Chapter XDESIGNING DISPLAYS FOR HUMANCONNECTEDNESSStefan AgamanolisMedia Lab EuropeAbstract: How can we design displays that foster a sense of presence and awareness…that enhance a sense of community and togetherness… that enable humanbonds to grow and flourish? Using five prototypes from the HumanConnectedness research group at Media Lab Europe as a context for reflection,this chapter attempts to assemble a framework of questions and strategies fordesigners to consider when working to achieve these kinds of effects. Theprototypes discussed include a media space that connects several physicallocations in our organization, a video conference system based on themetaphor of a magic mirror, a video installation that displays layers ofrecorded social interaction, an ambient display for hospital patients in isolationwards, and a “sports over a distance” application with an “exertion” interface.Key words: displays, presence, awareness, community, togetherness, connectedness,design principles1. INTRODUCTIONAlthough not the only means of interfacing with digital information, bit-mapped visual displays are certainly one of the most common. Advances indisplay technology have enabled them to take an increasingly wider varietyof forms that depart from that of a general purpose computer monitor sittingon a desk in an office behind a keyboard and mouse. Displays of radicallydifferent shapes and sizes can now be embedded in or projected ontounexpected surfaces in unexpected places, and they can incorporate a varietyof new sensing technologies that enable new kinds of interaction. Many ofthe chapters in this book illustrate the advantages of situating displays inparticular kinds of configurations and in particular kinds of spaces that might2 Chapter Xbe more appropriate for supporting certain applications, especially those thatare focused on background communication or that work to foster enhancedawareness or a sense of community among different groups of people.What constitutes a good or bad design choice with respect to these kindsof displays? What questions should we be asking during their development?What general rules or guidelines are we operating with, if any? Can these bearticulated so they might inform future efforts?Some insight into these issues is being gained in the HumanConnectedness group at Media Lab Europe. This chapter is an attempt todistill some broader design principles that are noticeable across several ofthe group’s endeavors (as well as others in related research programs, pastand present). I begin with a short background of the group itself and followwith descriptions of five of our most display-centered prototypes. Usingthese as a context, I then present an evolving list of design “nuggets” thatappear to run across these projects and that could be useful in guiding futureundertakings.2. THE HUMAN CONNECTEDNESS GROUPIn addition to other basic requirements, humans have a biological needfor contact with other humans. Our interactions and relationships with otherpeople form a network that supports us, makes our lives meaningful, andultimately enables us to survive. Authors like Lewis, Amini, and Lannon[20] describe in detail the critical regulating effects that social contact andhealthy relationships have on human mental and physical well-being, as wellas the sometimes devastating consequences that arise from a lack of thesenecessities. House, Landis, and Umberson [13] discuss developments thatsuggest that a lack of social relationships constitutes a risk factor for healththat rivals that of other well-established factors such as cigarette smoking,obesity, and lack of physical activity.A variety of factors threaten our ability to form and attain balance in thekinds of relationships that we want and need to have with others. In additionto unavoidable personal factors, such the need to travel or live in a differentplace apart from family and friends in order to fulfill work responsibilities,trends that exist at a societal level also have an impact. Putnam [27]describes how people in American society increasingly lack socialinteractions, and how this loss of social interconnectedness jeopardizeshealth on both a physical and civic level. A study undertaken by CarnegieMellon University suggests the use of computers and the Internet maycontribute to social isolation and individual stress levels [19].X. designing displays for human connectedness 3The Human Connectedness research group explores the topic of humanrelationships and how they are mediated by technology, with the ultimatemission of conceiving a new genre of technologies and experiences thatcombat the effects mentioned above and allow us to build, maintain, andenhance human relationships in new ways. It also aims to enable new kindsof individual bonds and communities that were not possible before but maybe beneficial or fun.Beyond imagining new forms of social interaction, the group exploreshow new technologies change the way people can be related to eachother—in the same way that, for example, we feel related to people in ourfamilies, attached to things that are important to us, or bonded to friends andloved ones. Some other key research questions for the group as a whole are:How can we convey a sense of presence and togetherness over space andtime? How can we promote and support collaboration between differentgroups of people? How can we achieve greater balance in our relationshipswith others? How can we share a sense of intimacy and closeness in newways? How can we enable new forms of cultural exchange?The group aims to build a technological framework for applications inthis domain, taking advantage of the infinite bandwidth and processing-richcomputing environments of the future and the opportunity to extend thesenetworked media environments into our physical and architecturalsurroundings. It is equally interested in forming a design framework thatincludes an understanding of sociological and psychological factors to helpshape these systems in a fashion that reflects the needs and sensibilities ofthe groups within which they operate.The group gains inspiration for the development of its prototypes from avariety of channels that include the results of scientific studies, observationsof people and how they interact, ongoing dialogues with potential users ofnew technologies, as well as personal experience in relationships. While wewant to project ourselves into the