Noise-Free Digital Interfaces From the Near Future
Joskaudė Pakalkaitė · Electronic workshops in computing · 2023
This doctoral project explores how unconventional design approaches can mitigate noise within digital interfaces and enhance user experience for consumers through the exploration of three interaction elements: visual attention, mindfulness, and tactility. I specifically focus on the issues of noisy digital interfaces such as ‘cold’ generic interfaces, mindless and touch-poor interactions, and provide practical solutions. Therefore, this practice-based research project adapts the Research through Design approach and the use of Design Fiction methods such as ‘What if’ questions, diegetic prototypes, and narrative planning. My design practice also aims to raise ethical awareness of designing better IT tools within designers and software developers. The development of noise-free digital interfaces includes creating three fictional prototypes, which communicate the practical application of hand-drawn interfaces, mindful and touch-rich interactions. These diegetic prototypes and near-future scenarios are used to explore to what extent noise can be mitigated within digital interfaces, and how this can enhance user experience for consumers. I predict and recommend that noisy digital experiences can be mitigated by implementing mindful elements, purposefully using colour and shapes, hand-drawn interfaces, and touch-rich interactions, when designing noise-free digital interfaces. The next step of this project is to use the Expert Review method to collect and analyse insights from the designers and software developers working in IT companies on how hand-drawn interfaces, mindful and touch-rich interactions can be adapted to benefit large IT companies.