Today I'm going to present about O&O, a DIY toolkit for designing and
rapid prototyping of olfactory interfaces. Among all human senses, olfactory perception features
prominently in arousing emotions and memories. However, the use of smell is under-explored in
the HCI field. Most of the research in the field were designed for specific applications or tasks,
which led to challenges in extending their original capability to more scenarios.
On the other hand, some commercial olfactory displays were not always accessible because
of the high price and tech difficulty; in addition there are limited open source solutions presented.
Hence, to overcome existing limitations, we presented Q&O. As shown in previous research,
designing an olfactory interface required a significant amount of design,
fabrication, and engineering effort. The toolkit consists of three main components:
scent generation kit, module construction kit, and design manual. The module construction kit
is a set of foldable cardboard templates that can be assembled into permutable functional modules
to support three most common sense generation technologies:
fan, heating, and atomizing. The toolkit provided rich abstraction of primitive module forms and
four specifications of size choices to accommodate different use cases. So, how the module works?
Take the inner structure of the cylinder module as an example: the module efficiently packaged
different scent delivery functions in the capsule by integrating minimal scent container structures,
scent sources, and output components. Instead of a non-extendable all-in-one interfaces, the toolkit
implemented a plug-and-play thinking into the form design that uses the former modules on a custom
structure defined by the designers. A lot of open source foldable templates are available online for
exploration. For example, the image presented a foldable cardboard scent-enhanced masks.
To build this interface, the designers print and fold mask templates. The yellow holes
indicate scent ports on cheeks that can later accommodate different scent delivery modules.
In addition, the module construction kit also includes five types of scent
transmission modules that can control main characteristics of the order transmission.
In the scent generation kit, we designed two set of driver modules for ultrasonic atomizers
and output components supporting PWM control. All modules support manual and program control modes.
To support the driving modules, the scent generation kit provided
hardware selections containing optional accessories and output components.
The third section of the toolkit is a design manual that rethought technical
production from the lens of design disciplines by introducing a human-centered ideology supported by
an accompany five-step decision driving process and common design
tools, such as the personal cards, storyboards, interactive questionnaires, illustrations,
traceable paper templates, and evaluation forms. Then, for self-evaluation, we built
and highlighted 5 prototypes such as an aromatic mask or a scent notification watch.
To gain preliminary understanding and feedback of the usability and creations of the toolkit,
we conducted study 1: a formal workshop and study 2: DIY on solo sessions.
In study 1, we recruited 19 participants and divided them in 6 groups.
A pre-study questionnaire were given before the workshop.
The workshop lasted about 4 hours. With the first 20 minutes, we presented a series of
classical studies within this field; the next 30 minutes, we instructed the use of the toolkit;
next 40 minutes, participants brainstorming a group and form the ideas; then, they are given
two hours to prototype; finally, every group presented a five-minute presentation; then,
we give a post questionnaire to collect feedbacks. As delivery, every group makes distinguishable
prototypes, such as plant watering reminder or olfactorization piano.
In study two, we further evaluated it if the toolkit supports more complex prototype systems,
what users produced, and how they engaged differently. Four participants from the previous
study volunteered to participate in the DIY on solo sessions with the extended time of five days.
As a final delivery, P6 worked on a specialized equipment for olfactory training, her prototype
included design considerations, such as scent selection, odor transmission properties,
and input systems. P10 presented an odor enhancing machine for fruit ninja game.
P9 designed "do-not-disturb" alarm clock. P1 built an olfactory display that plays sent to soothe
emotions like anger or reduced symptoms of PTSD. To analyze the overall performance of the toolkit
and user engagement in the workshop and the following DIY on solo sessions,
we used the mixed method approach, including workshop videos, user creations,
pre- and post-study questionnaires, interviews that is transcribed and created thematic analysis.
From the analysis, we acknowledged the toolkit's usability, versatility, and functionality.
It supports more complex design and prototype requirements, while stimulating the interest
and empowering new audiences with a sense of accomplishment and engagement. It also
embraced more disciplines to enhance creativity. We also identified its prospective application
in STEM education. In conclusion, O&O is a DIY toolkit that reduces complexity, guides design
explorations, empowers new audiences, and enables replication beyond the one-off applications.
For more discussion about the toolkit evaluation process and methods, findings,
and, future implications, we invited you to check the paper and open-source files. Thank you!