Feather, Scent, and Shaker: Supporting Simple Intimacy
From ThesisWiki
Contents |
Authors
Rob Strong, Bill Gaver
Overview
This is one of the earliest paper I have found concerning intimate communication. It begins by defining intimate technologies similar to other's definitions as "implicit, personal, and expressive". They describe three systems for expressive communication:
- Feather
- A feather floats in the air when a remote person manipulates a photo frame.
- Scent
- A particular sent is released into the air when a remote person manipulates a photo frame.
- Shaker
- When one person shakes an object a remote counterpart shakes to match.
The authors note that these systems are non-symbolic, and prefer to think of them as using expression more than metaphor. Interestingly they note that "They depend, in part, on a significant component of product design; screen-based versions would be unlikely to have the same impact."
Reflection
These early ideas are often referenced in other papers I've been reading, and their simplicity shows they are early ideas on a new topic. Despite that they still seem fresh and are not commonplace today. The use of scent is particularly interesting as an intimate communication medium.
It's interesting to see the note about how their tangible nature greatly adds to their effectiveness. This is good reassurance for my original intuition that a TUI is most appropriate for expressive communication.
