Trail Device
I have chosen this project to showcase my knowledge and skills in Research Through Design (RtD). The project was developed within the framework of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW).
Abstract
To provide a brief overview of the research project, I recommend reading the following abstract of the paper. If you are more interested in my specific contributions to the research, feel free to skip ahead.
"This research report is based on three cases, each of which had its prototype created to explore the impact of distance on participants' engagement with technology (prototypes). Little is known about how notifications influence participants' engagement with technology at a distance. Through the Research through Design approach, the design choices of the prototypes and the data collected through observations and interviews from the Choose Coffee, Physical Notification, and Trail Device cases resulted in three key findings regarding the impact of distance on participants' interaction with the prototypes. The findings indicate that there is more than one distance that affects interactions, and these distances can be separated through objects that focus on light, fidelity level, and placement. These objects can even influence people's actions."
Research through Design (RtD)
I created this research area map to improve collaboration between researchers and facilitate the planning of cases.
To explore our research interests, we applied the RtD approach. During my studies, I gained a strong understanding of Design Research in general, but this was my first practical application of the RtD approach. Creating the Trail Device artifact enabled us to conduct research through design, which was a fascinating experience. I believe that RtD has a wide range of applications and can sometimes be underestimated. In my opinion, one of the greatest strengths of the RtD approach is that it not only meets functional requirements but also provides new insights or perspectives on a particular problem or issue. It is thrilling to think that design can be used as a research approach for so many purposes.
With my background in Occupational Therapy, I appreciate the involvement of the sensory apparatus in RtD. Researchers can explore and test ideas in a tangible and visual way, generating insights that may not have been possible with more traditional research methods. Including several other senses can provide a more holistic approach to research, allowing for even better data saturation. This approach has allowed me to generate insights that may not have been possible using traditional research methods.
CSCW
This is the decomposition and analysis of an interaction between a user (Jussi) and a coffee machine in a cafeteria.
We conducted CSCW-specific research before starting our fieldwork with the Trail Device in order to understand the various interactions that occur when users purchase coffee. We visited several locations to analyze these interactions, identifying five key factors:
The participant
Physical objects (artifacts)
Input and feedback between participant and artifact
Actions that construct the overall interaction
Communication during the interaction
Using this method, I carried out the fieldwork with my prototype as one of the artifacts. This interaction diagramming method was familiar to me and provided an effective visual representation of the interactions. It is also useful for presenting the interaction elements of a design or RtD project to an interdisciplinary audience.
Trail Device
This picture displays the two boxes placed by the entrance to the cafeteria. The placement were decided after tracing the customers routes through the area.
I collaborated with two other individuals on this research project and we discussed potential artifact designs to investigate the research interest. During this stage, we actively practiced critical thinking, challenging each other and confronting our own perspectives on the task at hand. At the end of the session, each of us had come up with a design idea that contributed to the research. My design idea was the Trail Device, which aims to research the different aspects involved in public directional guidance.
To clarify the background, purpose, and methods of the research, I created an initial research canvas. The research question I aimed to investigate was: 'How do placement, light, and distance influence the interaction between participant and prototype in a context of ground-based guidance and perception?'
The Trail Device consisted of an external unit that the participant wore while walking towards two boxes (artifacts). The LED pulsing in each box increased in brightness as the participant approached, creating a dynamic relation between the boxes and the Micro:Bit. We employed the Trail Device in two different sessions and tested it accordingly.
Prototyping
This was the final prototype. Made from cardboard, Micro:Bit, and various electronic components.
The Trail Device was designed with a simple purpose, and thus a low-fidelity prototype was created. The main objective was to develop a dynamic prototype that could serve as a test object for investigating the different distances and factors involved in guiding people in public spaces. The emphasis was not on aesthetics or build quality, but on the programming and electronics required for its functionality.
This picture was taken whilst building and programming the prototype.
The Trail Device frame was constructed using simple cardboard and designed with Adobe Illustrator. The construction was carried out using a laser cutter and adhesive. The electronic components used in the device primarily consisted of Micro:Bits, LEDs, and other basic components. The Micro:Bits were programmed using Microsoft MakeCode to control the LEDs and establish a dynamic relationship between the Micro:Bit worn by the user and the Micro:Bits installed in each of the two boxes.
Observation and Interview
This was my primary observation station.
The observation was conducted as "a fly on the wall," meaning that I did not engage with the users and remained passive and non-engaging. It was carried out using a simple random sampling method, with a focus on the relationship between distance, interaction, and participation in the experiment. Two approaches were used for the observation: counting and tracing.
Counting was used to register the frequency of the participants' choices on their pace to the counter, providing quantitative data that could qualify the experiments and serve as arguments in making decisions. This was done to create a baseline for further research using the Trail Device, with documentation of five primary user routes throughout the research area.
Tracing contributed to creating an overview of the participants' trails in their movement around the research area, registering movement that can provide basic and concrete knowledge about movement patterns. This data could be important for researching interaction and distance, and was used to create a baseline for further research using the Trail Device, mainly to research its impact on the participants' movement patterns.
The weakness of this approach was the lack of subjective user-experience data, which was extracted through interviews conducted with a narrative phenomenological approach following the informants' participation in the Trail Device experiment. The interview aimed to gather qualitative reflections from the informant, consisting of statements considering the experience of testing the Trail Device and reflections on placement, colors, and distance.
Illustration of the five routes mapped by tracing.
Academic contribution
One of the key findings extracted from the results of this mini-case was the impact of distance on the relationship between the participant and the prototype. The following quote was extracted from the Affinity Diagram, which was used to collectively analyze the findings from the three cases in this research: "Distance between box units has a significant impact on the users’ perception." The larger the distance, the less attention the participants paid to the Trail Device. Out of context, the Trail Device was barely noticeable. However, in the right context and with participant-prototype-artifact interactions conducted within a 1-meter radius, the majority of the participants interacted with the Trail Device.
It was observed in various cases that the participants interacted with each other when exposed to the Trail Device. Interaction was a latent theme in all the experiments conducted in this research. Yet, the researchers were surprised to learn that the prototype directly encouraged the participants to interact with each other. Furthermore, the usage of hand sanitizer was increased with the presence of the Trail Device located beside it.
In conclusion, the findings indicate that there is more than one distance that influences interactions and that by affecting one distance, we can affect other distances. The findings also suggest that one way to separate distance is by using an object to affect physical separation. This catches a person's attention from an overall distance by using light, fidelity level, and placement of the object. Lastly, the research indicates that notifications can influence the participant’s choice.