S C I T A M R O F N I L A ...FOR INTIMATE N O S RELATIONSHIPS! R PE
HCI/d
STEPHANIE LOURAINE I543 USER RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES SPRING 2012
MEAT IS
MURDER!!
1
Personal informatics: “A class of tools that help people collect personally relevant information for the purpose of self-reflection and self-monitoring.�1 Table of contents: 3: Introduction 4: Exploring conflict resolution in relationships 6: Exploring ways to promote physical intimacy 8: Exploring the therapeutic act of tracking 10: Exploring design for the end of a relationship 12: Exploring the boundaries of tracking 14: Exploring religion in intimate relationships 16: Exploring the capture of experiences shared by the couple 18: Exploring fertility calculation for couples trying to conceive 20: Exploring the use of social networks in personal informatics 22: Exploring the search for an intimate relationship 24: Resources 2
From lonely hearts lost in the impersonalness of modern life
and people who need to move on after the end...
to same-sex partners who are often neglected in designs
There is a lot to explore within the realm of design for intimate relationships.
Following are ten concepts in ten different spaces that could each be explored even further...
3
EXPLORING CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN RELATIONSHIPS “He’s vegetarian... it’s hard to agree on a place to eat, but I really want to work this [relationship] out.”1 Arguments over food can be a surprisingly strong source of tension in intimate partnerships.2 Urbanspoon chooses a local restaurant based on criteria provided by the user. Perhaps this model could be modified a little... 4
CAN’T AGREE ON WHAT TO EAT?
THIS APP COMPARES WHAT EACH PARTNER WANTS!
LATER...
It even tracks when you’ve last been to a place, in case you don’t want to go again so soon.
5
EXPLORING WAYS TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL INTIMACY Sex is a vital part of an intimate partnership,1 and good communication plays a significant role in any couple’s enjoyment of sex.
101 Positions and many other sex position trackers have no way to connect to a partner’s data. They also assume all users are in heterosexual partnerships... 6
A SHARED APP FOR BOTH PARTNERS
both partners enter their interests! SCROLL WHEELS LET THE USER PICK A POSITION BOTH FOR THEM AND THEIR PARTNER!
YES, YOUR PARTNER WANTS TO TRY TOO!
7
EXPLORING THE THERAPEUTIC ACT OF TRACKING “The act of tracking itself... is often enough to make me think about what I’m doing... The data doesn’t matter.”1
Microsoft’s Backup Box archives everything a user posts on Twitter for future viewing and reminiscing.2 But what if the memories are painful and the user doesn’t want to review them...? 8
EVEN REFLECTION ALONE, WITHOUT REVIEW, CAN BE HELPFUL.
ENTER THOUGHTS AS YOU HAVE THEM... THEY FADE SLOWLY OVER TIME.
You are allowed to forget your most painful thoughts. 9
EXPLORING DESIGN FOR THE END OF A RELATIONSHIP Because an intimate relationship becomes part of a person’s self, there is a traumatic loss of identity when a relationship ends.1 However, even with this loss comes the opportunity and freedom to become a new person.1 Goal tracking software like GoalsOnTrack is good for tracking objectives. Could this idea help newly single users form a new identity...? 10
AN APP TO REFLECT ON YOUR OLD LIFE...
DREAM ABOUT YOUR NEW LIFE...
...then make your dreams come true!
ONE GOAL AT A TIME. 11
EXPLORING THE BOUNDARIES OF TRACKING When exploring single-bit communication between intimate partners, Kaye et al. found that couples could find meaning in even the simplest of communications.1 When one partner clicks the Virtual Intimate Object, the signal lights the circle on the other partner’s computer.1
This method of communication doesn’t produce data logs for the user to review, but it allows for reflection over personal data. Might it still fit into personal informatics? 12
A LONG-DISTANCE PARTNERSHIP...
ASSIGN THE SIGNAL TO ANYTHING!
(IN THIS CASE, A SEX TOY)
THE CIRCLE LIGHTS UP TO SHOW... ...YOUR PARTNER THAT YOU’RE FRISKY! (AND THINKING OF THEM.) 13
EXPLORING RELIGION IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS “The Mormon church puts a lot of emphasis on dating and relationships... but also a lot of emphasis on chastity before marriage.”1
The PUA Tracker tracks dates, but encourages sexual promiscuity and awards “achievements” for sexual encounters.
What about a date tracker for people serching for their life partner rather than casual encounters? 14
AN APP TO TRACK DATES AND RELATIONSHIPS
YOU CAN LATER REVIEW YOUR RELATIONSHIPS AND...
KNOW THAT YOU MARRIED “THE ONE”!
15
EXPLORING THE CAPTURE OF EXPERIENCES SHARED BY THE COUPLE Viewing images of an event allows for vivid recall of the event.1
“During our honeymoon, I felt like... I was glued to the camera. By the end, I stopped taking it [with me] so I could enjoy the trip.”2
Microsoft’s SenseCam randomly captures images without user input, but it is bulky and may get in the way.
16
AN OUTDOOR CONCERT
THIS RING HAS A CAMERA BUILT IN IT TAKES PICTURES AT RANDOM...
CUDDLING AT THE BEACH
...SO YOU CAN REVIEW THEM TOGETHER LATER 17
EXPLORING FERTILITY CALCULATION FOR COUPLES TRYING TO CONCEIVE A woman’s body temperature1 and weight (due to water retention)2 change throughout her menstrual cycle. Tracking these can allow a woman to predict when she is ovulating and therefore fertile. The Safe Sex Calculator tries to alleviate the difficulty of tracking by using averages to predict ovulation. Unfortunately, this is less reliable than tracking actual body fluctuations... 18
The scale is able to track both weight and temperature The user can view her numbers
No manual input required! Or just track them secretly
Information can be viewed on a computer And the software predicts fertile days.
19
EXPLORING THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS IN PERSONAL INFORMATICS A 2011 report claims 66% of all online adults use social networking in some form.1 Even so, most adults (84%) don’t use social networking sites to find potential partners.1
Still, could something like Facebook’s interests be leveraged for relationships? 20
This software compares two partners’ interests on Facebook
and suggests things partners can do together
Like watching a movie together at home...
The partners rate the “date�, and the software... ...uses that information for future ideas! 21
EXPLORING THE SEARCH FOR AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP Online dating is now mainstream, but most users experience pressure to lie about their appearance or other qualities.1 This deception is the “main perceived disadvantage of online dating”.1
Dating sites like OkCupid track personal information that users can view to see if another user’s lifestyle will be compatible. Could this work in a place where people can meet up and see one another? 22
At a singles’ bar...
Press button to store info for people you like
Everyone stores their own likes and dislikes in...
...this bracelet
The bracelet buzzes to warn if there is a major incompatibility
(She hates cats? He has seven cats?)
If two partners mutually press the button to store each other’s data, they are able to access each other’s later!
23
Resources Page 2: [1] http://personalinformatics.org/ Page 4: [1] Interview with C. March 19, 2012. [2] http://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_16066273 Page 6: [1] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sexual-health/MY01464 Page 8: [1] Interview with B. March 19, 2012. [2] (including image) “The Backup Box”. http://vimeo.com/14119374 Page 10: [1] http://www.divorce-online.co.uk/next/new/article.htm [image] http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/goalsontrack/id494953613?mt=8# Page 12: [1] (including image) Kaye, Joseph et al. “Communicating Intimacy One Bit at a Time”. CHI 2005. Page 14: [1] Interview with B. March 19, 2012. Page 16: [1]: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/sensecam/default.htm [image] http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/sensecam/introduction.htm [2] Interview with L. March 26, 2012. Page 18: [1] http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/fertility-awareness-4217.htm [2] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water-retention/WO00130 Page 20: [1] http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Why-Americans-Use-Social-Media/Main-report.aspx [image] http://www.saadkamal.com/social-media/facebook-suggested-interests/ Page 22: [1] Ellison, Nicole, et al. “Managing Impressions Online: Self-Presentation Processes in the Online Dating Environment”. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Volume 11, Issue 2, pages 415–441. January 2006.
24