Marianna Obrist 84626.pdf (3.4 MB)
OWidgets: a toolkit to enable smell-based experience design
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 18:15 authored by Emanuela Maggioni, Robert Cobden, Marianna ObristInteractive technologies are transforming the ways in which people experience, interact and share information. Advances in technology have made it possible to generate real and virtual environments with breath-taking graphics and high-fidelity audio. However, without stimulating the other senses such as touch and smell, and even taste in some cases, such experiences feel hollow and fictitious; they lack realism. One of the main stumbling blocks for progress towards creating truly compelling multisensory experiences is the lack of appropriate tools and guidance for designing beyond audio-visual applications. Here we focus particularly on the sense of smell and how smell-based design can be enabled to create novel user experiences. We present a design toolkit for smell (i.e., OWidgets). The toolkit consists of a graphical user interface and the underlying software framework. The framework uses two main components: a Mapper and Scheduler facilitating the device-independent replication of olfactory experiences. We discuss how our toolkit reduces the complexity of designing with smell and enables a creative exploration based on specific design features. We conclude by reflecting on future directions to extend the toolkit and integrate it into the wider audio-visual ecosystem.
Funding
OWidgets - Design of a new non-existing layer of information delivery through smell; G2057; EUROPEAN UNION; 737576
SenseX - Sensory Experiences for Interactive Technologies; G1589; EUROPEAN UNION; H2020-ERC-2014-STG-638605
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
International Journal of Human-Computer StudiesISSN
1071-5819Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Volume
130Page range
248-260Department affiliated with
- Informatics Publications
Research groups affiliated with
- Creative Technology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2019-06-27First Open Access (FOA) Date
2020-06-25First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2019-06-27Usage metrics
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