Xiaoqing Sun

In this paper, we present a field study on using sonification of augmented eating sounds to intervene snacking behaviors in daily routines. The sonic feedback achieved through a snack storing device named Hicclip for verifying snacking behaviors and producing augmented eating sounds. The study was conducted with nine participants who were commonly addicted to snacking. The effectiveness of the sonification was examined by comparing snack-related data and questionnaire over the three study weeks: a baseline week, a Hicclip intervention week, and a post-intervention week. We also analyzed interview results to understand user experiences and opportunities for future research. Quantitative results showed that the snacking pattern has been improved due to reduced eating duration and snack consumptions. Qualitative results suggested that Hicclip may benefit self-regulation, afford easy adoption, and support data acquisition. We discuss design implications for embodiment of augmented eating sounds for healthy snacking.

Coffee breaks serve as a good opportunity for workers to break up sedentary work and socialize with their colleagues. In this paper, we present a technology probe study using CO-Coffee, a sociotechnical system designed to encourage mutual invitation between coworkers for drinking coffee and visualize the process of each social break in an open office. The one-week probe study was conducted in three workplaces with 28 office workers to gain some qualitative insights into usage patterns and user experiences with CO-Coffee. Our results revealed how this probe facilitated coffee breaks in different working contexts and how participants established rituals around CO-Coffee to engage in break times. We emphasized the importance of positive workplace norms on break-taking behaviors and discussed design implications for reshaping workplace ambiance to encourage active and equal participations in break times.

Dog wearables have demonstrated promising potential in enriching human-pet interactions and facilitating healthier caregiving. However, one area that did not receive adequate attention is the tracking and support of dogs’ social well-being through wearables. In this paper, we introduce PuppyFriends, an innovative platform designed to provide owners with insightful information on their dogs’ social activities with other dogs. We report preliminary findings from interviews, featuring data collection and visualization, highlighting the potential effects of PuppyFriends on enhancing the social well-being of dogs. By shifting the focus from solely monitoring physical health to including social well-being, our work opens up new possibilities for improving the overall quality of life for dogs and nurturing more fulfilling human-pet relationships.

The wide spread of artificial intelligence and spatial computing is driving the emerging development of healthful spatial interface (HSI), which requires new paradigms for generating relevant designs. In this paper, we present a case study on exploring tools and methods for ideating HSI concepts based on bodystorming. Specifically, we set out a workshop utilizing office vitality as the research context to investigate interactive elements in a vertical space for individual workers. We developed a real-size vertical space mockup capsuled with some tools, as well as a co-creation workflow to support bodystorming activities of this workshop. Based on a pilot study with nine participants, we obtained some qualitative data to reflect on the effectiveness of our workshop in facilitating design ideations of HSIs. Moreover, we found the proposed approach helped us quickly explore how HSIs could be designed and vertically arranged for increased office vitality. We conclude with implications and discussions for future work.