THERMO-PLAY (2024)
Sensory Materials Affective Playful Workshop
Thermo-Play is a series of four projects
—Picky Tamagotchi, Alphabet Blocks, Shake My Hand, and Gradual Display—that examine the potential of thermochromism in the sense of play and its implications for design and HCI.
The four projects of Thermo-Play applied thermochromism in different ways. Picky Tamagotchi integrated digitality with physical materials, Alphabet Blocks maximized the tangibility of these materials through bodily interactions, Shake My Hand focused on context and realistic metaphors, and Gradual Display enhanced the gradualness of thermochromism.
Evaluating the four projects identified the elements that make thermochromic materials playful, such as physicality, color-dynamicity, and gradualness. The findings of Thermo-Play suggested new opportunities for thermochromic materials in designing playful interactions.
Full paper available at TEI 2024