.’sshape-changingbench(2013).WOZmethodologywouldcreateabridgebetweenexistinguser-testingonshape-changinginterfaceprototypesanddesignfiction,andwemightalsofurtherexploretheprocessofcreation,movingastepclosertowardrealisingthekindofinteractiondesignneededforshape-change.Workingaroundthedesignfictioncanalsobeapproachedusinglo-fidelitymethods,suchassketchingandcreatingillustrateduser-scenarios.WhereastheselacktherealismofWOZ,theycanbequicklyco-createdwithresearcherandusertoanalyseanddiscusstheresearch.FirstHandprovidesajumping-offpointforresearchineitherdirection,andafocusofinquiry.

Finally,designfictionsofthetypeexploredheremayalsohavebenefitinotherfieldswherenoveltechnologyisstillindevelopment,suchasbrain-computerinterfaces(e.g.Vallabhanenietal.2005)oradvancedgesturalinteractions(e.g.Grossman,2004).Designfictioncanalsoevolvealongsidetechnology,creatingevermorecomplexinvestigativepossibilities,andcouldenableusto“catchup”withandreflectuponourpastfictionstocomparespeculationwithactuality.

6.Conclusion6.1FinalThoughtsFirstHandisthefirstpieceofresearchutilisingdesignfictiontoexploreshape-changinggames,withconsequencesforthewiderfield.Weshowthatthecreationofdesignfictiononthesubjectofshape-changinginterfacesisanexciting,inclusiveapproachthathaspotentialvaluetothefield(e.g.todirecttechnologydevelopmentoruserstudies),aswellasforthedesignandapplicationofotheremergenttechnologies.Weenvisionthisapproachbeingusedforthecreationofshape-changingprototypesandtheirapplications,tocreateablendedpracticeofartisticandscientificinquiry.Additionally,wehopetoinspireresearcherstoembracethisalternativepracticeasamethodologywhencreatingtheseexcitingdevices.

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AbouttheAuthors:

MiriamSturdeeisaPhDcandidateatLancasterUniversity,holdinganMRes,anMFAinVisualCommunication,andhavingpreviouslystudiedpsychology.TheserelatetohercurrentinterestsinHCIanddesign,focusingonillustration,sketchingtechniques,anddesignforshape-changinginterfaces.

PaulCoultonistheChairofSpeculativeandGameDesignintheopenandexploratorydesign-ledresearchstudioImaginationLancaster.Heusesaresearchthroughdesignapproachtocreativefictionalrepresentationsoffutureworldsinwhichemergingtechnologieshavebecomemundane.

JasonAlexanderisSeniorLecturerinHCIatLancasterUniversity,withaparticularinterestindevelopingnovelinteractivesystemstobridgethephysical-digitaldivide.Hisrecentworkfocusesonthedevelopmentofshape-changinginterfaces,hapticfeedback,andgesturalinteraction.

Acknowledgements:ThisprojectissupportedbytheRCUK-fundedCentreforDoctoralTraining,HighWire(highwire.lancaster.ac.uk).GrantreferenceEP/G037582/1.