Chajoong Kim

We explore the role of aesthetic interaction in controlling music playback control and its influence on user experience. Three music playback control designs of different aesthetic interactions were developed and prototyped. An experiment was conducted to measure how their experiences varied regarding aesthetic interaction. Participant responses were then gathered through PrEmo that measured the influence on emotions and user experience, Results indicate how each aesthetic interaction evoked particular emotions and experiences. The aesthetic interaction of music playback control was shown to influence the participants’ appraisal of their music-listening experiences significantly. Findings contribute to a better understanding of how aesthetic interaction in the music listening experience implicates the user’s affective response.

This paper presents Bloom, a low-tech interactive artifact designed to enhance in-person social interactions among emerging adults. Drawing upon emotion regulation theories, the development of Bloom explores how multiple Positive Emotion Regulation (PER) techniques can be incorporated into an artifact that can effectively enhance users’ subjective well-being in their routines. By grounding on autobiographical research through design, we discuss the design methodology employed to develop a prototype that supports five PER techniques, along with key design features, and experiences of using Bloom. The chosen PER techniques are as follows: (1) being immersed and absorbed, (2) engaging in a collective, (3) creating a savoring atmosphere, (4) sharing the positive experience with others, and (5) infusing ordinary events with positive meaning. Through daily observations and reflections, we discuss key design features that have proven critical in engaging ourselves in PER, the benefits of utilizing diverse PER techniques to enhance our well-being, and implications for future behavioral intervention technologies.

Emotional well-being manages people’s emotions and copes with challenges throughout life. Positive emotion and emotion regulation have beneficial effects on overall emotional well-being (Colombo et al., 2021; Quoidbach et al., 2010; Yoon & Kim, 2022). In the sensory perception of humans, touch interaction is regarded as a vital contributor to regulating our emotions. Considering that appropriate touch experience can lead to more positive emotion regulation, the study attempts to figure out how the touch experience relates to positive emotion regulation. Among several factors of tactile perception, our focus was on texture and weight, which are presumably closely related to positive emotion regulation. For the study, an experiment was designed in which LEGO-based blocks were used as an experimental stimulus in the sense that LEGO as a toy is highly associated with positive emotion. In the experiment, 20 participants were recruited and asked to make assembled ones with combinations of softness (soft and hard) and weight (light and heavy). The findings indicate that the combination of Soft-Heavy was most preferred among the participants because it gave them a sense of comfort and stability. Moreover, diverse positive emotions were associated depending on the levels of texture and weight. A possible implication of the findings is that a particular combination of product materials' texture and weight could facilitate positive emotion regulation. Limitations and future studies are also discussed at the end.

Products that are emotionally bonded are more likely to be successful in the market than those that are not. Emotional bonding is defined as product attachment. It induces positive relationships between user and product by offering a more expansive, holistic approach to design for higher longevity from the sustainability perspective. Although it is an important factor in product development, little research has been done towards understanding product attachment, especially for home appliances. The study aimed to further understanding of product attachment in home appliance design. A total of ten home appliances were selected by cross-mapping of physical interaction density and physical distance. A questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to identify product attachment determinants and the reason for the user’s emotional experience in exploring design opportunities. The results indicate, although the users' age, cultural and ethnic features inevitably affect to the emotional evaluation in the product experience, that physical distance has less impact on product attachment, but higher physical interaction density could increase the emotional bonding opportunities between users and appliances. Among the 4 product attachment determinants, the self-expression element shows a low response to the home appliance. In the low attachment group, the pleasure element is found to be noticeably insufficient. The discussion for the product attachment approach in the appliances broadens a new perspective of design consideration in designing emotional experiences.

Workplace stress caused by negative emotions is a common issue among office workers. This study focuses on emotional psychotherapeutic stress control methods using personal information devices, which promote mental well-being by enhancing self-awareness of emotions. A practical way to capture and analyse emotions is by using personal information devices with camera devices. However, automatically recording emotions through cameras can lead to user rejection. To overcome this challenge, this study aims to investigate how incorporating aesthetic interaction as a means of delivering positive emotional experiences can minimize user repulsion. For this study, three experimental stimuli representing three different aesthetic interaction were designed. The experiment involved three designers and ten participants. The findings revealed that aesthetic interaction plays a significant role in reducing user repulsion. Additionally, this research discusses the design implications derived from the study and suggests potential avenues for future research in this area.

Upcycling, as a way to reutilise resources, offers a promising alternative to production and consumption based on virgin materials. Despite the growing academic and industrial interest in recent years, there is a lack of large-scale cross-country or cross-regional studies that systematically investigate influencing factors for consumer upcycling behaviour. By drawing on social psychological theories of interpersonal behaviour and planned behaviour, this study investigated predictors of upcycling behaviour in five highly industrialised countries of three continents: Australia, Canada, Germany, UK, and USA. Results showed that intention and perceived behavioural control (confidence in abilities) were the most important factors for upcycling. Theoretical and practical implications from this study are discussed in the context of efforts to scale up global upcycling.

This paper investigates the effects of experiencing diverse positive emotions in technology use on users’ well-being, referred to as positive emodiversity. We examined technology’s role in facilitating positive emodiversity and well-being through a questionnaire study (N = 116; 580 example cases), in which three sources of emotions were considered: technology as an object, instrument, or enabler. Further, we evaluated how technology-supported hedonic and eudaimonic pursuits are associated with well-being. A regression analysis showed that increased positive emodiversity leads to increased well-being (p<.001). The effect was predicted by the three sources and both hedonic and eudaimonic pursuits. When engaged in positive activities enabled by technology, users experienced more diverse positive emotions, increasing their well-being. The study offers new understandings of the relationships between technologies, emodiversity, and well-being, and provides evidence that designing for a wide diversity of positive emotions, as opposed to generalized pleasure-displeasure distinction, can enrich users’ experiences, enhancing their well-being.