In the Heat of the Moment: Subjective Interpretations of Thermal Feedback During Interaction

Wilson, G., Davidson, G. and Brewster, S. A. (2015) In the Heat of the Moment: Subjective Interpretations of Thermal Feedback During Interaction. In: CHI 2015, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 18-23 Apr 2015, pp. 2063-2072. ISBN 9781450331456 (doi: 10.1145/2702123.2702219)

[img]
Preview
Text
106320.pdf - Accepted Version

1MB

Publisher's URL: http://chi2015.acm.org/

Abstract

Research has shown that thermal feedback can be an engaging and convincing means of conveying experimenter-predefined meanings, e.g., material properties or message types. However, thermal perception is subjective and its meaning in interaction can be ambiguous. Interface designers may not be sure how users could naïvely interpret thermal feedback during interaction. Little is also known about how users would choose thermal cues to convey their own meanings. The research in this paper tested subjective interpretations of thermal stimuli in three different scenarios: social media activity, a colleague's presence and the extent of use of digital content. Participants were also asked to assign their own thermal stimuli to personal experiences, to help us understand what kinds of stimuli people associate with different meanings. The results showed strong agreement among participants concerning what warmth (presence, activity, quality) and cool mean (absence, poor quality). Guidelines for the design of thermal feedback are presented to help others create effective thermal interfaces.

Item Type:Conference Proceedings
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Wilson, Dr Graham and Brewster, Professor Stephen
Authors: Wilson, G., Davidson, G., and Brewster, S. A.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
ISBN:9781450331456
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 The Authors
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record