talk to ACM SIGCHI Paris Chapter at Université Paris-Saclay, 19th March 2024.
https://alandix.com/academic/talks/Paris-UX-2024/
From the 1980s graphical interfaces have dominated the way we envisage user interactions. While we know and teach our students about the importance of taking a wider perspective, the vast majority of tools used in practical UX (user experience) design are dominated by screens. In this talk I will explore ways in which future design can step beyond the pixelated surface.
One strand is understanding the physical nature of devices, human bodies, and the environments within which they engage; this is addressed in my 2022 book “TouchIT – Understanding Design in a Physical-Digital World” co-authored with Steve Gill, Jo Hare, and Devina Ramduny-Ellis.
The other strand is work over the last few years with Miriam Sturdee and Anna Carter, collectively entitled InContext, in which we have been exploring next generation UX tools, including investigative workshops and focus groups. While not a major issue, AI was mentioned in these workshops, but they were before the recent rise in awareness fostered by ChatGPT. I will contextualise this building on two other books that I am completing relating to AI and Human–Computer Interaction.
I will demonstrate two tools that explore the space of design beyond the screen. One, ScenarioViewer enables screen-based prototypes, at various levels of fidelity, to be embedded within story-board-like contextual images. The other, PhysProto, allows physical prototypes to be interactively explored remotely using video clips and Physigrams, executable models of the physical behaviour of the device. These are prototypes of prototyping tools, but also provotypes, designed to provoke you to consider for yourself the future of UX design support tools.
4. topics
• material design
• spatial layout
• the body
• digital artefacts
space and spatial
arrangement
digital artefacts
virtual physicality
material artefacts
and design
the body
physiology
7. • material design
• spatial layout
• the body
• digital artefacts
space and spatial
arrangement
digital artefacts
virtual physicality
material artefacts
and design
the body
physiology
8. model physical device states
the device ‘unplugged’
the device ‘unplugged’
switch
UP
DOWN
user pushes
switch up
and down
two visible …
and feelable …
states
physigram
13. compliant interaction
(1) system state visible through control
(2) system and user have similar effects
press
down
UP
DOWN
press
up
kettle switch
system
down
system
down
BOILING
Temp
< 100
POWER
OFF
POWER
ON
system state
22. • material design
• spatial layout
• the body
• digital artefacts
space and spatial
arrangement
digital artefacts
virtual physicality
material artefacts
and design
the body
physiology
23. not just the screen
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cat_stares_at_itself_on_computer_monitor.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indoor_location_services_on_mobile_phone_(10928087126).jpg
31. next generation UX tools
current
state of
the art
new methods and tools
for existing interactions
tools for
new
interactions
physical–digital devices
audio, spatial, intelligent
broader context, tool integration,
connecting to developers
33. do we need new UX tools?
loads of tools
of lots of different kinds
so what’s the problem?
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wlm_flows_draft4_2.png
37. beyond the wireframe …
scaffolding new designers
including rich context
enabling different modalities
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wlm_flows_draft4_2.png
48. what next?
workshops => roadmap
senses beyond sight
links to service design
context sketching made easy
early-stage data and architecture
integration … beyond 1970’s filesystem
AI …
maybe something for you?
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bouquet_of_3_Roses.svg
49. the future of UX
design support tools
Alan Dix
https://alandix.com/academic/talks/Paris-UX-2024/