Inspired by an early prototype of Skrekkøgle’s “Durr”, a small wearable device that provides a subtle haptic feedback every 5-minutes, we prototyped a similar wearable device using Seeed’s Xadow platform, and set about evaluating it in the real world via a pair of autoethnographies.
We found that several people could see the benefit of having a personal and subtle reminder of time slipping by, particularly during busy schedules. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the form factor of the device also had a strong influence on whether and when the device would be worn. We also found, consistently with the theory of flow, that, when deeply engaged in a task, vibrations may be missed, altering one’s time and tactile perception.
In collaboration with Marta Cecchinato. Our paper laying out our findings from this experience is available here