User-driven design of a tangible awareness landscape

Abstract

This paper describes the design and evolutionary development of a system for supporting informal interactions between geographically-remote members of a group. Based on simple internet technologies, the system described enables the use of novel, tangible devices for the purpose of discrete event notification. A simple system was initially developed for use in an office environment for providing awareness events via a single notification device. Over a four month period this simple system evolved into a suite of low-cost, low-tech notification devices for public and personal use. The numerous devices utilized by the final system constitute a physical landscape of awareness which have been demonstrated to support group and individual awareness of discrete events in both fixed locations and on the move.