CHI 97 Electronic Publications: Formal Video Program
Technology at Home: A Digital Personal Scale
Sigi Moeslinger
for IDEO Lab/IDEO Product Development San Francisco
43 West 16th Street #10D
New York, NY 10011 USA
+1.212.741.4196
sgm8943@is2.nyu.edu
ABSTRACT
This project is a conceptual study for the design of a digital personal scale that allows for user personalization and weight data tracking. The study is a demonstration of an integrated hardware/software development process, of an approach to ubiquitous computing and of the inclusion of socio-cultural study into the product development process. It is designed for the home market and special emphasis is given to providing a rich user experience.
Keywords
Design, Hardware/software integration, Socio-Cultural relevance, Ubiquitous computing, Physical interaction, User experience.
© 1997 Copyright on this material is held by the authors.
INTRODUCTION
When technology enters the home, priorities shift. Unlike in the professional world, where technology is geared toward higher productivity and efficiency, in the private domain of the home, technology has to meet more emotional needs. The introduction of digital technology into a product like the scale constitutes an opportunity to reinterpret the purpose of this product. Engaging in cultural study provides important information about current life-styles and contemporary issues. This information is used to establish a direction for the design. Through joint development of hardware and software a fundamental redesign of the traditional scale is possible and a consistent design solution is provided. Strong emphasis on user experience is a main focus. My criteria for generating a rich experience is: practical experience (what is the product's use, how easy is it to use) , sensory experience (how does it look and feel) and emotional experience (what does it mean to the user).
Background
Digital technology is making its way into familiar consumer products. This offers opportunities for new functionality, but also poses problems of increasing complexity, unfamiliarity, inconsistent hardware/software design etc., which discourages people from using certain products or their new functions. Products of various functionalities are using very similar electronic components and there is a tendency to generic configuration and generic design which results in weak product identification and lack of meaning for the user.
DESIGN SOLUTION
The proposed scale consists of a mat on the floor and a mirror/display on the wall. When stepping on the designated weight-sensitive area on the mat, the display goes into its active mode and prompts the user for identification. The user has to touch his/her personal picture, which is pinned up on the mirror and serves as identification, to bring up a scale that is specifically configured to the data of the user (this data gets entered at first use). A database of past measurements is accessed by pushing a soft membrane embedded in the mirror. The deeper the user pushes, the further back in time he/she goes to see long-term overviews.
Description
The scale has become a measuring device and indicator for what people look like. People weigh themselves because they are concerned about their appearance. The mirror is the object more commonly associated with reflecting our appearance. I therefore decided to make a mirror the central part of the scale. The design is focussed on the self image. The attention is centered around the mirror on the wall, a configuration which affords an upright posture, the usual posture assumed when "examining" oneself. The weight sensing is achieved through force transducers embedded in a thin floormat, which has ten little lights (toes!) to indicate where to place one's feet to activate the display. The display is mounted behind the transparent mirror, which is fully reflective except for the light of the information coming through from the display. Instead of generic buttons the user can pin personal pictures on the mirror which (through a magnet) perform a digital switch and bring up that user's weight diary. All information is presented in the form of animated graphics which are designed to provide some suspense and entertainment. Weight measurements are stored in a graphical database which is accessed by pushing a soft membrane embedded in the mirror. Making interactions more physical and providing distinct sensory qualities takes advantage of our strong sense of physical/spatial organization and recognition and allows users to better manage complexity.
User Benefits
This design solution makes the technology approachable to the user by letting the experience rather than the technology dominate. Through the integrated design approach it was possible to achieve a fluid and continuous design which provides a strong unified user experience. Information is addressed to a specific user and therefore becomes more relevant. The added functionality of a database is presented in a graphical way which makes the benefit of such a database clear: the user can read personal tendencies and see possible relationships between lifestyle and weight. All electronic events are mapped to related physical actions which reassure the user and provide a feeling of understanding and control. The actions have a distinctly tactile quality, whether by touching a personal picture (a real postcard or photograph) for identification or by pressing the foam-backed latex membrane to access the database. By letting the user attach a personal item like a photograph and having that item trigger a digital event, the product becomes more emotionally connected to the user and carries a specific meaning for each individual. The overall configuration of the product smoothly integrates into previously existing uses and therefore encourages frequent use of the scale.
Cultural Context
As a conceptual study this project is not just a proposal for a new product, but for an approach that revolves, amongst others, around the subject of socio-cultural relevance. To make technology meaningful, we have to put it into a cultural context. Contemporary society with its beliefs and concerns has to be addressed by technological applications. This project picks up on a current cultural issue: weight and self-consciousness. The beauty, fitness and diet industries are billion dollar industries, promoting images and standards that succeed to penetrate deep into people's psyche and exert strong social pressure on them. This design makes that cultural context explicit and engages the user to examine the issue. With this design I am providing a "vehicle" to promote awareness.
Appearance
This is not a product to be stowed away in a closet, it is a product that has a continuous presence in people's homes, no matter if it is used or not. The weight-sensing element and the viewing element are physically separated and achieve a sense of lightness which is further supported by the mirror which appears to be floating in front of the wall, not affected by gravity, an intended contrast to weight itself. The visual connection between the two elements is made through details as well as colors and shapes of on-screen graphics which continue the themes of the physical design. The overall configuration, the proportions of the elements, the materials and the carefully designed details make the technology recede and enhance the complete interactive experience. The relationship between physical matter and screen events allows for fascinating effects: e.g. animated graphics may appear inside the reflected head of the user!
PROTOTYPING
Throughout the design process, there were a number of iterations in the development of hardware and software elements. Simple hardware/software prototypes were used for testing and provided valuable user feedback. It became obvious that the quality of the user experience could only be judged by providing that experience first hand. Prototyping became a key element in the design process.
CHI 97 Electronic Publications: Formal Video Program
