Discomfort: a new material for interaction design

We present discomfort as a new material for HCI researchers and designers to consider in applications that help a person develop a new skill, practice, or state. In this context, discomfort is a fundamental precursor to a necessary adaptation which leads to the development of a new skill, practice,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: m. c. schraefel, Michael Jones
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Computer Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomp.2023.958776/full
_version_ 1797745402085113856
author m. c. schraefel
Michael Jones
author_facet m. c. schraefel
Michael Jones
author_sort m. c. schraefel
collection DOAJ
description We present discomfort as a new material for HCI researchers and designers to consider in applications that help a person develop a new skill, practice, or state. In this context, discomfort is a fundamental precursor to a necessary adaptation which leads to the development of a new skill, practice, or state. The way in which discomfort is perceived, and when it is experienced, is often part of a rationale for rejecting or adopting a practice. Factors that influence the choice to accept or reject a practice of discomfort create opportunities for designing interactions that facilitate discomfort. Enabling effective engagement with discomfort may therefore open opportunities for increased personal development. We propose incorporating discomfort-as-material into our designs explicitly as a mechanism to make desired adaptations available to more of us, more effectively, and more of the time. To explore this possibility, we offer an overview of the physiology and neurology of discomfort in adaptation and propose three issues related to incorporating discomfort into design: preparation for discomfort, need for recovery, and value of the practice.
first_indexed 2024-03-12T15:22:48Z
format Article
id doaj.art-5d8b1a50cf6f489fa746686a8931a902
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2624-9898
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-12T15:22:48Z
publishDate 2023-08-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Computer Science
spelling doaj.art-5d8b1a50cf6f489fa746686a8931a9022023-08-11T00:29:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Computer Science2624-98982023-08-01510.3389/fcomp.2023.958776958776Discomfort: a new material for interaction designm. c. schraefel0Michael Jones1Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, United KingdomDepartment of Computer Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United StatesWe present discomfort as a new material for HCI researchers and designers to consider in applications that help a person develop a new skill, practice, or state. In this context, discomfort is a fundamental precursor to a necessary adaptation which leads to the development of a new skill, practice, or state. The way in which discomfort is perceived, and when it is experienced, is often part of a rationale for rejecting or adopting a practice. Factors that influence the choice to accept or reject a practice of discomfort create opportunities for designing interactions that facilitate discomfort. Enabling effective engagement with discomfort may therefore open opportunities for increased personal development. We propose incorporating discomfort-as-material into our designs explicitly as a mechanism to make desired adaptations available to more of us, more effectively, and more of the time. To explore this possibility, we offer an overview of the physiology and neurology of discomfort in adaptation and propose three issues related to incorporating discomfort into design: preparation for discomfort, need for recovery, and value of the practice.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomp.2023.958776/fulldiscomfort designadaptationInbodied Interactiontuninghealthwellbeing
spellingShingle m. c. schraefel
Michael Jones
Discomfort: a new material for interaction design
Frontiers in Computer Science
discomfort design
adaptation
Inbodied Interaction
tuning
health
wellbeing
title Discomfort: a new material for interaction design
title_full Discomfort: a new material for interaction design
title_fullStr Discomfort: a new material for interaction design
title_full_unstemmed Discomfort: a new material for interaction design
title_short Discomfort: a new material for interaction design
title_sort discomfort a new material for interaction design
topic discomfort design
adaptation
Inbodied Interaction
tuning
health
wellbeing
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomp.2023.958776/full
work_keys_str_mv AT mcschraefel discomfortanewmaterialforinteractiondesign
AT michaeljones discomfortanewmaterialforinteractiondesign