During the introductory lecture it became more clear, what this entire course was about. Already in "Project: Shared Spaces" I tried persuading my group to tinker more on an interactive IoT level, rather than just creating yet another App. Technology is changing and so is society: There are studies showing that the mere oversupply of apps results in the opposite: A demand to use less applications and go back to basics.
When I first used my smartwatch in 2015, a Moto 360 the benefit was clear: It is an extension to my phone. I was hoping to use it primarily for bicycle navigation back then but it never really worked out, because the watch was not always in sight during the ride and it seemed even easier to get the phone out of my pocket.
The next step came with Amazon's Echo device, which I equipped my home with in 2017. This device has been blowing my mind for the last years and basically allows interaction solely based on voice. I concluded:
“The best interface has no interface.“
This is not entirely true however - Amazon's Echo devices use strong LED lights to transparently show their status. Having the combinaton of voice and light involved in the interaction, where light is embedded in a round LED-ring, that might be aimed to reflect a human's face, stimulates the impression the end user naturally talks to a human. Emotions and states are thereby displayed with different colors (Blue, Green, Red, Yellow), furthermore the user is able to see, whether the device is listening or not. Although not all Amazon Echo devices are wearable, I wanted to mention them as they basically achieve the same we might want to achieve with wearables: Offering a service / interaction in motion. As it is not required to wear these devices, nor to hold it in the hands or have direct eye contact, I would somehow put them in the wearable category but at the same time give them their own category.
What would a world be without smiling and nonverbal human-to-human communication? With the introduction of Face masks in Germany, they swallowed our faces in public spaces. But how might we still maintain human behavior when we can’t perceive us as humans anymore in the street, during a commute, while at the supermarket?
During the current time it is particularly important to keep on smiling. I am convinced that masks, as they are currently available on the market, are not capable of doing that and might, on the long run lead to dehumanization and in the worst case, to war.
I always wonder, whether projects can have a real use or I perceive problems the same way as other people do
When I started writing this text, I had no real proof whatsoever whether other people are experiencing the same problem with facial masks at all. However, a few hours later, I had my proof: This news post deals with a Hotel company in Berlin-Kreuzberg, that apparantly faced the same problem.
Emotions particularly interesting for service-orientated branches
Now I realized, that this is potentially not just a problem for every citizen but especially for "service-first" companies such as restaurants & hotels, where employees often go through years of studies with the objection of learning how to behave friendly 24/7.
The Hotel came along with the idea to print buttons of their smilng employees so they could stick it on their chest and finally greet their guests wiith a smile again.
But why on the chest? As a UX designer I am always curious on how interaction happens under real world conditions.