Eye Contact Keeper
2021.11 (3 weeks)
#Experience Design, Physical computing
Program: Arduino, HTML, Javascript, Processing
Device: Esp32, Arduino Uno, Tilt sensors, buttons, LEDs
“That moment when people lost their focus while taking a 1-1 conversation.”
This prototype module explores the "technology" that enables and facilitates interactions by capturing moments of interaction in the field. To this end, I went through the process of concretizing the prototype by observing how I intervene and participate in the moment of interaction and how technology affects it.
Who is it for? To do What?
You can use this design when you feel that the other person is not focused on the conversation. Suitable for one-to-one conversations. It consists of a pair of goggles and buttons.
These are the key insights that I discovered when I deployed this prototype by observing "that moment."
“That moment when people said.. YES!”
1. The inability of others to understand personal conversations provides them with comfort. When I asked strangers to test this prototype, many people refused. However, they readily accepted that they would not mind if I was next to them because they spoke in Spanish.
2. Even though it was the same function, people felt differently.
The white fabric, an optional feature that helps to keep private conversations and avoid the surroundings' influence, helps someone focus on the test by reducing the embarrassment of the prototype in public, but someone feels interferes with the conversation by feeling stuffy.
“That moment when the functionality was not operating properly due to environmental factors”
The practicality of the design features depends on the environment.
The outdoor wind caused the white fabric to flip over again and again.
The intense sunlight during the day neutralized the LED lights.
“That moment when the goggles’ LED was not on, but the person pressed the button”
They were already focusing on each other. Because they were talking about something very serious. So they often forgot that there was a button in the conversation. But they used the button's function twice during the conversation. Once, she saw her turn her head and look at his surroundings and pressed the button. But the other time, she pressed the button when only her eyes turned. When they pressed the button, they turned not only them but also the eyes of others around them.
Process
1. Self-Documentation
For 48 hours, use the same framework of documenting human/human, human/tech, and tech/tech interactions, with myself as the primary human subject. And then captures the most interesting moments since. I found it interesting that my friend felt that he was not having a good conversation with me because of the act of recording every 15 minutes during this assignment.
2. Observation
So, I try to intervene again at this moment. At first, I tried to record while talking to people, focusing on the repetitive act of 'recording'. People still felt like we were talking when I was taking videos or taking pictures. But when I was writing notes on my phone, I didn't look them in the eye, so they felt I wasn't paying attention to them. So after that, I intervened again in the "eye contact" situation.
First intervention prototype
As a prototype design for the first intervention, the view was limited. However, even though the view was limited when the distance became farther away, the surrounding environment began to be seen, and the eyes were taken away.
So I used a string to limit the distance. However, even if the distance was limited, people could lower their heads again to check the messages on their phones when the alarm on their phones went off during the conversation.
That is why I made the button to help them focus on me again.
Second intervention prototype
In the process of testing the first prototype, I looked again at how people were distracted at the moment of conversation. No matter how close I was to the other person, the monitor in the restaurant was enough to distract him. So instead of limiting the distance, I changed it to a tilt sensor to alert them when they raised their heads or bent down, such as looking at a monitor on the wall or sending a text message to a cell phone.
Also, they felt different when they pressed the button that says 'Focus on Me' on their phones and when they used the button physically. They said that when the button is physically pressed, more humanity occurs. Also, when they press this button, the voice of the recorded person and the voice of the AI changed the emotions of the users. AI's voice gives us a familiar sound and a mechanical feeling. But when I put in a recorded sound with my voice, they feel that the sound of telling them to focus is personal, which is directly transmitted to them. And when I offer multiple choices, rather than just one, users can choose the sentence they want to express, creating a moment of interaction with the machine.
Third intervention prototype
Safety goggles were used for wearable prototypes. But these goggles protect people from something dangerous. This prototype is designed to interact with others, not to protect something. Also, when users used these goggles, the atmosphere was like a laboratory. In order to transform the design of this prototype into an atmosphere of familiarity, I removed the safety film of the goggles and wrapped the frame with thread.
I also found that red LEDs, which warn of head movements, only interact with themselves who wear these goggles directly. So I added the phrase "sorry" for a device that can interact with the other person when people move their head.
The experience of using it also changed depending on what material I used. Regular LED bulbs and cotton-wrapped LEDs approach users in a different sense and give them a natural experience rather than emphasizing technology.
These white fabrics were added as an optional feature. When testing the device in public, users were sensitive to the surrounding environment (They said they were often embarrassed and worried that someone might be looking at them.) There was also someone talking to us about this device during the test. This option prevents interference from the surrounding environment or helps the user distract less on the outside.
“That moment when this prototype can be wearable”
When people were testing with Arduino and sensors-connected devices, they said that the perception that they were holding something made them unable to focus on their conversation. So I thought about how to make this prototype wearable so that it doesn't get distracted during the conversation.
Wearable design