Tag: emotion regulation

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UnBlock: An interactive toy that promotes subjective well-being through improvised creative play

Publication

  • Faulk, J.D., Oluwadairo, O., & Yoon, J. (2022). Secret dance and bring light: Enhancing user autonomy through directional ambiguity in designing positive emotion regulation interventions. Design Research Society (DRS), Bilbao, ES. Download
  • Faulk, J.D., Dewey, C., Oluwadairo, O., Aguiar, C., & Yoon, J. (2020). Future Memories: A Case Study for Design-Mediated User Well-Being. Architecture Media Politics Society (AMPS), Tallahassee, FL, USA. Download

UnBlock is an interactive toy that encourages spontaneous play with a canvas, timer, and a set of open-ended prompts. Creative play is an effective means to promote well-being. However, people often find it difficult to enjoy it because of some barriers such as a lack of motivation, time, and limited resources. Unblock is designed to reduce barriers to initiating creative play and to help the user concentrate and reflect on the enjoyment of the play experience.

When the user lifts the block, a simple written prompt such as “hide” and “secret dance” appears for five minutes. The edges illuminate and then begin to slowly dim over 5 minutes, serving as a visual timer. During this time, the user may write, draw, or perform some improvised act inspired by the prompt. Using a chalk marker, the block itself becomes a canvas, which can serve as a visual reminder of the experience later. With an insignificant time-commitment and simple interface, the positive experiences can be stimulated and reflected upon for a longer period of time. UnBlock would fit well within coffee shops, waiting rooms, or educational settings. Many blocks could exist in a single space, or only one through which a variety of activities may emerge, with some affording group collaboration.

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Purpal: An interactive box that enables positive mental traveling

Purpal: An interactive box that enables positive mental traveling

Publication:

  • Yoon, J., Li, S., & Yu, H. (2021). Design-mediated positive emotion regulation: The development of an interactive device that supports daily practice of positive mental time traveling, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. 1-15. Download
  • Li, S., Yu, H., & Yoon, J. (2020). PurPal: An Interactive Box that Up-regulates Positive Experiences in Consumption Behaviors.  CHI’20 Late-Breaking Work on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI LBW 2020). ACM. Honolulu, HI, USA. Download

With emerging new technologies, the ways we buy things have become quicker and more transient: one-click or scanning, then all set. While efficient and useful, unfortunately, research has shown that it inadvertently influences people to mainly focus on material acquisition rather than being appreciative of experiential values—the joy of thinking about what they want to do with the purchased items or why the items are important to them. The pleasure sparked by material gain wears off quickly, failing to make people happier in the long run. 

Pupal, a self-administered behavioral intervention technology, can be used when a user plans to spend money on something such as a hobby, gift, education, travel, or just a new cloth. When a user pushes the button, the device shows an adaptive question about the item the user intends to buy. Examples are: What do you want to say when you offer it?, How does this event contribute to your relationship?, What’s the first thing you want to do when you get there?,  Where do you want to put it?, What’s the first thing you want to do with it?, and  Who do you want to show it first?

The purchase intention can be communicated to Purpal by choosing an experience category represented by an RFID embedded card. The questions are printed on a small piece of paper that the user can put in her wallet or stick on a board, which allows the pleasure of answering the question resonate. In this way, Purpal enables, supports, and inspires people to engage in savoring their positive experiences that can be mediated by the items to buy, eventually enriching their purchasing experiences.