'HomeU'
Designer(s):
Leda Demetriadou, Letian Gao, Boy de Wit, Quinn van Rooy
Professor(s):
Stephan S.A.G. Wensveen, Yaliang Chuang, Janet Huang, Renee Noortman, Aaqib Saeed, Wessel Nieuwenhuys, Anna Merl, Martijn van Loon
Year:
2023
Client:
Philips Museum
Squad
'Artifice'
Report
Reflection
Home: A safe haven from the outside stressful and chaotic world. A space where you shape and are shaped. Envision a future where your home actively reads the emotional state you are in, and transform your inside environment to make you feel at ease, fostering your well being. Witness the shift from a passive today to an active future.
This study explores the transformative potential of AI in the home setting. In the future, AI will reshape the traditional passive home of today to an active mechanism of the future, based on personalized data, that will actively contribute to the user’s emotional well-being. Therefore home will not only be a space for rest and recreation, but also a haven in the tur bulent seas of urban life. Leveraging a multidisciplinary approach, this research integrates theoretical research with practical methodologies such as prototyping, coding and user testing. Through research on light, color, emotion and their role in a home setting, the final proposal was shaped. The final prototype consisted of a one-floor family house mockup, a token holder that represented the resident and the emotional tokens that represented the current and the desired emotional state of the user. Then while experiencing the proto type the emotional tokens were detected by the webcam and the emotion of the token was translated into visual elements. The objective is showing the transition from the chaotic outside world to the safe haven of home. While at home, the AI suggests specific paths for activities, helping the user find ease whenever they desire. Findings from user testing high lighted distinct views of enthusiasm and concerns. However, considerations surrounding user’s autonomy, security, data protection, and accuracy of suggestions, were autonomous throughout the users, and considered pivotal factors influencing the future acceptance. In conclusion, this exploration signifies the shift of the home - user dynamic and spaces which enhance emotional well-being. The proposed concept emphasizes on the relation between technology and user where the user will have the final decision. Although, ethical consider ations may arise in terms of acceptance, Obedience and adaptation.
Contribution to Development
This project was my first contact with designing smart environments using emotional feedback and adaptive interfaces. This team was multidisciplinary with four members with different backgrounds. I brought in my background in spatial and product design, and contributed to the 3D modelling and physical prototyping, while also learning about embedded systems and emotional sensing. This was the first time I came across with terms like IOT [1] , UX [2] and tangible interaction [3], which completely shifted how I saw everyday objects, from static forms to responsive experiences. The project pushed me to reflect on how technology can act as aid in daily activities and what risks come together for the user's data and autonomy. It played a key role in shaping my direction toward user-centered design, interaction, and eventually influenced my FMP, where I built on similar concepts of subtle, interactive systems supporting human behaviour.
References
[1] S. Madakam, R. Ramaswamy, and S. Tripathi, “Internet of Things (IoT): A literature review,” Journal of Computer and Communications, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 164–173, 2015.
[2] G. Walton, “What user experience (UX) means for academic libraries,” New Review of Academic Librarianship, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 1–3, 2015.
[3] M. V. Jensen, J. Buur, and T. Djajadiningrat, “Designing the user actions in tangible interaction,” in Proc. 4th Decennial Conf. on Critical Computing: Between Sense and Sensibility, Aug. 2005, pp. 9–18.