Detecting Human Attitudes through Interactions with Responsive Environments

The paper is based on the developments of the research project “Paradigms of Ubiquitous Computing”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, 100016_185436 / 1), 2019-23. It investigates the impact of environmentally embedded sensor-actuator systems on humans. With a critical stance, we examine human-machine interfaces to make quantitative statements about behavior patterns and attitudes, only based on their physical interactions with a responsive environment. By staging different paradigms of Ubiquitous Computing in an experimental setup and evaluating them with test persons, we aim to gain insights into the human experience and appropriation of immersive and sometimes challenging situations. The artistic approach is based on strategies of New Media Art and Speculative Design and is not aligned with processes commonly used in applied research and development. The evaluation design is based on mixed methods with a strong emphasis on semantic differentials to quantify user interactions with electronically enhanced devices and furnishings. The focus is on interaction design strategies and evaluation design methods.