Staffan Björk

PLAY - Experimental Design in Ubiquitous Computing

lecture given at the workshop "online-archives: perspectives on networked knowledge spaces"

Staffan Björk

Staffan Björk

netzspannung.org

Media Files

Abstract

As computers become more and more a part of everyday life, the previous view of computers as strictly a work-oriented tool will change. The PLAY research studio investigates the future of human-computer interaction and interaction design as information technology will permeate into all areas of our life.

During the last few years, PLAY has conducted a number of projects that have looked from different perspectives at how ubiquitous computing can changes our lifes. In ‚Sonic City‘ we explore and prototype new experiences and interactions with audio content, considering mobile behaviours and urban conditions as parameters in music composition. Within ‚Slow Technology‘, we experiment with time as a variable in interface design, designing technology that encourages moments of reflection and mental rest by being slow and focusing on aesthetics rather than functionality.

‚Smart-Its‘ are small, cheap computational devices that can be used for post-hoc computational enhancement of everyday objects. Cheap and unobtrusive they will allow the perception of their environment while communicating with their peers and have customisable behaviour.

‚Pirates!‘ explore possible future directions of computer game design and game play, showing how computer games can become mobile, location-sensitive and promote face-to face interaction between humans within a social environment. These examples show some of the ways we in the future will be able to create knowledge spaces and ambient spaces to allow for an easier, richer, and potentially more meaningful interaction with information.

Artists / Authors

Date(s)

Organizer

Fraunhofer Institute for Media Communication MARS-Exploratory Media Lab

Contact

redaktion@netzspannung.org

Location

Schloss Birlinghoven, Sankt Augustin, Germany

URL

» http://netzspannung.…hops/online-archives/

Submission

, Apr 23, 2003

Category

Keywords