Michael Karlesky
Katherine Isbister
ABSTRACT
We argue that embodied self-regulation---managing attention and emotion through physical activity---is an underexplored opportunity for HCI researchers and practitioners. We present research exploring the self-regulation design space through the use of Fidget Widgets---objects manipulated with the hands alongside daily deskwork. Through a novel qualitative study method we collected 132 exemplars of these behaviors and objects. We employed Tumblr, a social media site, as a formative research instrument and used a grounded theory approach to reveal patterns in physical properties and use. Submissions were markedly varied and included evocative, colorful descriptors such as "crinkly", "squishy", and "clickyclackety" revealing a sensory experience and desires far different than those typically associated with computational work. Our analysis of the submissions revealed evidence of self-regulation towards achieving calm, focus, and creativity; additionally, design opportunities in somesthetics and social context emerged. Our ongoing research has implications for HCI practitioners working in tangible computing and peripheral interaction as well as for those supporting wellbeing through interactive technology design.
- Adler, R.F. and Benbunan-Fich, R. Self-interruptions in discretionary multitasking. Computers in Human Behavior 29, 4 (2013), 1441--1449. Google Scholar
Digital Library
- Alonso, M.B. Relax! Inherent Feedback During Product Interaction to Reduce Stress. Delft University of Technology, 2010.Google Scholar
- Andrade, J. What does doodling do? Applied Cognitive Psychology 24, 1 (2010), 100--106.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Ashby, F.G., Valentin, V.V., and Turken, A.U. The effects of positive affect and arousal on working memory and executive attention. ADVANCES IN CONSCIOUSNESS RESEARCH 44, (2002), 245--288.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Balcetis, E. and Cole, S. Body in Mind: The Role of Embodied Cognition in Self-Regulation. Social and Personality Psychology Compass 3, 5 (2009), 759--774.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Brandt, I. The influence of rhythmic changes in lighting on breathing rhythm and relaxation. 2011, 1--41.Google Scholar
- Branthwaite, A. and Patterson, S. The power of qualitative research in the era of social media. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal 14, 4 (2011), 430--440.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Bødker, S. When Second Wave HCI Meets Third Wave Challenges. NordiCHI '06: Proceedings of the 4th Nordic conference on Human-computer interaction: changing roles, (2006). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Carney, D.R., Cuddy, A.J.C., and Yap, A.J. Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance. Psychological Science 21, 10 (2010), 1363--1368.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Craig, J.C. and Rollman, G.B. Somesthesis. Annual Review of Psychology 50, (1999), 305--331.Google ScholarCross Ref
- de Rooij, A. and Jones, S. (E)Motion and Creativity: Hacking the Function of Motor Expressions in Emotion Regulation to Augment Creativity. TEI '15: Proceedings of the 9th international conference on Tangible and embedded interaction, (2015), 145--152. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Dourish, P. Where the Actions Is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction. MIT Press, Cambridge, 2004.Google Scholar
- Flack, W.F., Laird, J.D., and Cavallaro, L.A. Separate and combined effects of facial expressions and bodily postures on emotional feelings. European journal of social psychology 29, 2-3 (1999), 203--217.Google Scholar
- Følstad, A. and Knutsen, J. Online User Feedback in Early Phases of the Design Process: Lessons Learnt from Four Design Cases. Advances in Human-Computer Interaction 2010, 3 (2010), 1--9.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Garger, S. Is there a link between learning style and neurophysiology. Educational Leadership 48, 2 (1990), 63--65.Google Scholar
- Glaser, B.G. and Strauss, A.L. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. AldineTransaction, Chicago, 1967.Google Scholar
- Hagen, P. and Robertson, T. Dissolving boundaries: social technologies and participation in design. OZCHI, (2009), 129--136. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Hernandez, J., Paredes, P., Roseway, A., and Czerwinski, M. Under pressure: Sensing stress of computer users. the 32nd annual ACM conference, (2014), 51--60. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Isen, A.M. Positive affect as a source of human strength. In L.G. Aspinwall and U.M. Staudinger, eds., A psychology of human strengths: Fundamental questions and future directions for a positive psychology. American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., 2003, 179--195.Google Scholar
- Jaimes, A. Sit straight (and tell me what I did today): a human posture alarm and activity summarization system. CARPE '05: Proceedings of the 2nd ACM workshop on Continuous archival and retrieval of personal experiences, (2005). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Karlesky, M. and Isbister, K. Fidget widgets: secondary playful interactions in support of primary serious tasks. CHI'13 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, (2013), 1149--1154. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Karlesky, M. and Isbister, K. Designing for the physical margins of digital workspaces: fidget widgets in support of productivity and creativity. TEI '14: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, (2014). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Khang, H., Ki, E.J., and Ye, L. Social Media Research in Advertising, Communication, Marketing, and Public Relations, 1997--2010. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 89, 2 (2012), 279--298.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Koike, H., Sato, Y., and Kobayashi, Y. Integrating paper and digital information on EnhancedDesk: a method for realtime finger tracking on an augmented desk system. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 8, 4 (2001), 307--322. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Kruglanski, A.W. and Higgins, E.T. Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles. The Guilford, 2007.Google Scholar
- Leung, K., Reilly, D., Hartman, K., Stein, S., and Westecott, E. Limber: DIY wearables for reducing risk of office injury. TEI '12: Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, (2012). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Lewis, S., Dontcheva, M., and Gerber, E. Affective computational priming and creativity. CHI '11: Proceedings of the 2011 annual conference on Human factors in computing systems, (2011). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Ley, R. The Modification of Breathing Behavior Pavlovian and Operant Control in Emotion and Cognition. Behavior Modification 23, 3 (1999), 441--479.Google Scholar
- Mason, M.F., Norton, M.I., Van Horn, J.D., Wegner, D.M., Grafton, S.T., and Macrae, C.N. Wandering minds: the default network and stimulus-independent thought. Science 315, 5810 (2007), 393--395.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Matheson, K. Teachers ditch student desk chairs for yoga balls. Associated Press, 2013. http://news.yahoo.com/teachers-ditch-student-desk-chairs-152403408.html.Google Scholar
- McCarthy, J. Technology as Experience. MIT Press, 2004. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Moraveji, N., Adiseshan, A., and Hagiwara, T. Breathtray: augmenting respiration self-regulation without cognitive deficit. CHI'12 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, (2012), 2405--2410. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Näkki, P. and Koskela-Huotari, K. User participation in software design via social media: experiences from a case study with consumers. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction 4, 2 (2012), 129--152.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Niedenthal, P.M. Embodying Emotion. Science 316, 5827 (2007), 1002--1005.Google Scholar
- Park, A. The Two Faces of Anxiety. Time Online, 2011. http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2100106,00.html.Google Scholar
- Philips. Mind Spheres. design.philips.com. http://www.design.philips.com/about/design/designportfolio/design_futures/mind_spheres.page.Google Scholar
- Rasmussen, M.K., Pedersen, E.W., Petersen, M.G., and Hornbæk, K. Shape-changing interfaces: A review of the design space and open research questions. CHI '12: Proceedings of the 2012 ACM annual conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, (2012), 735--744. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Reyes, L.F.M. and Finken, S. Social media as a platform for participatory design. PDC, (2012), 89--92. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Rosner, D.K. and Ryokai, K. Reflections on craft. ACM Press (2009), 195.Google Scholar
- Rosner, D.K. and Ryokai, K. Spyn: augmenting the creative and communicative potential of craft. CHI, (2010), 2407--2416. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Schott, G.D. Doodling and the default network of the brain. The Lancet 378, 9797 (2011), 1133--1134.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Shellenbarger, S. Power of Tiny Distractions. Wall Street Journal 265, 2015, D1.Google Scholar
- Tobias, S.P. Wichita fifth-graders stand up for learning. The Wichita Eagle Online, 2012. http://www.kansas.com/2012/11/27/2582854/wichita-fifth-graders-can-stand.html.Google Scholar
- Ullmer, B. and Ishii, H. The metaDESK: models and prototypes for tangible user interfaces. UIST '97: Proceedings of the 10th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology, (1997). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Vohs, K.D. and Baumeister, R.F. Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications. Guilford Press, 2011.Google Scholar
- Wellner, P. Interacting with paper on the DigitalDesk. Communications of the ACM 36, 7 (1993), 87--96. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Yeykelis, L., Cummings, J.J., and Reeves, B. Multitasking on a Single Device: Arousal and the Frequency, Anticipation, and Prediction of Switching Between Media Content on a Computer. Journal of Communication 64, 1 (2014), 167--192.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Zhang, Y., Risen, J.L., and Hosey, C. Reversing One's Fortune by Pushing Away Bad Luck. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, (2013).Google Scholar
Index Terms
Understanding Fidget Widgets: Exploring the Design Space of Embodied Self-Regulation
Recommendations
Fidget widgets: designing for the physical margins of digital workspaces
We present our ongoing work to develop the concept of physical "margin" spaces around software and a new type of human computer interaction. Our novel "Fidget Widgets" seek to engage users' interrelated bodily motions, affective states, and cognitive ...
Reflections on 25 Years of Ethnography in CSCW
In this article we focus attention on ethnography's place in CSCW by reflecting on how ethnography in the context of CSCW has contributed to our understanding of the sociality and materiality of work and by exploring how the notion of the `field site' ...
Bridging Work Practice and System Design: Integrating Systemic Analysis, Appreciative Intervention and Practitioner Participation
This article discusses the integration of work practice and system design. By scrutinising the unfolding discourse of workshop participants the co-construction of work practice issues as relevant design considerations is described. Through a mutual ...
Comments