Research setting Periphery
The experiment periphery focuses on data mapping design and human habituation and learning processes in technologically enhanced environments. We investigated how personal sensor data can be spatially and physically displayed (ambient display) to be perceived in the periphery of human attention. We therefore designed a responsive space that mapped human behavior and arousal onto different physical parameters such as light (brightness, color, saturation, frequency), sound (type of sound, volume, audio effects), vibration by contact speakers (intensity, interval) and air stream by a ventilator (strength, interval). Behavior and arousal were captured by sensor measurements of human movement (spatial position, head acceleration, wrist acceleration) and bio data (heart rate, GSR). Subsequently, we invited 22 participants to pursue every day work on their personal laptop computer during one and a half hours in the technologically enhanced space.
We are interested to find out if the participants become aware of the ambient display of their very own sensor data and in which situations the displayed information moves from periphery to attention. To make sure the perception takes place in the periphery of the participants’ attention, we asked them to concentrate on their daily work and weaved the displayed information subtly into the environment. Mapping design principles for data representations are therefore a crucial focus of investigation. With the above described clearly limited set of sensor inputs and actuator outputs we evaluated which means are most suitable to represent what kind of data.
The constant real-time display of behavior and arousal potentialized psychophysiological reactions (positive feedback) and the responsive environment in some key situations even guided the participants to change behavior. The setup allowed us to investigate which moments the participants perceived as positive or negative, as supporting or patronizing (HCI agency).
Data privacy issues are also part of the investigation. Since the experiment was set up as a normal lab workspace, perceivable by colleagues, it was crucial to find out how comfortable the participants were to display intimate somatic and behavioral data into semi-public space.
