This document discusses a research group that studies interaction design at the intersection of social sciences and computer science. They take a research through design approach and conduct both exploratory design projects with fictional scenarios and collaborative industry projects. Their research focuses on social media and how it can catalyze new forms of relationships and sociability. They explore topics like alternative communication, sociability in constrained environments, empathy in education, and using data visualization and tangible interfaces to improve social connections. They develop applied research with design methods and theoretical foundations from fields like sociology, information science, and cognitive psychology.

1. Interaction design is at the junction of experience design
disciplines, especially social sciences and computer
science. Therefore, we collaborate with laboratories of
these disciplines. We’re particularly interested in studying
usages transformation and people’s motivations as well
as exploring emerging usage forms and their socialization
potential, technology being a mean.
As a research group in the domain of interaction design,
we’re assuming a research by design positioning (W. Gaver).
Our research is conducted by the design practice, through
an abductive reasoning, in 2 positions within Fallman’s
triangle (D. Fallman): ‘Design practice’, real project, in
collaboration with the industry, and ‘Exploratory design’,
fictional projects, critical projects.
The focus of this research program is on ‘social media’
as an interim object in an ‘empathic society’ (J.Rifkin),
as a cathalyst of our relationships with people and places.
In this context, the invention of new relationship forms is
an essential stake, aiming at improving the connexion qualities
linking people to information and environment, rather than
to improve efficiency or productivity. Our approach focuses
on the potential of perception, expression and reflexion
towards the development of creativity, autonomy, empathy.
The applied research activity is developed with the relevant
design methods and grounded on a theoretical curriculum,
through readings and seminars introducing concepts from
sociology of ‘imaginaire’, information/communication science,
semiotics, cognitive psychology, and research methods.
École
nationale
supérieure
des Arts
Décoratifs
École
nationale
supérieure
des Arts
Décoratifs
École
nationale
supérieure
des Arts
Décoratifs
École
nationale
supérieure
des Arts
Décoratifs
École
nationale
supérieure
des Arts
Décoratifs

2. Our research topics include
· Alternative presence and interpersonal
communication forms
· New forms of sociability of constrained environment
· Empathy in education
· Engagement in usage of data through data visualization
· Tangible interfaces for information and social relationship
Keywords:
· Interaction design, service design.
· Exploratory design, design probes, design critic,
reflexive practice.
· Digital anthropology, observations, behavior,
contextualization, societal impact.
· Mobility, digital identity, sociability, presence,
communication.
· Workshop, prototyping, proof of concept
and field study, publication.
· Perception, expression, reflexion, creativity,
autonomy, empathy.
· Beautiful seams.
Partners
· Idex Paris sciences & letters (PSL)
· Telecom ParisTech (social sciences/information
& communication science)
· Pierre-Gilles de Gennes foundation, Paris
· CEAQ.
Researchers, professors, and experts
Direction and coordination
· Remy Bourganel (professor/researcher, Ensad)
Workshops
· Etienne Mineur (professor/researcher, Ensad)
Associated experts
· Annie Gentes (Telecom Paris, information and
communication science/CMU/Stanford)
· Jean-Baptiste Labrune (MIT/MediaLab, computer science)
· Stephane Hugon (CEAQ, sociology of ‘imaginaire’)
· Samuel Grange (semiology).
http://sociablemedia.ensadlab.fr
remy.bourganel@ensad.fr
etienne.mineur@ensad.fr

3. SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2013
SLOWSCREEN
#Trace, thermoreactive, beautiful seams
How could we design calm technology
to enhance social interactions in the
intimacy of the home?
Slowscreen is a black capacitive fabric screen,
reactive to the skin temperature. Embedded in
the home—furnitures, wall parts—these sensitive
areasbecomeexpressionspacesbetweenhousemates.
Temperature becomes a language for interaction, as
a witness of eachother traces. The ephemeral imprint
evokes Rorschach inkblots, open to interpretations.
This calm technology aims to integrate the usual
complexity of information in the texture of everyday
life.
Slowscreen displays information thanks to heating
resistive strings, located underneath the fabric,
covered with thermo-chromic ink. The matrix
contains 750 modules, in a 40x60 cm surface.
The low resolution image is slowly actuated
(around 1 minute to appear and disappear).
Project scope
Electronics, interface development, code development
Project leaders
Louis Eveillard, Pauline Gourlet
URL
http://www.beautifulseams.com/ (work in progress)

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SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2013
BREAKPOINTS
#Data viz, Engagement, Playfulness, Immersion
How do we engage people with data?
Can we use games mechanism to
enhance the user’s immersion and
ultimately his understanding of data?
The global movement of Open Data raises the question
of the usefullness of these huge datasets to the masses.
Getting people to perceive the value they can find in
these data is a complicated task and one that needs
to be explored at the same time as companies and
governments distribute more and more informations
to the world. Breakpoints uses public transportation
data from San Francisco, Geneva and Zurich and enables
people to interact with it in order to understand how
a city lives and how populations flow from one area to
another during the day.
Project scope
Data parsing, patterns spotting, interface development,
code development, photo and video editing
Project leaders
Louis Eveillard, Jeremy Boy
Prizes
Honorary prize in the Urban Data Challenge,
in San Francisco.
URL
Video: http://vimeo.com/63063081
http://urbanprototyping.org/prototype/challenges/
urban-data-challenge-zurich-sf-geneva/

5. MITOYEN,
LIVING TOGETHER
RE-INVENTED
#Design fiction, Telepresence, Close ones, Face to face
How could we bring back
a close one’s presence in the home,
as if we were “face to face”?
What if our close ones lived behind the neighbour’s wall?
What if we could knock this wall down? Here at Dreamteck
we made this dream come true by creating Mitoyen™.
It rejoins houses of families torn apart by distance thanks
to the wall-screen : FullVideo™. It reinvent our way of
living together and our interiors thanks to the tables cut
in two: Halves™.
Project scope
Idea generation, Concept development, Photo and video
shooting, Video editing
Project leader
Max Mollon
In collaboration with
Orange
URL
http://cargocollective.com/alternative-communication/mitoyen
http://vimeo.com/maxmollon/mitoyen
http://lecollectif.orange.fr/concours-jeunes-designers/mitoyen
SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2012

6. MIME,
THE RELATIONSHIP
ENTERTAINER
#Design fiction, Telepresence, Close ones, Over time
How could we bring back a close one’s
presence in the home, using a calm
technology, integrated to our routines and
everyday object?
Have you ever changed job, changed city or country?
Had enough of losing touch with your friends, lover,
family? Say hello to Mime!
Mime is a character that you share exclusively with
someone who is close to you. He lives in a light bulb.
His mission? To serve as go-between to maintain your
relationship “over time”, remind you of the presence
of the person who is dear to you.
Project scope
Team leading / idea generation / concept development /
chara-design / After Effects animation / photo and video
shooting
Project leader
Max Mollon
In collaboration with
Orange
URL
http://cargocollective.com/alternative-communication/mime
http://vimeo.com/maxmollon/mime
http://lecollectif.orange.fr/concours-jeunes-designers/mime
SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2012

7. SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2012
ÉC[H]O
#Tangible interfaces, Calm technology, Ambient
information, Reactive things
How can we make invisible information
tangible in our homes? And how do we
diffuse this information without adding
more complexity? How can home-data
engage people to modify their energy
consumption habits?
EC[H]O Handles suffer degradation under the effect
of energy consumption. Mutations in texture,
temperature, resistance and softness give the handles
a “living”
feel. These changes are indexed on cyclical thresholds
that intend to encourage inhabitants to modify their
habits and behavior, not only towards the home, but
also towards one another.
Project scope
Concept development, code prototyping, After Effects
animation, photo and video shooting
Project leader
Jeremy Boy
In collaboration with
Martin Le Tiec
URL
lecollectif.orange.fr/concours-jeunes-designers/echo-poignees/
Video: https://vimeo.com/58771298
Interactive simulation: http://jyby.eu/simulationOrange

8. SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2012
ENTRE[VUES]
#Presence, Shared spaces, Tactile communication
Connecting generations with technology.
Entrevue is an intergenerational experience to reduce
the social distance between individuals. Communication
is done through a screen behind a frame that is showing
the same content in two places at the same time.
Project scope
Concept development, rapid prototyping, team leading
Project leader
Audrey Sovignet
In collaboration with
Orange
URL
http://lecollectif.orange.fr/concours-jeunes-designers/entrevue

9. SOCIAL TUNING
#Mobile, Friendship, Shared-spaces
How to maintain social proximity despite
geographical distance?
Social Tuning project—EnsadLab / BellLabs
collaboration—proposes to take an offbeat posture
regarding collaboration, social proximity and friendship
in mobile devices. The topics explored concern
Visualizing loose ties among friends using the address
book, Producing a remote feeling of presence using
non-verbalized interaction and Helping asynchronous
collaboration in online shared spaces using the trace
metaphor.
The prototypes created here aim to address different
problematics to map various dimension of this mobile
experience.
Project scope
Idea generation / concept development / prototyping / App
development / photo and video shooting
Project leader
Audrey Sovignet, Max Mollon, Jeremy Boy
In collaboration with
Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs
(Frédérique Pain, Jean-Baptiste Labrune)
URL
http://youtu.be/JQSwvD-C6Dw
http://cargocollective.com/alternative-communication/presense
http://sociablemedia.ensadlab.fr/?p=2213&lang=en
SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2011

10. NEEN
#Mobile, Notifications, Non-verbal,
How to evoke politness and subtilities in
mobile communication notifications?
Neen for (non-verbal emotional experience of
notification) is a project that investigates how to enable
phatic communication, and etiquette with someone in
digitally mediated conversation engagement. Aiming
at introducing fluidity, moods and politness, it revisits
digital presence, non-verbal communication as well as
messages or call notifications through design probes.
Project scope
Idea generation / concept development / prototyping /
app development / photo and video shooting
Project leader
Geoffrey Dorne
URL
http://sociablemedia.ensadlab.fr/?p=1341#more-1341
http://geoffreydorne.com/neen.html
SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2010

11. HIC&NUNC,
HERE AND NOW
#Mobile, Notifications, Absence
How an application can support the
projection of an imaginary? Provide sense
to a visualisation of me and the others
within space and time?
HIC&NUNC explores the conditions for enabling/triggering
emotions we experience when we receive a postcard
from someone important for us and aims to infuse these
qualities in the communications devices of the digital age.
When we experience separation with the people close to
our heart, distance is a privation. The postcard, despite
its archaism stills one of the best subterfuge we can use
to reduce the feeling of absence we encounter in such a
situation. Indeed, postcards have an astonishing ability
to create an affective connexion between people through
distance and time. What is postcard today ? A kind of
nostalgia ? The pleasure to receive ?
Project scope
Idea generation / concept development / prototyping /
app development
Project leader
David Serrault
URL
http://sociablemedia.ensadlab.fr/?p=1307#more-1307
SOCIABLE MEDIA – PROJECTS 2010