The Social Fabric 14Jun05

screenshot: interaction-ivrea.it

"While we tend to make sure not to let things slide in professional environments because of the immediate repercussions, it's our soft life that exist away from structure which we often neglect, as the effect of our actions are less apparent. While we are very good at building systems that assist us in structured environments, like the workplace, it is difficult to design for the soft and ambiguous nature of our social lives. Through a visual language, this thesis explores the new opportunities in social management that may emerge when the social network is revealed."

"What it is: The Social Fabric is a representation of your social world, displayed as a single visual array on your mobile phone. It does not replace your address book or calendar but keeps you subtly informed about which relationships are prospering, which you have neglected, and the overall state of your social fabric.

How it works: Your phone's screen shows a crowd of human figures, each an avatar of one of your friends, acquaintances or relatives. The frequency of all digital communications between you and each person, which the system monitors, determines that avatar's posture: an alert stance indicates frequent recent contact, for example; a lethargic posture or turned back means neglect. You can also register non-digital contacts manually. The avatars can be grouped manually according to sentiment, category, and so on, or programmed to begin clustering together before an upcoming event: your family before a birthday, say."

related links

Steven Blyth - A Thesis Summary