“While the typical computer of today lives on top of a desk and requires a keyboard and a monitor, people involved in captology would do well to focus mainly on technologies that are specialized, distributed, or embedded. […] From my vantage point, the most interesting interactive technologies today seem to fall in at least one of these three categories. And it seems that most persuasive technologies of the future will not be associated with desktop computers; they will be specialized, distributed, or embedded. If this is true, then it would be a relatively poor use of time to examine existing desktop applications or to design persuasive programs solely for desktop computers. Persuasive situations occur most frequently in the context of normal life activities — not when people are seated at a desktop computer.”

Fogg, B. J. (1998). Persuasive computers: perspectives and research directions.

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Our group project for Affective Interaction is focusing on the use of financial technology. And in particular, how to persuade people to overcome their fear of checking their bank balance. The temptation is to address an internet banking interface, but I reckon it’d be much more valuable to explore other avenues for helping people overcome their fear. One of the factors that influences people’s feelings is the way the information is accessible only after you sign in, which is a long, dull, arduous process. Banking interfaces require you to enter a number of passwords and other pieces of information to verify your identity (with good reason!). But it becomes a boring, administrative duty. The dullness of the task might encourage people to put the task off.

One possible direction we’re considering is making financial information more casual for the owner of an account. Negative emotions associated with checking your balance could be addressed by constant awareness of the amounts going in and out of an account. Ideas we had for this included having the amount on a widget on your mobile home screen, or even projected onto your shower wall. We’re thinking about ways of bringing the information out into the world. Sounds crazy, but the purpose is to increase awareness, and to make it easier to get access to the numbers. It’s not simply fear that prevents people from checking their balance, but sheer boredom and a feeling of “can’t be bothered“. There are obvious problems with this: namely, how would people feel about this? We’re thinking about it! The high-end goal is to help people have a better relationship with both their finances and with financial technology.

The general attitude to what we share online is changing. I think Blippy is an example of a related project that wants to be “Twitter for your credit card purchases” — allowing you to share this information with friends or strangers. (New York Times coverage).

These bins have started appearing all over the Bloomsbury campus at University College London:

It’s a great example of emotional design. While there is usually a convenient displacement when you toss something into the bin, these bins remind you where the rubbish ends up. Emotional reactions to this idea — disgust, guilt, horror, etc — prompt you to put your litter in the recycling compartment.

The MSc is eating up my entire life at the moment. It’s fun though, and I’m learning a lot. So, term two started! I’m taking courses in cognitive science, organisational informatics, and affective interaction. I also need to start thinking about the MSc project / thesis, which counts for a big chunk of the degree.

Run down of the courses I’m taking, for me as much as you:

Cognitive science is the study of human and artificial intelligence. Basic questions: how does the cognitive system work? What are our human capabilities and limitations? Relevant to HCI because cognition gives insights into how people use technology and why they make mistakes. Cognitive aspects cover: attention, perception/recognition, memory, reading/speaking, problem solving, decision making, learning.

Organisational informatics is harder for me to define in a few sentences. It covers system design in organisations, dynamics of group working, social networking, privacy. The main coursework is going to focus on the use of virtual learning environments at UCL. All in all, much more exciting than I reckoned it’d be.

Affective interaction looks at affective systems, or “computing that relates to, arises from and deliberately influences emotion”. (Rosalind Picard, 1997). Taking the first lecture for AfI tomorrow. Already hugely excited, having read Picard’s book.

Why scientists are taking emotion seriously:

“It turns out that affect and emotion play critical roles in good judgment and in the adaptive regulation of thought.” from: Clore, G. and Palmer, J. (2009). Affective guidance of intelligent agents: How emotion controls cognition. Cognitive Systems Research, 10(1):21-30

I have just turned comments back on at my friend David G’s request. Also because I miss the occasional dialogue. I turned them off as a trial, doubting. I am sorry if you’ve wanted to leave a comment but couldn’t. And since this is the first post of 2010, it feels symbolic, perhaps: a year of dialogue, listening, interacting.

Looking forward to tomorrow, when the holiday ends, and life goes back to normal. For most people, anyway: I don’t start term until the 11th January. Before then, just cracking on with those essays.