''I don't want to break it'': An Exploration of Perceived Fragility in Shape-Changing Interfaces

TL;DR

A structured foundational understanding of perceived fragility in SCIs is provided and insights to enhance perceived robustness and inform future SCI development are offered.

Abstract

Shape-Changing Interfaces (SCIs) dynamically alter their form, an inherent characteristic that introduces fragility into their design. As a result, users' perceptions of an interface's fragility or its potential to move or break may influence their interaction, however the extent of this effect is unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative study (N = 18) using video stimuli showcasing 20 existing SCIs. Through thematic analysis, we identified key factors impacting perceived fragility and formalized these into a framework. We then conducted a second study (N = 36) for which we fabricated SCIs that varied across selected fragility-related dimensions. We recorded user interactions and compared how the selected dimensions shaped manipulation of the objects and how they were considered by users. Together, these studies provide a structured foundational understanding of perceived fragility in SCIs and offer insights to enhance perceived robustness and inform future SCI development.

Figures (16)

• Figure 1: Sankey plot showing initial results for "shape-changing interface" across conferences from 2014 to 2024 and how they were processed for video selection.
• Figure 2: SCIs selected as video stimuli alongside their assigned letter identifier. Stills are taken from the videos utilised and sourced from A dai2024morphmatrix, B kwak2014designspace, C teyssier2019skinon, D kim2019expandial, E nakagaki2016materiable, F goguey2019pickcells, G zenner2019dragon, H sun2024magnedot, I shultz2023flatpanelhaptics, J wang2024kipneu, K sahoo2016tablehop, L rasmussen2016balancing, M haynes2024flextiles, N suzuki2019ShapeBots, O hirai2018xSlate, P teyssier2018mobilimb, Q yu2023aeroRigUI, R jang2016hapticedge, S nakagaki2016ChainFORM, T tahouni2020NURBSforms.
• Figure 3: Graphs showing the fragility rankings of the different presented systems.
• Figure 4: Visualisation of likert responses to technology experience questions in study 1 in stacked barplot.
• Figure 5: Overview of themes identified in thematic analysis. System factors are inherent characteristics of the SCI linked to perceived fragility. Environmental factors depend on the surrounding context or social setting. User factors relate to users’ internal processes or interactions with the interface affecting fragility perception.