Presentation of Social Spaces research group (www.socialspaces.be) at the Cumulus Conference in Paris 2011. Focussing on map-it (a mapping toolkit), Creating spaces (multitouch table) and ATOM (the creation of smart objects for people with dementia).

1. Social Spaces
www.socialspaces.be

2. MAD-faculty
• A collaboration between two art
schools situated approx 20 miles
from each other in Belgium
• 8 educational prog in design/art
• 4 research groups:
• Play&Game
• Image&Word
• Art/Object/Design
• Social Spaces

3. Social Spaces: what?
• Exploring the social character of media, art and
design
• Based on three pillars:
• Public space
• Social design
• Social media
• Topics such as textiles,
health(/care),
art in public spaces, …

4. Social Spaces: who?
• A cross-disciplinary team of
about 15 researchers,
designers, ...
• Partners in variety of domains
(social, cultural,
technological, ...)

5. Social Spaces
- Try to work with non-evident
users in mind
- Work from a participatory
perspective (designers & the
one you're design for at same
level)
- Search for hybrid solutions
- Create risky objects
* Life after creation
* open
* documented
* the work of you, (other) experts
and the audience

6. map-It
Mapping toolkit
low-tech & open
Started from the digital
(multitouch tables)

7. Creating Spaces

8. The Process: www.creatingspaces.be

9. AToM

10. AToM
• A Touch of Memory
• Creation of Smart Objects for people with
dementia (and their family, caretakers,...)
– Sensing what is happening
– Recognising patterns
– Communicate via a network
– Take action

11. AToM
• An example
• Madame Courtois – daily walk
around the block
– Smart objects: living room, coat,
front door, cane,...
– Sensing: daily routine
– Pattern: leaving living room, takes
coat, walks into hallway, takes
walking stick and walks out of
front door
– Recognises break of pattern
Communicate to Mme Courtois

12. AToM
Some questions:
– Which objects to use? (emotional, functional,...
value)
– These objects should sense what?
– How can they help the persons with dementia?
– Should we focus on helping or on making life
more pleasant, exciting, fun,...?
– What is the role of the person with dementia?
Should give them a level of control.

13. AtoM – research approach
Map “the life” via interviews, 24h observations,...
– Next:
• Hands-on visualising of life
with people with dementia
• Finding marginal practices of
objects, routines,...
• Participatory design
– Low-tech prototyping
– Critical artefacts
End result: creation of
multi-sensory interaction & interface
design combining the physical and the
digital

14. AToM
Some very preliminary observations
• Interesting objects/routines
– Hard: Time, agenda, music
• We do not want to focus on monitoring or alarm
systems
– Not for people with dementia, but for their
environment
• Changed the way we perceived people with
dementia as “not normal”
– More seeing them as a cultural different
group
– Eg taking a bath 10 times a day

15. AtoM: some questions
Start of Master Module > december 2011
• What are your experiences in combining
research + education?
• What are your experiences in working with such
a “delicate” group?
• How to create the multi-disciplinary
approach with your design students (who tend
to “live” in their own disciplines)?
Thank you...
Check www.socialspaces.be
nielshendriks@gmail.com