Seams & SuperpowersSpring 2015 Lab Inquiry Project Phil van Allen

Media Design Practices, Art Center College of Design Microsoft Design Expo

The studio explored how ecologies formed by wearables and the Internet of Things create superpowers for people, overcoming their contextual and temporary disabilities. It also looked at how interactions with wearables form an important seam between people and their digital life, and how seamless or seamful these interactions should be.

Seams & Superpowers

Student Projects

Seams & Superpowers

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Experience the sensorial environment of a another, a lot or a little

CO-PRESENSE Nick Meehan, Kristen Schlott, Shan Shen

• • • • • • • • • CO-PRESENSE Nick Meehan, Kristen Schlott, Shan Shen

Experience the sensorial environment of a another, a lot or a little

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Create a bespoke ensemble of gestural clothing, and accessories

APP COUTURE Giselle Gou, Zhihan Ying

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Shop for context sensitive clothing, snap your finger to get a sketch-board in the air

APP COUTURE Giselle Gou, Zhihan Ying

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Off grid social network for mass protests and movements

INTRAVOICE Elaine Cheung

• • • • • • • • • CUE Gordon Choi Faith Oftadeh

Indirectly indicate the mood of a group with subtle personal accessories

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Indirectly indicate the mood of a group with subtle personal accessories

CUE Gordon Choi Faith Oftadeh

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Crowdsource personal decision making with in-person gestures

PNS Jay Hong

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Gamify getting out and being social through hidden pocket gestures

POCKETNan Wang

• • • • • • • • • HEELING Qing YI LI

Control your world subtly with peripheral gestures

• • • • • • • • • • • • • HEELING Qing YI LI

Control your world surreptitiously with peripheral gestures

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Reinvent the sense of smell by replacing your nose

RADICAL SENSING Selwa Sweidan

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reinvent the sense of smell by replacing your nose

RADICAL SENSING Selwa Sweidan

• • • • • • • • • PORTABLE PRIVACY DEVICE Shixie Xiangjun

Make yourself anonymous in public and be a troll, protest, be honest

Project Themes

Seams & Superpowers

Seams • subtle gestures • using commonly touched parts of body • require less attention, can become more habitual • public and private seams for interacting with and listening to devices • subtle signaling to yourself Devices • multiple devices/multiple locations on the body • movement, light, haptics as output instead of screen • personally designate tasks/contexts to different devices • virtual screens Gestures • peripheral gestures - not the locus of attention • feet, tie, belt, head, pocket, nose, armband • gestures versus interfaces Social • use in protests, crowds • use in group - e.g. classroom, biz meeting, family context • sub-verbal communications (pockets, CUE, Heeling)