SOCIOTECHNICAL - Politecnico di Milano...Digital characters are indeed unusual agents. If we...

SOCIOTECHNICALENVIRONMENTS

EDITED BYSTEFANO CRABUPAOLO GIARDULLOFRANCESCO MIELE MAURO TURRINI

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6th STS Italia Conference | Sociotechnical Environments Trento, November 24–26, 2016

Sociotechnical Environments: Proceedings of the 6th STS ITALIA CONFERENCE An open Access digital publication by STS Italia Publishing Released: November 2017 ISBN: 978–88–940625–1–9

Publishing project: Paolo Magaudda Editing and layout: Sergio Minniti Cover design: Sara Colombo Contact: Sts Italia Publishing, Via Carducci 32, 20123, Milano. Mail: [email protected] A pdf of this publication can be downloaded freely at: http://www.STSItalia.org

The 6th STS Italia conference was organized by STS Italia with the support of the Department of Sociology and Social Research – University of Trento and the Cetcopra of the Université Paris 1 Panthéon–Sorbonne.

This publication is licensed under the Creative Commons: Attribution, Noncommercial, No Derivative Works – 2.5 Italian License (CC BY–NC–ND 2.5 IT).


TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION Performing Sociotechnical Environments: intersections of bodies, knowledge, artefacts and politics

I

SECTION I Environments in the Making. Politics, Interventions and Creativity

Exploring the Interface of Environmental Activism and Digital Surveillance Diletta Luna Calibeo, Richard Hindmarsh

3

Geo–social Movements by the Inhabitants of Fukushima: ‘Solidarity in Fear’ Vis–à–Vis the Risks after the Nuclear Accident Rina Kojima

19

Activism and Games. Exploring Boundaries Ilaria Mariani, Andréa Poshar

37

The Potential of New and Social Media for Environmental Activism Richard Hindmarsh, Diletta Luna Calibeo

55

Ecology of Technology and the Commodification of Inuit Country Foods Alexander Castleton, Carlos Novas

71

Latte e Lotte. On the Difficulty of Dairy Farmers, Vending Machines, Microbes and Cows of Becoming a Movement Alvise Mattozzi, Tiziana Piccioni

85

Decomposing and Reassembling Energy Grids as Socio–Technical Apparatuses Dario Padovan, Osman Arrobbio

101

A National Law as an Actor–network: How Guatemala’s General Electricity Law of 1996 Shaped the Country’s Environmental Conflicts over Hydroelectricity Renato Ponciano

117


Il ruolo della formazione nella messa in opera dell’Efficienza Energetica nel settore edile Francesca Cubeddu

135

Geo–Speculating with a Hyperaccumulator: A Former Mine in North–Rhein Westfalia from the Viewpoint of a Arabidopsis Halleri Gionata Gatto

151

#ViewFromTheOffice: Reconceptualizing the Workplace as a Cross–channel Ecosystem Andrea Resmini, He Tan, Vladimir Tarasov, Anders Adlemo

167

Eco–Art Projects: Semiotic Issues Giacomo Festi

185

The Connexion between Digital Body and the Universe Sana Boukhris, Osman Miguel Almiron

199

Smart City Selling? Business Models and Corporate Approaches on the Smart City Concept Monika Kustra, Jörg Rainer Noennig, Dominika P. Brodowicz

211

Open innovation e tutela giuridica dell’ambiente. Il caso dell’Open Source Seed Initiative Roberto Franco Greco

231

SECTION II Gender, Bodies and Health in Sociotechnical Environments

‘The Hard Hat Problem’: Women Traveling the World of Computing Mariacristina Sciannamblo

249

La (in)differenza di genere nella sociomaterialità della scuola steineriana: un’esperienza di ricerca Camilla Barbanti, Alessandro Ferrante

263


La sicurezza come pratica materiale di coordinamento. Il caso dell’introduzione di un sistema per la gestione della terapia oncologica Silvia Fornasini, Enrico Maria Piras, Francesco Miele

277

Assembling Mindfulness: Technologies of the Self, Neurons and Neoliberal Subjectivities António Carvalho

293

Where Are the Girls in STEM? Asrun Matthiasdottir, Jona Palsdottir

309

Le ricercatrici in fisica: primi risultati di un progetto di ricerca Sveva Avveduto, Maria Carolina Brandi, Maria Girolama Caruso, Loredana Cerbara, Ilaria Di Tullio, Daniela Luzi, Lucio Pisacane

323

Developing an Organic Strategy of Change to Challenge Gendered Stereotypes around the Technological (In)Ability of Women in Architecture Maria Silvia D’Avolio

339

Technology and Cultures of (In)Equality: Reflections from Collaborative App Development Athena Maria Enderstein

355

Precision Medicine between Bodies and Environment: A Comparative Analysis Ilaria Galasso, Giuseppe Testa

369

Immagini laparoscopiche. Esplorazione e parcellizzazione del corpo della donna Miriam Ronca

383


SECTION III Enacting Objects, Infrastructures, and Innovation

Enrolling and Translating: Experiences of Using ANT in an Educational Research Setting Victoria M. Gorton

405

Semiotic Machines: Portrait of an Actor–Network as a Pushdown Automaton Francesco Galofaro

419

Engaging with the Concept of the ‘Script’ in Industrial Innovation Studies – or how Retro–Ant is Perfect but not ‘Enough’ Judith Igelsböck

435

Intermateriality and Enunciation: Remarks on The Making of Law Giuditta Bassano

447

Infrastructuring is the New Black: Challenges and Opportunities of a Fascinating Intellectual Tool Teresa Macchia

459

Changing Complex Sociotechnical Infrastructures: The Case of ATM Roberta Cuel, Giusi Orabona, Diego Ponte

473

Il lavoro nella e–Society: polarizzazione della struttura professionale e scomparsa delle professioni esprimibili in termini algoritmici Federico Fiorelli

485

Personal Health Data in Frequent Users Life: From Institutional Design to Self–tracking Alberto Zanutto

499

Accessible Learning Environments: When Care Meets Socio–technological Innovations for Pupils with Disabilities Cristina Popescu

509


Al Dente Textiles. Notes on Edible Textiles as Economic and Ecological Intermediality Tincuta Heinzel, Svenja Keune, Sarah Walker, Juste Peciulyte

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SECTION IV Designing Environments

Emotions behind a Sphere. Experimentations for an Interactive Object Communicating Brand Values and Encouraging Behavioural Changes (or Reactions) Francesco E. Guida, Camilla Ferrari, Serena Liistro, Mauro Vitali, Ernesto Voltaggio

545

Interrelations Between Human Agency and Object Agency within Co–Making Environments Ricardo Saint–Clair

561

Designing Digital Encounters and their Agency on Users. A Case Study Mauro Ceconello, Davide Spallazzo

577

Artist as Science Communicator Michelle Kasprzak

591

The Flow and Use of Knowledge in Networks of Electric Mobility: A Theoretical Development Nuno Boavida

607

Tangible Interaction and Cultural Heritage. An Analysis of the Agency of Smart Objects and Gesture–based Systems Daniele Duranti, Davide Spallazzo, Raffaella Trocchianesi

617

Highlighting Issues in Current Conceptions of User Experience Design through Bringing together Ideas from HCI and Social Practice Theory Ruth Neubauer, Erik Bohemia, Kerry Harman

631


LBMGs and Boundary Objects. Negotiation of Meaning between Real and Unreal Davide Spallazzo, Ilaria Mariani

645

When Objects Tell Stories. Children Designing Future Smart Objects Seçil Uğur Yavuz, Roberta Bonetti, Nitzan Cohen

661

Interaction Matters. A Material Agency’s Perspective on Materials Experience Stefano Parisi, Valentina Rognoli

675

What Does Light Do? Reflecting on the Active Social Effects of Lighting Design and Technology Daria Casciani, Fulvio Musante

693

Actualising Agency through Smart Products: Smart Materials and Metaphors in Support of the Ageing Population Massimo Micocci, Gabriella Spinelli, Marco Ajovalasit

711

Smart Digital Solutions and Desirable Human–Machine Interactions: A Contribution in Terms of Design Methodology Margherita Pillan

729

Acts of Use from Gestell to Gelassenheit: Calculative Thinking and Exploratory Doing Giovanni Marmont

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The Concept of Displacement in Prototypes for Design Research: A Proposal of a Framework for Design Research that Uses Prototypes to Investigate Possible Future Scenarios Juan Alfonso De La Rosa

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Designingdigitalencountersandtheiragencyonusers.Acasestudy.

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Designingdigitalencountersandtheiragencyonusers.AcasestudyMauroCECONELLOa,DavideSPALLAZZO*a

aPolitecnicodiMilano,DepartmentofDesign

Thispaperanalysestheinteractiveexhibit“LeonardoraccontaLeonardo.Milano,vita,natura”(LeonardoPlaysLeonardo.Milan,Life,Nature),aninstallationlocatedinthecloisterofPalazzodelleStelline,Milan,aboutLeonardodaVinciandhisMilaneseperiod.Theinstallationallowsvisitorstomeetalife-sizedsimulatedhologramoftheMasterwhotellsstoriesabouthislife,theyearshespentinMilanandhisrelationshipwithnature.TheprojectissetinthefieldofHCI,lookingattheworldofdigitalencountersandinteractivesystemsbasedonembodiedinteraction.Weinvestigateifandhowthedesigners’choicessucceededinachievingthestatedaimsandpersuadingpeopletobehaveaccordingly.Relyingonusertestsanddirectobservation,wediscusshowtheinteractiveexhibitandthedigitalLeonardoaffectedvisitors’behaviour,effectivelycapturingtheirattentionandfosteringinteraction.Furthermore,weexaminehowvisitorsperceivedthedigitalcharacterandthegestureshe,directlyorindirectly,askedthemtoperformtotriggeractions.

Keywords:Digitalencounter;design;embodiedinteraction.

IntroductionThispaperanalysesanddiscussesLeonardoraccontaLeonardo.Milano,

vita,natura(LeonardoPlaysLeonardo.Milan,Life,Nature)1,aninteractiveinstallationaboutLeonardodaVinciandhisMilaneseperiodlocatedinthecloisterofPalazzodelleStellineinMilan.ThebuildingrepresentsauniquelocationforLeonardodaVinci,asitstandsinanareatheSforzafamilyhadbuiltaroundthecomplexofSantaMariadelleGrazietohostcourtiersanddignitariesintheimmediatevicinityofSforzescocastle.ItislocatedinfrontofSantaMariadelleGrazie,whichhoststherenownedLastSupperand

* Correspondingauthor:MauroCeconello|e-mail:[email protected]://www.stelline.it/it/la-fondazione/mostre/leonardo-racconta-leonardo-milano-vita-natura[accessed21stFebruary,2017].

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closetotherecentlyrestoredvineyardoftheRenaissanceMaster,nearCasadegliAtellani.

ThespecificityofthelocationhasbeenrecentlyacknowledgedthankstoajointeffortbyFondazioneStelline,theLombardyRegionandtheSuperintendenceforArchitecturalandLandscapeHeritageofMilanthatchosethebuildingtohostHubLeonardo,aculturalcentreforthepromotionofknowledgeaboutLeonardodaVinciandamultimediahubdesignedtohighlightthegeniusloci,thespiritoftheplacewhereLeonardolivedandworked.LeonardoPlaysLeonardoispartofHubLeonardoandaimstointroducecitizensandtouriststotheworldoftheMasterthroughthreedigitalhologramsofahuman-sizedLeonardodaVinciwhowelcomesvisitorsandtellshortstoriesdealingwith(i)hisMilaneseperiod(ii)hislifeand(iii)hisrelationshipwithnature.

Thispaperanalysestheprojectfromthespecificpointofviewofhowtheagency(Latour,2007)ofthedigitalcharacterimpactsvisitors,namelyhisabilitytoaffecttheirbehaviour,successfullycapturingtheirattentionandfosteringinteraction.Digitalcharactersareindeedunusualagents.

IfweconsiderthefourcategoriesofagentsclassifiedbyKaptelinin&Nardi(2009)–(1)naturalorculturalthings,(2)naturalorculturalnon-humanlivingbeings,(3)humanbeings,(4)socialentities–itwouldbequitedifficulttolocatedigitalcharactersinonlyoneofthesecategories.Theseagentsperformactionsaccordingtothewilloftheirdesignersandprogrammers,thatistosay,onsomeoneelse’sbehalf,thuscharacterizingtheirtypeofagencyasdelegatedagency(KaptelininandNardi,2009)andproducingunintentionalorunexpectedeffectsbeyondwhatthedesignershadinmind.Theauthors(KaptelininandNardi,2009,p.244)attributetheseformsofagencytoculturalthings,artefactscreatedbyhumanstoproducespecificeffects.Thiscategoryofagentsincludesallworksofart,industrialdesignproductsormachinesaswellasdigitalinteractiveartefacts.

Thereisnoquestionthatdigitalcharactersarenothumanbeings,butitisalsoproblematictofullyidentifythemasmerethings.Thesekindsofcharacters–especiallywhenpersonifyingrealwomen/menandportrayedaslife-sized–resemblehumanbeingsineverywayandappeartobehaveaccordingly.Theymimichumanbeings,andtheambiguityandfascinationtheytriggerunderliesanumberofprojectsinthefieldofCulturalHeritagethatoffervisitorsencounterswithdigitalcharactersasameansofprovidinginformationandinterpretivecontentinanengagingmanner.Exploitingrenownedcharactersasprivilegedwitnessesofhistoricperiods,artisticmovementsandimportanteventsisacommonapproachinthefieldof


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culturalinterpretation,whetherthecharacterisdigitaloraflesh-and-bloodactor.

Tocontextualisetheprojectdiscussedhere,itisworthpresentingabriefoverviewofthevarioussolutionsthathavebeenadoptedinthefield,listedbelowinorderofthedegreeofrealismtheyachieved.Specifically,weoutlinethreebroadcategoriesofwaysanthropomorphicrepresentationhavebeenemployed,addressingdigitalrepresentationsinaninclusivesensethatencompassesboth2D/3Dcharactersandrealpeopleportrayedinvideos:(i)digitalnarrators,(ii)digitalappearancesand(iii)realactorsportrayingsomeoneelse.

Theexamplesinthefirstcategory(i)employdigitalcharactersaswitnessesandnarratorsandarenotaimedatcreatingasenseofrealism.AnexampleistheinstallationBolognaStorybyCinecalocatedatPalazzoPepoliinBologna.Inthiscase,visitorsareinvitedtositinavirtualtheatreandwatchastereoscopicvideothattracesthestoryofthecityundertheguidanceofa3Dcharacter,theEtruscanAPO.Therealismofthevirtualreconstructionofthecityacrossthecenturiesiscontrastedwiththecartoon-likerepresentationofAPO,whoisdesignedtoinvolvevisitorsinthenarrationandprovideentertainment.

Thesecondcategory(ii)encompassesprojectscharacterisedbytheparticularattentiontheypaytocreatingrealisticsettingsandastonishingvisitorswiththeappearanceofhighlyrealistichistoricalcharacters.Typically,theseexamplesemployhologramsandarebasedontangibleandembodiedinteraction(Dourish,2001;HorneckerandBuur,2006).AnexampleistheinstallationlocatedatPalazzoDucaleofGubbioentitledAnaudiencewithFederico(InudienzadaFederico),whichbringsFedericodaMontefeltrobacktolifethankstoaprofessionalactorandrear-projectedscreens.Thedukeengagesindialoguewithanangelinadramatized15-minutespièce,givingbystanderstheimpressionofhavingthesecharactersbeforethemintheflesh.Visitorscannotinteractwiththedigitalcharacters;rather,theactorscontinuouslyperformtheirrepresentationlikeghostsjuxtaposedinthepresent.

AtVenariaReale,nearTurin,human-sizeddigitalcourtiers,scullions,cooks,ladiesandgallantsinperiodclothingappearwhenvisitorswalkpast,intheprojectPeoplingthePalacesbyPeterGreenaway.Theprojectionsmaterializeindifferentroomsandlocations,continuouslystimulatingvisitors’interestandgivingthemtheimpressionofbeingsurroundedbyabaroqueworld.AsinAnaudiencewithFederico,visitorstothisexhibit

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occupyapassiverole,receivinginformationthatisprovidedinafilm-likefashion.

AsimilarapproachismodelledbyStudioAzzurrowithStoryBearers,life-sizedhologramsofordinarypeoplethatwalkonrear-projectedscreens(StudioAzzurro,2010;2011).Visitorscanstopthedigitalcharactersbyraisingtheirhandsand,oncestopped,thecharacterstelltheirstories,directlyaddressingthevisitorwhohailedthem.TheworldofthedigitalcharactersinStoryBearersrespondstousers;theycaninteractwiththesystemusinganaturalgestureandthereforemovebeyondtheroleofmerepassiveconsumersofmultimediacontent.

AnevenmorenaturalinteractionwithdigitalcharacterscanbefoundintheNewDimensionsinTestimonyprojectaimedatallowingyoungstudentsto“talk”withhologramsofHolocaustsurvivors.Thefirstexperimentationprovidedaclassofpupilswithahologramofasurvivorsittingonachairwhowascapableofunderstandingquestionsabouthislifeandansweringaccordingly.

Thethirdcategory(iii)achievesthehighestdegreeofrealisminthatitincludesexperiencesbasedontheperformanceofrealpeople,actorsinthefleshplayingtheroleofhistoricfigures.AnexampleofthisisprovidedbytheprojectBeingLeonardodaVinci.Animpossibleinterview,anitineranttheatreperformancedirectedandinterpretedbyMassimilianoFinazzerFlorythathasbeenstagedmainlyinmuseumsandculturalcentres.Duringtheperformance,theactorinterpretstheItalianMaster,wearingperiodclothesandansweringapproximately70questionsabouthislife,activityandwork.

Alltheprojectsdescribedaboveandincludedinthethreecategorieshaveincommonthefactthattheyemployanthropomorphicdigitalcharacters,interactiveornot,asnarratorsorfiguresthathelpvisitorstocomprehendculturalcontent.Inadditiontoverbalcommunication,theyalsoexploitnon-verbalregisters,forinstancebycommunicatingthroughfacialexpression,posture,bodymovement,gazeandsoon.

Whatdistinguishesthesecategoriesisthedigitalcharacters’degreeofrealismandhowtheytriggerinteraction.BolognaStory(i)andBeingLeonardodaVinci(iii)haveverydifferentapproachestorealismsincethefirstpresentsacartoon-like3Dcharacterandthesecondarealactorperformingonastage;atthesametime,however,theyusethesamemethodstoengagevisitors.Indeed,theyplaceusersintheroleofpassivereceiversofinformation,spectatorsofafilm/theatreshowwithwhichtheycannotinteract.Forboththeprojects,thecharacter’ssimulation,however


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realisticitmaybe,servesthepurposeofinvolvingvisitorsinthestoryanddoesnotaimatastonishingorsurprising.Incontrast,thefourprojectsinthesecondcategory(ii)allseektosimulatehighlyrealisticencounterswithdigitalcharacters,deliberatelyconcealingthetechnologicalequipmentinquestioninordertoincreasethesenseofwonder.

Alloftheseexamplesengagevisitorsinfascinatingnarrativeexperiencesinwhichtheymeetdigitalhistoricalfiguresorordinarypeople,buttheydifferinthattheyoffervisitorsdifferentlevelsofinteraction.Theprojectsofthefirstandthirdcategoryaswellasthefirsttwoprojectsofthesecondcategorydonotpermituserstointeractatall;viewerscannotproduceaneffectonthedigitalsystemthroughtheirownactions.Thisimpossibilitytoactisunderlinedbythephysicalseparationdesignersimposebetweenthedigitalcharactersandtheusers,whoarecastaspassiveconsumersofamovie.TheStoryBearersofStudioAzzurroandthesurvivorhologram,thatintroduceinteractionbymeansofnaturalinput,namelygesturesandspeech,aresubjecttodifferentconsiderations.Beingconfiguredasinteractivesystems,theyactasculturalthings(KaptelininandNardi,2009)and,usuallybyimplementingtheintentionsofhumanbeings(designersandprogrammers),theyproduceeffectsonhumanbeings,inthiscasethevisitorswhomodifytheirbehaviouraccordingtotheactionsandre-actionsofthedigitalcharacters.Interactivity,togetherwithrealism,isthereforeakey-factor:byreactingtovisitors’actionsandconsequentlymodifyingtheirbehaviour,thedigitalcharacterstriggeravirtuouscircleofactionandreactionthatisatthebasisofallhumancommunication.

Inthisstudy,weunderstandthethreeinteractiveinstallationsofLeonardoPlaysLeonardotorepresentexamplesofculturalthings,“inherentlypersuasive”designproductsthatembedandembodytheargumentsofthepeoplewhodesignedthem(Redström,2006).Whetherornotthedesignersmanagedtoachievetheiraimsandpersuadevisitorstobehaveaccordinglyisanopenquestionandoneweaddresshereinthispaper.Atthesametime,weseektounderstandifthedigitalcharacterineachcasecanmovebeyondthesimpleconditionofinteractiveobjectandbeperceivedbyusersasasortofhumanbeing.

MethodologyThestudypresentedhereisgroundedinquantitativeandqualitative

datagleanedthroughdiversemethodsofinquiry.Thefirstsetofavailabledataistheusagestatisticsprovidedbythe

system,whichrecordseveryinteractionperformedateachofthethree

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installations.Thedatacollectedtodatecover83non-consecutivedaysofusageandprovideinformationaboutthedateandtimeoftheinteraction,thenumberofusers,thenumberofvideoswatchedandthelanguageselected.

Inordertoshedlightonthestatisticaldataandgaininsightsfromusers,wealsoconductedinterviewsusingthethink-aloudprotocol(Somerenetal.,1994;DorstandCross,2001)withaconsistentsetofexpertusers.Eightpost-graduatestudentsinDesign,agedbetween22and26andcomingfromsixdifferentcountries–3Italian,1Chinese,1Turkish,1Bulgarian,1Greekand1Polish–wererecordedwhiletheyinteractedwiththesystemandtheninvolvedinaninformalpost-experiencefocusgroup.Thesamesampleofusersalsocompletedaquestionnairedesignedtoverifytheconsistencyoftheopinionstheyexpressedintheinterviewsandfocustheirattentionontheexperienceofuseandhowmuchtheyenjoyedit.Furthermore,directobservationoftheaforementionedexpertusersaswellascasualvisitorsallowedustogainusefulinsightsintotherelationshipbetweenthesepeopleandthedigitalLeonardo.

DescriptionofthesystemandhowitisusedThreeinstallationsarethecoreoftheinteractivesystemofLeonardo

PlaysLeonardo.Eachinstallationiscomposedoftwoparts:aback-endconcealingthecomputerandvideoprojectorandafront-endstructureholdinga90”holographicscreentogetherwiththeinteractionandaudioequipment.

Whenenteringthecloisterofthebuilding,visitorscatchsight,atadistance,ofamandressedinRenaissance-styleclothingmovingintoandoutofthethreescreens.Everytimeheentersthestage,hewearsadifferentoutfitanddisplaysadifferentmood:sometimesheisthoughtfulandwearingluxuriousclothes,atothertimesheappearswearingworkclothesandgivestheimpressionofbeingverybusy,stillothertimesheinvitesbystanderstocomenearer.Whenvisitorsapproachoneofthescreens,Leonardoappears.HespeaksItalianandaskstheusertochoosehisorherpreferredsubtitlelanguage:visitorscanchooseItalianbyraisingtheirrighthandsandEnglishwiththeirleft.Oncealanguageisselected,afirstvideobeginstoplay,chosenrandomlybythesystemformamongthefivecontainedineachinstallation.Abriefintroductiondisplaysthetitleofthepiece,thenLeonardoappearsandtalksforabouttwominutes,addressingthebystandersdirectly.Whenastoryends,userscanchoosetolistento


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anotherone–byraisingtheirrighthands–ortoendtheinteraction–byraisingtheirleft.Allfiveofthevideosusethesamemechanicsofinteractionand,oncetheyhavefinished,Leonardokindlybidstheusergoodbyeandbeginsmovinginandoutofthescreenonceagain.

Figure1 Usersinfrontoftheinteractiveinstallations

Designers’choicesandusers’perceptionsGivingcitizensandvisitorsthechancetoenjoyadigitalencounterwith

LeonardodaVinciwasthemainaimofthisproject,whichdrewinspirationfromtheaforementionedexamplesandinparticularthosepertainingtothesecondcategory.Weborrowedfromthemtheideaofusinglife-sizedcharacters,themechanicsofinteractionbasedonbodilymovementsandgestures,andthechoicetofeaturehumanactorsinsteadofvirtualcharacters.Atthesametime,thechallengeswefacedweredifferent,especiallygiventhatitwasimpossibletohidethetechnologicalapparatuswiththehelpofdarknessasintheabovementionedprojects.Thischoicewasprecludedduetothelocation,inacloister,andtheresultinglightconditions:theperimeterofthecorridorsfacingontotheinnergardenwithitsoldmagnoliatreeisfilledwithwindows,sothereissignificantamountoflightatalmosteveryhouroftheday.Wethereforechosetotransformaproblemintoanopportunityandcreateaveryevident,high-techand

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industrialsortofportalthatwouldsuggestatimelessspaceinwhichvisitorscouldencounterLeonardo.Indeed,theedgystainlesssteelstructure,greyishscreenandclearlyvisiblesensorswereintendedtocreateamarkedimpressionofdetachmentbetweenthecontemporarystructureandthehistoricalcharacter,dressedinRenaissanceclothes.

Figure2 ThestructuresoftheLeonardoPlaysLeonardoinstallation:ontheleft,the

back-endwoodenbox;ontheright,thestainless-steelframewithscreen.

Threeoutofeightexpertusersexpressedanopinionaboutthestructureduringthethink-aloudsession.Allofthemexpressedaestheticappreciationfortheinstallationbuttwooutofthreewouldhavepreferredastructuremoreinlinewiththehistoricalcharacter.Forexample,R3reports:‘Theframeistoorough,industrialandcontemporary.I’dchangethestyle,giventhehistoricfigure’.Evidentlyusersdidnotpickupontheideawewantedtoevokeofatimeportalordidnotconsideritrelevant.

Instead,theeightexpertusersfocusedspecificallyonthedigitalcharacter,whichwasdesignedwiththeaimofcapturingvisitors’attentionandmakingthemfeelasiftheywereface-to-facewithLeonardo,intheflesh.Thechoiceswemadeinordertoconveythisintendedsenseofrealismwere,firstofall,touseanactorratherthanavirtualcharacter,secondly,toprojecthimlife-sizedand,finally,tohavetheactordirecthisspeechtowardsthecamerainordertomaintaineyecontactwithviewers.


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Alltheexpertusersreportedhavingexperiencedasenseofhavingarealpersoninfrontofthem,addressingthemdirectly;theyparticularlyappreciatedtherealismofthedigitalcharacter.Inthethink-aloudsessionR2says‘Itseemsthecharacterisrightinfrontofme’whileR7states:‘TheinterestingthingisthatLeonardoseemstobearealpersoninfrontofmeandtellingabouthisworks’.

Atthesametime,ourintentionthatthecharactermaintaineyecontactwasprisedbyevaluators,whoreportaresultingsenseofinteractionandintimacy.R1saysthat‘it’snicethatthecharacterlooksinmyeyeswhileheistellingthestory.Itseemstoaugmenttheinteractionandtheinvolvement’.R4focusesmoreontheintimacytriggeredbytheeyecontact:‘Therealsizecharacterisok,anditseemshe’stalkingtoyouintimately,withdirectcontact.Iliketheactorandthatitseemshe’stalkingonlytome’.

Theseresultsareconfirmedbythequestionnairestherespondentsfilledoutfollowingtheexperience.Indeed,theygivethefeelingofinteractingwitharealpersonquiteahighscore(2veryhigh,5highand1average).Theinformalfocusgroupthatfollowedthetestsessionfurtherconfirmedthisimpressionevenwhileaddinganunexpectedinsight:everyoneoftheuserswasconfusedbyLeonardo’sappearance.Thatis,theyexpectedtoseeatired,oldmanwithawhitebeard,asLeonardoistraditionallyportrayed,notanenergeticmaninhisfiftieswithashortredbeard,asweimaginedheprobablyappearedduringhislastperiodinMilan.

Anotherpointworthaddressingishowusersperceivedinteractionwiththedigitalcharacter.Whendesigningthemechanicsofinteractionthatweretohavecharacterizedthesystem,wedecidedtoemployamixofimplicitandexplicitinteractions,bothofwhichtakeadvantageofthehumanbodyasaninputsystem.Thefirsttypeofinteractionoccurswithoutanyintentiononthepartofusers:theysimplypassinfrontoftheinstallationand,insodoing,unwillinglytriggerareactioninthedigitalsystem,namelythewhimsicalappearanceofLeonardoinvitinguserstoact.ThisisanimplicitinteractionbasedonmotiondetectionandaimedatsurprisingvisitorsandgivingthemtheimpressionthatLeonardowastherewaitingforthem.

Theotherkindofinteractionisinsteadactivatedbydeliberategesturesonthepartofusers:theymustraisetheirrightorlefthandsandapproachthescreentochoosethesubtitleslanguage(righthandforItalianandleftforEnglish)andtomakethestoriescontinue(righthand)orstop(lefthand).

Thefirstkindofinteraction,theimplicitone,waseasilyunderstoodbyalltheexpertusers,whowerenaturallydrawntoapproachthescreenand

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surprisedwhenLeonardoappearedandimmediatelymadecontactwiththem.Regardingthispoint,R6states:‘EnteringthecorridorIseethreepanelswithacharactermoving.Heattractsme.WhenIapproachthescreenasortofcontactisestablishedandLeonardoinvitesmetoenterhislife’.

Thesecondkindofinteraction,theexplicitonebasedonhandgestures,entailsdifferentconsiderations.Allofthetestersimmediatelyunderstoodthemechanicsofinteractionandappreciatedthem,astheymadeclearinthequestionnairesaswell.Indeed,themajorityofexpertusersfeltconfidentusingthesystem(5highconfidence,3veryhighconfidence)andtheygenerallyappreciatedtheuseofthebodytointeractwithit(4neutral,3high,1veryhigh),butfourrespondentscomplainedthatthedegreeofinteractionofferedwaslimited.

Duringtheprocessofdesigningthesystem,weactuallydecidedtolimitusers’freedomofinteractioninordertoenhancethesenseofhavinganencounterwitharealpersonandempowerthenarrativeapproach.Justaswouldbethecasewitharealperson,onceLeonardobeginstellingastoryhecarriesitthroughtotheend,withoutbeinginterrupted.Furthermore,Leonardo–thatis,thesystem–decideswhichstorytotell,inordertosimulatethebehaviourofasentientcharacterasmuchaspossible.Thischoice,andthemotivationsbehindit,wereperceivedaslimitingbyexpertusers,however.R2states‘It’sinterestingthemodalityofreachingoutahandtointeractwiththesystem,butitseemslimitingthepossibilityofchoosingonlythelanguageandwhethertocontinuewiththestoryornot’.Inothercommentsrespondentsgofurther,suggestingotherformsofinteraction.R5wouldhavepreferredto‘choosethetopictobetterinteract.ItwouldbenicetohaveLeonardoaskingquestionsand,byansweringthem,togetothertopics’.

Mechanicsofinteractionandusers’behaviourTheabovecomparisonbetweenthedesigners’intentionsandusers’

perceptionsandunderstandinghighlightsbothproblemareasandstrengthsinthesystem’sabilitytofullycommunicateitsmeaningandhowitfunctions.Nevertheless,inordertofullyunderstandtheagencyofthedesignedsystemonuserswemustassessthecapacityoftheinteractiveinstallationstofosterthe“correct”behaviour.

Directobservationoftheexperttestersduringthethink-aloudsessions,aswellasobservationofothercasualvisitors,showedthatalmostallofthemimmediatelyunderstoodhowthesystemworkedandbehaved


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accordingly.Inparticular,themixofimplicitandexplicitinteractionprovedtorepresentaneffectivemeansofengagingusersgradually,asitiscapableofattractingtheirattentionandthenfosteringinteraction.ThewhimsicalandunexpectedwayLeonardoappearswhenuserapproach(implicitinteraction)workedwelltosurprisethemandkindletheircuriosity.Duringdirectobservation,mainlyinthefirstdaysoftheexhibition,wenoticedthatmostpeoplestoppedandlistenedtoLeonardoandsomeofthemdecidedtostartinteractingwiththesystem.Inotherwords,thesystempersuadeduserstobehaveastheywereexpectedto,namelytobeintriguedbythedigitalcharacterandtostopinfrontofit.

Onceengagedintheinteraction,mostoftheusersfollowedtheinstructionsprovidedbythedigitalLeonardoandusedtheirhandstolaunchthenarration.Thepresenceofaperson,albeitdigital,whomodelledthegesturesuserswereaskedtoperformturnedouttobeveryeffectiveinavoidingincorrectactionsandmisunderstandings.Theseresultsareinlinewithwhatemergedfromthetestswithexpertusersandthequestionnaires,asdiscussedintheprevioussection.Hence,fromthepointofviewofinteractionitselfthesystemprovedtobeefficientinpersuadinguserstoactaswehadforeseen:theywereindeedattractedtothescreensanddidnotencounteranymajorproblemsintheinteractions.

Intermsofinvolvingusersintheinteraction,however,theresultswerenotassatisfactory:specifically,theaimwastoretaintheirattentionandconvincethemtolistentoallfiveofthevideosateachinstallation.Quantitativedatagleanedfromthesystemlogsshowthatthevastmajorityofuserslistenedtoeitheronevideoorallfiveofthestories.Indeed,thepercentagedistributionis:46%1video,4%2videos,4%3videos,2%2videosand43%5videos.Therefore,thedatahighlighttwoverydistinctbehaviours:ontheonehand,thereareuserscalledbyLeonardotointeractbutevidentlynotveryinterestedinthestoriesorboredbythemwhile,ontheotherhand,therearevisitorskeentolistentothedigitalcharacter.

Directobservationaswellasthetestwithexpertusersshedlightonthispercentagedistribution.Specifically,wenoticedthatmanypassers-byweresurprisedbyLeonardo’sappearanceanddrawntointeractbut,oncethestorystarted,theyimmediatelyleft:itistruethatthethreeinstallationswerelocatedinapassagewayandmostofthevisitorswerenottheretoviewtheexhibit.Furthermore,thedatashowthatasignificantcomponentoftheinteractionsinvolvingjustonevideowereinEnglish(about25%),whichisnotsurprisingsincethelanguagespokenbyLeonardoisItalian.R4commentsthatreadingthesubtitlespreventstheviewerformlookingthe

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characterintheeye,andR6addsthatitwouldbenicetolistentoLeonardoinEnglish.Hence,thedesignchoiceofmaintainingaphilologicalapproachmayhavehinderednon-Italianusersfromlisteningtoallfiveofthestories.

Commentsbyexpertusers,ontheotherhand,mayclarifywhythemajorityofuserslistenedtomorethanonevideoandagreatmanyofthemallfiveofthestories.R3saysthat‘thestoriesarenottoolong,enjoyableandnotboring’andR5adds:‘it’snicetolistentohisstoriesregardingnature…it’sbothdidacticandentertaining’.Othercommentsfocusontheabilityoftheactortoretainviewers’attentionandthequalityofthescenography.R6saysthat‘it’snicethewaytheactorinterpretswhathe’sreadingorthinkingorwriting.Ilikehisfacialexpressionsandthesceneprops’.Asamatteroffact,thequalityofthescriptsandtheprofessionalactor’sabilitytointerprettheMasterplayedanimportantroleinkeepingvisitorsinterested.Furthermore,commentshighlightedagreatappreciationforLeonardo’scostumes:R3saysthat‘thecharacterspeakswellandit’snicethathechangesclothesinthedifferentstories’andR4adds‘Ilikethechangeofclothes.Itletsmeunderstandthatthesettingchanged’.

Inanefforttosummarise,wecouldarguethatthemechanicsofinteraction–designedasamixofimplicitandexplicitinteraction–provedefficientinmodifyingusers’behaviourinaccordancewiththedesigners’willbutthatthedigitalcharacterplayedafundamentalroleincommunicatinghowthesystemfunctionsandretainingviewer’sactiveinterest.

Conclusions:isthedigitalcharacterjustaninteractivething?RecallingthefourcategoriesofagentsproposedbyKaptelinin&Nardi

(2009)andthereasoningpresentedatthebeginningofthearticle,theinteractiveinstallationsLeonardoPlaysLeonardoplainlyfallunderthecategoryofculturalthings.Characterizedbydelegatedandconditionalagency,theyactonsomeoneelse’sbehalfandproduceunintentionaleffects.However,itremainsdifficulttofitthedigitalcharactercompletelywithinthecategoryofthingsandtheresultsofourresearchseemtocorroboratetheideathatsuchcharactersactuallygobeyondthiscategory.Indeed,evidencefromourinquirysuggeststhatusersconsideredthedigitalLeonardomorethanasimpleculturalthing.DuringthetestswithusersweobservedthattestersconstantlyreferredtoLeonardoasarealpersonwithwhomtheywereexperiencinganauthenticencounter.Furthermore,the


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questionnairesconfirmthatmostusershadtheimpressionthattheywereinteractingwitharealperson,standingbeforethemintheflesh.

AnotherpointworthnotingisthatmostusersimmediatelyunderstoodhowtointeractwiththesystembyimitatingthegesturesofthedigitalLeonardo.Thisaspectmayseemsecondarybutitisparticularlyrelevantforsystemsbasedonembodiedinteraction(Dourish,2001),whichareusuallyrichinlabelsandotherparatextualapparatusesintendedtotrainuserstointeractwiththesystemandinformthemhowitfunctions.

Finally,duringdirectobservationsessionswefrequentlyidentifiedbehavioursthataretypicalofin-personcommunication.Duringsessionswithalotofbackgroundnoise,severalusersbroughttheirearsclosertoLeonardo’smouthtohearbetter,ameaninglessbehaviourgiventhatthetwostereoloudspeakerswereveryvisibleatthebaseofthesystem.Furthermore,weobservedthatmostuserstendedtomaintainadistancefromthedigitalLeonardothatproxemics(Hall,1990)woulddefineaspersonal–from1to1.5meters–andonlydrewnearer,toanintimatedistance,inordertointeractwiththesystem.

Despitetheseconsiderations,wecannotassertthatdigitalcharacterssuchasourLeonardoconstitutesomethingmorethanculturalthings.Wecan,however,remarkthattheytendtostimulatebehavioursthatgobeyondthosefosteredbycommoninteractivesystems,anaspectthatdeservestobetakenintodueaccountbydesignersingeneralandinteractiondesignersinparticular.

ReferencesDorst,K.,Cross,N.(2001)Creativityinthedesignprocess:co-evolutionof

problem-solution.DesignStudies,22(5),425–437.Dourish,P.(2001)WheretheActionIs:TheFoundationsofEmbodied

Interaction.Cambridge:MITPress.Hall,E.T.(1990)TheHiddenDimension.NewYork:Anchor.Hornecker,E.,Buur,J.(2006)GettingaGriponTangibleInteraction:A

FrameworkonPhysicalSpaceandSocialInteraction.InGrinter,R.Rodden,T.,Aoki,P.,Cutrell,E.,Jeffries,R.andOlson,G.(eds),ProceedingsoftheSIGCHIConferenceonHumanFactorsinComputingSystems(pp.437–446).NewYork:ACM.

Kaptelinin,V.,Nardi,B.A.(2009)ActingwithTechnology:ActivityTheoryandInteractionDesign.London:TheMITPress.

Latour,B.(2007)ReassemblingtheSocial:AnIntroductiontoActor-Network-Theory,1stedition.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.

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Redström,J.(2006)PersuasiveDesign:FringesandFoundation.InIJsselsteijn,W.A.,Kort,Y.A.W.deMidden,C.,Eggen,B.,Hoven,E.vanden(eds),PersuasiveTechnology.Berlin:Springer.

Someren,M.W.van,Barnard,Y.F.,Sandberg,J.A.C.(1994)TheThinkAloudMethod:APracticalGuidetoModellingCognitiveProcesses,1stedition.London:AcademicPress.

StudioAzzurro(2010)Sensitivecity.Milan:Scalpendi.StudioAzzurro(2011)StudioAzzurro.Museidinarrazione.Ambienti,

percorsiinterattiviealtriaffreschimultimediali.Milan:SilvanaEditoriale.

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