The aim of the project is to extend the emerging research area of user experience (UX) design of ICTs for collocated social interaction.
Digital technologies have become extremely proficient in supporting remote social and collaborative interactions, but they can also cocoon us from the people physically near to us, as we focus on creating social media content, Skype relatives, or play online videogames. Nevertheless, some forms of interactive digital media can provide a useful and valuable focal point for co-located people in real- world settings by providing social and functional resources that enhance proximate engagement.
Two forms of co-located media will be used to explore the interaction design of this innovative and emerging genre of systems: collaborative augmented reality games and mobile phone-based money transfer apps for face-to-face transactions.
The long-term results of this research will provide design guidance for digital media designers working in collocated social interaction.