WASH-E 2.0: Research and design of social machines and their impact on humans
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Publicerad
2019
Författare
TORRES VAZQUEZ, ALEJANDRA
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Social interaction is something that comes naturally for humans, we are used to recognize and interpret faces, emotions, and behaviors. However, the use of social machines, as a way of improving the usage experience, is not a topic that has been commonly applied to daily life products. This thesis explores the idea of having a social washing machine with emotions and personality, inspired by a concept developed during the Designathon17, with the purpose of encouraging positive environmental behavior when doing laundry.
The thesis consists of two parts; first it focuses on a literature research, as a way to explore the topic and understand the implications of this type of products; and second on the concept design of a social laundry machine.
The literature research is divided in three main topics: Human Factors, Social Machines and Similar Cases. The main findings are based on two theories, first the idea that when a machine is perceived as having beliefs, desires and intentions it can contribute for a better product bonding; and that bonding can be used as a persuasive tool to encourage sustainable behavior. Within the most relevant findings were the social characteristics a machine should have (Fogg 2002), in order for these theories to be achieved, those characteristics are: physical, psychological, language, social dynamics and social roles.
For the second part of the thesis a new concept was developed based on key findings of the literature research. The process of this development involved two design iterations, including an expression test, a digital prototype, and a physical mock-up. The final design is a futuristic concept of a washing machine that includes the physical shape of the machine, the interface design with the basic function controls, the design of expressions through eyes and eyebrows, and the use of a smile as a level consumption indicator.
This thesis was carried out as an exploratory project within this topic of social machines. It is only a first step into this new way of interaction, and a lot of research and innovative design needs to be done to create a successful product. But it will hopefully be used as an inspiration for future projects of this type.