Designing the Spectator Experience Stuart Reeves1, Steve Benford1, Claire O'Malley1 and Mike Fraser2

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Designing the Spectator ExperienceStuart
Reeves1, Steve Benford1, Claire O'Malley1 and
Mike Fraser21University of Nottingham,
UK2University of Bristol, UKstr,sdb_at_cs.nott.
ac.uk, com_at_psychology.nottingham.ac.uk,
fraser_at_cs.bris.ac.uk
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Introduction

• Interaction is an increasingly public affair
• Museums and galleries, theatres, clubs, the
  street
• This creates a design challenge for HCI, since we
  must start to consider the spectator's experience
  of interaction
• In contrast, a traditional view on HCI is
  participant(s) and machine
• Public use of technology challenges this
• We must explore the new relationships that emerge

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Introduction

• We take a broad view of performance
• Deliberately staged interaction
• Implicit, unwitting performance
• How can we design interfaces for the spectator?
• What can we learn from existing interfaces?
• How can we craft interfaces to produce particular
  kinds of experiences as a whole?

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Components of Performance

• We introduce a triad of elements to describe
  interaction of these kinds in a simplified way
• Performer the primary user of the interface
• Spectator the primary observer of interface use
• Interface the instrument, device, computer,
  etc. that is being used

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Interaction and Performance

• The performer manipulates the interface, the
  spectator experiences these manipulations

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Interaction and Performance

• The performer manipulates the interface, the
  spectator experiences these manipulations
• Gestures around interface

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Unpacking Manipulations
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Hiding Manipulations
Manipulations of the phone or photo booth
interface are hidden from the spectator
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Revealing Manipulations
Manipulations of the performers are available and
more legible to the spectator
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Partially Hiding/Revealing Manipulations
Manipulations of the performer are partially
concealed or hidden from the spectator
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Amplifying Manipulations
Manipulations of the performer are available and
augmented so as to improve legibility for the
spectator
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Interaction and Performance

• The performer's manipulations produce effects,
  the spectator experiences these effects

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Interaction and Performance

• The performer's manipulations produce effects,
  the spectator experiences these effects
• The interface's effects on the performer

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Unpacking Effects
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Hiding Effects
The effects created by the performer are hidden
from the spectator
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Revealing Effects
The effects of performer manipulations are
available to the spectator
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Amplifying Effects
Effects of performer manipulations are available
and augmented for the spectator
Pianist
Keyboard
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Putting It Together
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Populating the Taxonomy
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Populating the Taxonomy
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Populating the Taxonomy
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Populating the Taxonomy
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Populating the Taxonomy
Populating the Taxonomy
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Populating the Taxonomy
Populating the Taxonomy
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Populating the Taxonomy
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High-Level Design Strategies
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Further Issues for Spectator Experience

• Interactive spectators how do spectators
  interact
• Deliberately or
• Accidentally?
• Performer awareness of spectators how do
  performers perceive the actions of the spectator?
  
• Sense of liveness and feedback between
  performer and spectator

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Further Issues for the Spectator Experience

• Transitions and handovers performer and
  spectator roles are not static
• How do we support the inevitable handing-over of
  technology?
• Orchestration what about performers
  behind-the-scenes?

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Summary

• The spectator experience is a fundamental part of
  interaction
• Understanding interaction as consisting of
  manipulations and effects
• Hidden, revealed, partially hidden/revealed,
  amplified
• High-level design strategies
• Secretive, expressive, magical and suspenseful