The Currently Unique Advantages of Collocated Work
Judith S. Olson, Stephanie Teasley, Lisa Covi, Gary Olson

What do we know about proximity and distance in work groups?
Sara Kiesler, Jonathon M. Cummings

Our model was made of foam board and paper vellum. We revised the physical dimensions from 3 x 3 (rows, columns) to 4 x 3. Where the center of the installation is at eye-level and the sensors are positioned between the waist and knee area for an adult.

One important question our team didn’t address in the design - what happens when nobody interacts with it? What does it do? To encourage engagement, we thought about various interactions that feels inviting yet triggers curiosity. In other words a “teaser”. Some ideas we played around with were to have certain squares fade or blink, a snake-like pattern from left to right, or spell out the words “YMCA”.

What’s next?

• Build the wooden casing (enclosure).
• Code the proximity sensors to map to certain colors with various distances.
• Brainstorm the detailed interactions when nobody interacts with it. When one, two, or three people interact with it (individually or jointly).

• Mood and Emotions in Small Groups and Work Teams
  Janice R. Kelly, Sigal G. Barsade
• I’m Sad You’re Sad: Emotional Contagion in Computer-Mediated Communication
  Jeffrey T. Hancock, Kailyn Gee, Kevin Ciaccio, Jennifer Mae-Hwah Lin
• Expressing Emotion in Text-Based Communication
  Jeffrey T. Hancock, Christopher Landrigan, Courtney Silver

Affect and Intimacy Computing

• How Emotion is Made and Measured
  Kirsten Boehner, Rogério DePaula, Paul Dourish, Phoebe Sengers
• Experimental Evaluation of Five Methods for Collecting Emotions in Field Settings with Mobile Applications
  Minna Isomursu, Marika Tahti, Soili Vainamo, Kari Kuutti
• Gender and Emotion: Social Psychological Perspectives
  Agneta H. Fischer

Project Schematics

The proximity sensors will detect multiple ranges; for example, an individual viewing the piece within a range of 20 ft. will see the LED colors configured in a certain pattern, but that pattern will change within a range of 15 ft., change within 10ft., and so on. Having multiple proximity sensors will also allow for multiple viewers to interact with the piece together, perhaps even cooperatively.

Materials
Arduino Duemilanove board, 9 5mm superbright tri-color LEDs, 3 ultrasonic proximity sensors, 1k-Ohm resistors, jumper wires, power supply, wood, nails, screws, textured plexiglas sheet.

Design Proposal
We presented our design proposal to the class and got some good feedback. The feedback we received actually made our project more technically complex. Suggestions consisted of experimenting with different shapes, avoiding predictable experiences, thinking about extensions of play, and adding interactions such as sonification. Though we appreciate the critique and suggestions, we see this project as experimental and foresee it to organically shape as we progress each week. We have only three weeks to build this project. If time permits, we might incorporate sound.

Last Wednesday, our group reached a milestone. Ashley figured out how to control the individual colors on a bi-color LED using an infrared proximity sensor. We’re hoping we can test this out on a superbright tri-color LED this week.

I really wish I did this last year. Eventually, I will post my past semester readings in my spare time.

• Designing and Deploying an Information Awareness Interface
  JJ Cadiz, Gina Venolia, Gavin Jancke, Anoop Gupta
• Mutual Knowledge and Communicative Effectiveness
  Robert M. Krauss, Susan R. Fussell
• Talking Work: Argument, Common Knowledge, and Improvisation in Teamwork
  David Middleton
• Responsive Environments
  Myron W. Krueger
• From Soft Architecture Machines
  Nicholas Negroponte

The Six Sense ubiquitous technology means that physical touch screen interfaces maybe a thing of the past. The prototype projects on any surface, meaning as wireless web connections becomes more available, you can use the technology everywhere. Also, the cost of touch interfaces found in Microsoft Surface and the Apple iPhone are far more expensive than the technology used for the prototype. The Fluid Interface Group created a prototype utilizing a digital webcam, battery-powered projector, mirror, and phone under $350.

I can definitely see this prototype useful during group collaboration at lunch or for leisure activities. Such as watching the latest episode of ‘Lost’ with a group of friends on a warm night in the park.

After receiving this discouraging news, I recall a phrase a senior designer told me:

“We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.”
–Samuel Smiles

By sharing our experience, I hope current and future design students can see value from our misfortunes.

Below are the comments we received on our paper. We scored high in design process quality and solution concept, but low on the feasibility of our solution, which I strongly disagree.

Judge 1
Overall Rating: 3 (Borderline: Overall I would not argue for accepting this paper.)
The solution and the UCD process followed to develop the solution are impressive and will likely be successful if implemented. However, the solution does not directly address the stated problem of developing a solution to “support the idea of utilizing or consuming local resources rather than global resources, in a sustainable and environmentally efficient manner.” Instead, this solution is exclusively focused on reducing the consumption of resources regardless of whether the resources are local or not. Thus, I do not think it should move on in the competition. However, I would strongly argue for it if the problem better fit their solution.

Judge 2
Overall Rating: 4 (Probably accept: I would argue for accepting this paper.)
The authors describe the design and early development of “Energy Pledge”, an eco-visualization system that aims to promote more sustainable consumption of water (a local resource) and electricity in student dormitory communities. The authors formulated user-centered research questions and also provide very interesting research findings and insights

Judge 3
Overall Rating: 2 (Probably reject: I would argue for rejecting this paper.)
This paper seems like a result of going thru the required parts one by one and doing them. Energy conservation is a laudable goal but the project seems to me neither novel nor highly effective. I got no idea of the specific goals of the project besides ‘raising awareness’. Neither was there any research into others work outside of the narrow bounds of getting the students to sign a pledge. Well written and laid out, I don’t recomend acceptance of this project but wish the authors luck on their next project.

To end on a positive note, I want to congratulate my colleagues Dane Petersen, Jay Steele, and Joe Wilkerson. Their concept WattBot is advancing to the next round! I look forward to see how far they’ll go in April.