Gesturing at Architecture: Experiences & Issues with New Forms of Interaction

When developing public installations, interaction designers are able to utilise increasingly natural modes of expression such as speech, gesture and touch. Conversely the resulting installations often place users in situations where they are confronted with entirely unnatural forms of interaction. How do we establish an understanding of peoples’ behaviour in such situations, and what bearing could this have on the design of better interactive experiences? This paper addresses these questions, drawing upon a study of a high profile installation that invited members of the public to control the lights on the London Eye using hand movements and heart rate measurements. Author