With growing research on haptic interfaces, Mediated Social Touch (MST) technologies offer the potential to record, synthesise, and reproduce (RSR) touch experiences across space and time, enabling, for instance, a hug from afar and from the past. Although much of the existing research highlights the direct benefits of these systems, such as reducing loneliness and providing emotional support, little attention has been paid to their broader sociotechnical impacts. To address this gap, we used the Future Ripples method to speculate on possible effects of MST. We conducted three workshops with 24 participants, including potential users, domain experts, and haptics researchers. Throughout these sessions, participants collectively envisioned possible future scenarios, alongside opportunities and threats, and proposed actionable responses. Our qualitative analysis organised these insights into four themes and three distinctive challenges. These findings offer haptics researchers intervention points across the RSR pipeline to inform MST design, alongside methodological insights from applying Future Ripples to MST technology.

Abstract Autonomous vehicles (AVs) tend to disrupt the atmosphere and pedestrian experience in urban shared spaces, undermining the focus of these spaces on people and placemaking. We investigate how external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs) supporting AV-pedestrian interaction can be extended to consider the characteristics of an urban shared space. Inspired by urban HCI, we devised three place-based eHMI designs that (i) enhance a conventional intent eHMI and (ii) exhibit content and physical integration with the space. In an evaluation study, 25 participants experienced the eHMIs in an immersive simulation of the space via virtual reality and shared their impressions through think-aloud, interviews, and questionnaires. Results showed that the place-based eHMIs had a notable effect on influencing the perception of AV interaction, including aspects like visual aesthetics and sense of reassurance, and on fostering a sense of place, such as social interactivity and the intentionality to coexist. In measuring qualities of pedestrian experience, we found that perceived safety significantly correlated with user experience and affect, including the attractiveness of eHMIs and feelings of pleasantness. The paper opens the avenue for exploring how eHMIs may contribute to the placemaking goals of pedestrian-centric spaces and improve the experience of people encountering AVs within these environments.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a sudden and widespread reorganization of public spaces, underpinned by digital technologies. The impromptu, ad hoc and collective character of this reorganization of shared places for social interactions echoes traditional practices of placemaking otherwise advocated for liveable cities, now applied to the new—physical, virtual and, increasingly, hybrid—public spaces people started to inhabit. In this article, I define the notion of ‘augmented placemaking’, referring to a particularly new form of digital placemaking, unleashed by the pandemic. First, I identify key new scenarios for the design of urban interfaces that emerged or gained impetus in response to COVID-19. Following that, I synthesize a model for augmented placemaking based on emerging topologies, discussing the opportunities and challenges they posed, and their potential to inform future HCI. I then conclude by proposing guidelines to inform the design process of augmented placemaking initiatives going forward. Categories and subject descriptors: cities; pervasive computing; smart cities

The ability of autonomous vehicles (AVs) to interact socially with pedestrians poses a significant impact on their integration with urban traffic. This is particularly important for vehicle-pedestrian shared spaces due to increased social requirements in comparison to vehicular roads. Current pedestrian experience in shared spaces suffers from negative attitudes towards AVs and the consequently low acceptability of AVs in these spaces. HRI work shows that the acceptability of robots in public spaces can be positively impacted by their perceived sociability (i.e., possessing social skills), which can be enhanced by their ability to express emotions. Inspired by this approach, we follow a systematic process to design emotional expressions for AVs using the headlight ("eye'') area and investigate their impact on perceived sociability of AVs in shared spaces, by conducting expert focus groups (N=12) and an online video-based user study (N=106). Our findings confirm that the perceived sociability of AVs can be enhanced by emotional expressions indicated through emotional eyes. We further discuss implications of our findings for improving pedestrian experience and attitude in shared spaces and highlight opportunities to use AVs' emotional expressions as a new external communication strategy for future research.

In this paper, we investigate how to elicit new perspectives in research-through-design (RtD) studies through annotated portfolios. Situating the usage in human-robot interaction (HRI), we used two robotic artefacts as a case study: we first created our own annotated portfolio and subsequently ran online workshops during which we asked HRI experts to annotate our robotic artefacts. We report on the different aspects revealed about the value, use, and further improvements of the robotic artefacts through using the annotated portfolio technique ourselves versus using it with experts. We suggest that annotated portfolios – when performed by external experts – allow design researchers to obtain a form of creative and generative peer critique. Our paper offers methodological considerations for conducting expert annotation sessions. Further, we discuss the use of annotated portfolios to unveil designerly HRI knowledge in RtD studies.

The rise of autonomous systems in cities, such as automated vehicles (AVs), requires new approaches for prototyping and evaluating how people interact with those systems through context-based user interfaces, such as external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs). In this paper, we present a comparative study of three prototype representations (real-world VR, computer-generated VR, real-world video) of an eHMI in a mixed-methods study with 42 participants. Quantitative results show that while the real-world VR representation results in higher sense of presence, no significant differences in user experience and trust towards the AV itself were found. However, interview data shows that participants focused on different experiential and perceptual aspects in each of the prototype representations. These differences are linked to spatial awareness and perceived realism of the AV behaviour and its context, affecting in turn how participants assess trust and the eHMI. The paper offers guidelines for prototyping and evaluating context-based interfaces through simulations.

With the emergence in human–computer interaction (HCI) of researching contemplative practices, authentic descriptions of first-person lived experience informing design are few. Most researchers in HCI are not trained in observing the mind. We draw on learnings from neurophenomenology, inspired by well-established Buddhist techniques for mind-training. We present a self-observation ofTonglen, a Buddhist meditation technique for compassion, conducted over 12 weeks. We found that to keenly observe and document the practice, it is important to go through preparatory stages of stabilising attention and observing the mind. For the practitioner-cum-researcher, the technique should be embedded into a framework training self-observation and developing meta-awareness, supported by documentation of somatic snapshots and reflective journal writing. The first-person method of self-enquiry and account of self-evidence offer insight and directions for refining first-person approaches for future HCI research in body and mind cultivation, and design implications for interactive technologies supporting any practice with a contemplative component.

HCI researchers have begun to more systematically study non-digital transient approaches for displaying information in public space, for example, in the form of chalk infographics. These approaches provide several benefits compared to digital displays, such as: ad-hoc deployment, barrier-free interaction, and being more sustainable. However, one limitation is their hyperlocal scale and impact. Speculating on urban robots as agents for scaling up physicalised displays, we describe the exploratory design and deployment of Woodie, a slow-moving robot that draws on the ground using conventional chalk sticks. We deployed Woodie for three weeks in a quiet laneway situated within a highly urbanised area. Data collected from observations, video logs and interviews revealed that Woodie successfully attracted people's attention and acted as a facilitator for collaborative, creative placemaking. Furthermore, Woodie provoked emotional responses and was perceived as a living being. Findings are interpreted to describe opportunities urban robots provide for the design of future pervasive urban displays.

Sounds of Infinity is an interactive, low-resolution lighting display that portrays a magnified variation of the infinity mirror. Developed for an outdoor light and music festival, the installation provides a retro-futuristic experience for audiences and explores how playful interactions might impact the behaviour of people in public spaces. Using multiple layers of LED lights, the concept enhances the infinity mirror illusion with a variety of audio-to-visual effects to create a tunnel of interactive light visuals. Due to its intuitive design with sound input, Sounds of Infinity also allows for open exploration of the body to produce sound through voice and movements. It illustrates the timeless quality of light and sound to promote social harmony, connecting and engaging people in collaborative, fun and expressive play.

Rayuela is an interactive light installation created with the purpose of using art to draw attention to a serious issue plaguing our society: namely plastic usage and waste, and how its overuse and under recycling end up polluting the oceans and compromising the food chain by disintegrating into microplastics. To create an experience that could be playful enough to attract and engage people, while still subtly conveying a serious message, we chose the game of hopscotch as a backdrop for a playful experience, revealing at each step the journey a plastic bottle goes through during its lifecycle. Accordingly, we named the work Rayuela, which is the Spanish word for hopscotch. We built Rayuela as a modular system consisting of 11 light boxes, each telling a different fact about the plastic bottle's journey. Each time people jumped on a box, it turned the next one on, thus progressively revealing the story. As the work was designed for exhibition in a very large public festival lasting about a month, design considerations ranged form aesthetic and interactive aspects to robustness and reliability. In this paper, we describe the conceptual rationale for Rayuela, its design and building process, and the methods for automated data gathering we implemented. We then present the results of the field study, and discuss preliminary findings, as well as implications for future design.

This paper presents the design of Woodie, a free-moving urban robot which draws on the ground with conventional chalk sticks, using the public space as a large art canvas. We outline the motivation and design considerations, which led the design process of the lightweight robotic device aiming to stage creative placemaking activities. Along this path, we relate to the various roles of 'embodiment' apparent in this placemaking investigation, such as the robot's physical appearance and coupling with the urban environment; the engagement of visitors into natural tangible interactions; and their involvement of physical activities around the precinct. We discuss our observation on how those embodied interactions emerged, and further elaborate on them as perspectives to inform future work.

Interactive public interfaces are opportunities for designers to affect how people relate to one another. We believe that traditional ritual can inspire a novel approach to the design of digital experience in public space. Ritual has been shown to support social cohesion and we argue that it can be used as a design strategy to encourage the cultivation of qualities like compassion in public space. We created our own interactive artwork, Wish Happiness that was inspired by methods of compassion cultivation from Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. Through a concept-driven design research approach, we outline the set of design strategies we employed to translate key principles of Buddhist ritual and practice into the secular setting of a festival. We observed that compassion-like qualities, a positive state of mind and a sense of social harmony, were produced through interaction with the system, providing encouragement for future research into ritual interaction for compassion cultivation.

Characterised by the increased spread of technology out of workplaces and into public spaces and homes, the so-called third-wave of human-computer interaction has placed greater focus on scenarios that are socially situated, context dependent and not necessarily task oriented. This movement has led to studies investigating how people interact with digital applications in public spaces, but the discussion of intuitive interaction thus far has not been extended to this new realm of user interfaces. Designing for intuitive interaction in public spaces differs from traditional digital applications due to the inherently fluid social nature and often large-scale character of urban interventions. This article discusses the design of interaction for public spaces, based on applications we developed along the years, contrasted to similar endeavours elsewhere. We analyse them through the lens of frameworks for intuitive interactions and derive a series of strategies towards designing for immediate use and high crowd turnaround in urban interventions.

In this paper we describe the design of a large-scale interactive light and music intervention on a corporate high rise building and its surrounding urban area. Designing for interaction with media façades has traditionally posed challenges regarding proxemics, scale of the augmented architecture and placement of interactive spaces. With the increasing availability and affordability of interactive technologies, factors such as playability and tangibility are assumed not only to be present but also to enable richer collective experiences. We propose a new approach for interaction with large media façades employing embodied audio-visual interaction at the floor level. That way, the floor level serves as proxy for interacting with the media façade whilst facilitating social encounters. We discuss aspects considered during different phases of the project development and derive principles for connecting zones of proxemics, promoting encounters by distributing the performance, designing for urban activation and isolating implementation concerns.