057

Authors:

 Donath, Judith; Karahalios, Karrie; Viégas, Fernanda.

Title:

 Visiphone

Keywords:

 Social visualization, audio interface, graphics, ubiquitous Abstract Visiphone is a communication object that opens a graphical as well as an audio portal through space. It is designed to provide a continuous, ubiquitous connection between people in different places. Through this experimental medium, we are exploring the social and aesthetic aspects of visualizations of sound. Using an audio-only speaker phone to provide a continuous, long-term connection has several drawbacks: in a noisy environment, it is difficult to know whether one's voice has carried or to know to pay attention to new voices emerging from the phone; long periods of silence make it easy to forget the device, which then takes on the unwanted quality of unobtrusive surveillance. By making the audio visible, Visiphone turns the speakerphone into a portal between spaces: the existence of the connection is recognizable even in moments of silence and the dynamics and inflections of the conversation are made salient by the expressive power of the abstract visualization. Visiphone's graphics do not portray the technical aspects of sound (as do, for example, the audio renderings seen in sound-mixing boards); its purpose is rather to enhance awareness. Visiphone displays two parallel visualizations, one derived from the local sound reaching the device (input audio) and the other from the sound emanating from it (output audio). We are experimenting with several designs for the visualizations. For example, one basic design depicts filtered frequency with hue, creating bursts of color when someone is speaking. With this display, one is able to see at a glance if someone is speaking at the other end and can tell if one's own voice has carried over the ambient noise to audibly reach the listeners at the other end. Visiphone's display is a translucent dome sitting on a pedestal. The graphics are projected into the dome from below. The dome shape makes it an interface in the round: one can view it from any side. This is essential for an object meant to create a connection between two inhabited, real-world spaces in which people move about. The design of the dome itself is also a key element in this multimodal interface and its size, location, and appearance influence its use and its ability to portray the sense of awareness and continuous connection in the space. Our goal is to create an aesthetic object that enables users to perceive conversational patterns that are present but not obvious in traditional communication interfaces. Visiphone is a work in progress. Figure 1 Schematic drawing of the Visiphone system

Abstract:
Donath, Judith; donath@media.mit.edu Sociable Media Group, MIT Media Laboratory Judith Donath is an Assistant Professor at the MIT Media Lab, where she directs the Sociable Media research group. Her work focuses on the social side of computing, building innovative interfaces for the online communities, virtual identities and computer-mediated collaborations that have emerged with the convergence of computing and communication. She is the creator of numerous projects that address the problem of design for social interaction, such as "Visual Who" (a visualization of activity and affiliations in a virtual community),"Portraits in Cyberspace" (a participatory art show) and "The Electric Postcard" (a popular web/email amalgamation). She received her doctoral and master's degrees in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT, her bachelor's degree in History from Yale University, and has worked professionally as a designer and builder of educational software and experimental media.

Karahalios, Karrie; kkarahal@media.mit.edu Sociable Media Group, MIT Media Laboratory Karrie Karahalios is a graduate student in the Media Lab's Sociable Media Group. Her current work focuses on developing interfaces that examine the interaction of people and the social cues they perceive in networked electronic spaces. Previous work has included browsing large video banks as well as reconstructing three-dimensional spaces from multiple media sources. She holds a SB in electrical engineering, a ME in electrical engineering and computer science, and a SM in media arts and sciences from MIT.

Viégas, Fernanda. fviegas@media.mit.edu Sociable Media Group, MIT Media Laboratory Fernanda Viegas is a graduate student in the Sociable Media Group at the MIT Media Laboratory. Her current work explores the development of ambient media using digital displays as a means for social visualizations. Past work includes the development of an abstract graphical environment for online conversation where history is graphically captured. Prior to joining the Media Lab, Viegas received her bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and Art History from the University of Kansas.