My definition
Interaction is giving and receiving attention.
Interaction with physical computing is:
A dead thing making a living thing feel they are given attention.
2 projects I researched
Parasite of Alexa
This project is a Man In Middle between Amazon Alexa and the user. It acts as a firewall, protecting the user’s privacy. The device sits on top of an Alexa, playing a random noise to the Alexa’s microphone. Only when the device hears the user speak specific wake words will it stop playing the random noise for a while.
I think it is a good initiative, but not an interactive device. Its idea very well manifest social science priciples like the Division of Power and Mutual Supervision. It protects privacy. However, The human uses it as a mere tool. The “encapsulation” is so good, the user may as well forget about the existence of the device! It is not a bad thing, just not interactive.
Smart Home Counterspy Agent
This project is a router for smart home devices. It displays the traffic of each smart home device with intuitive graphics. The purpose is to reveal to the user how much data their smart home devices upload every day.
This one is interactive. The user feels they are actively protected. The device communicates with the user. Everytime the user looks at it, the user can feel the amount of thought the device put into its job when the user was not around. That creates emotional sympathy. This is what I mean by “a dead thing making a living thing feel they are given attention. ”
Group project
The Super Cup is a flying robot that fills your cup for you.
Why robot? Why not a conveyer belt? Why not some other automatic technology that fills the cup remotely?
The idea is that the user should not take what is provided for granted. A device may be useful, but if the user can easily forget about the device, it is not interactive.
That is why we decided to use a robot. The robot not only provides water, it also provides attention.
More thoughts
- Should an interactive design demand attention?
- In terms of user experience, when is encapsulation good? When bad?