Exploring the Design of Playful Devices for Surfing

The ACM Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY)

Maria F. Montoya, Aryan Saini, Nathalie Overdevest, Benjamin Randall, Sarah Jane Pell, and Florian ‘Floyd’ Mueller.

Sarah Jane Pell and Maria F. Montoya, URBNSURF Surf Academy, Melbourne. Beginner Surfing Lessons, 8 April 2024.

Abstract

Surfing is a popular recreational activity that benefits from technological innovation, such as the precision manufacturing of surfboards and apps for coaching. These advances have mostly focused on improving athletic performance, while the experiential aspects of surfing remain underexplored in terms of the design mediating interactive technology. We explore how playful interactive technology design can enrich the surfing experience. We adopted a soma design approach, considering the simultaneous influence of technology, body, and environment on surfing practice. Our process resulted in two design concepts: a smart wearable top and a soft robot, both aiming to connect the surfer to ocean information through haptic stimuli. By analysing and reflecting on our soma design process, we provide design insights advancing the knowledge for future design of interactive technology to enrich the surfing experience in a playful way. Our research contributes to aquatic interactive design knowledge, inspiring WaterHCI researchers and industry stakeholders to leverage interactive technology to enrich the water activity experiences of the world’s most iconic coastal water sport.

Maria F. Montoya, Aryan Saini, Nathalie Overdevest, Benjamin Randall, Sarah Jane Pell, and Florian Floyd Mueller. 2024. Exploring the Design of Playful Devices for Surfing. In Companion Proceedings of the 2024 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY Companion '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 200–207. doi.org/10.1145/3665463.3678786 (Free Access/ Includes SUPPLEMENTARY MP4 VIDEO).

The Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY) is the international and interdisciplinary conference (by ACM SIGCHI) for researchers and professionals across all areas of play, games and human-computer interaction (HCI). CHIPlay 2024: The Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, Tampere, Finland. Oct 14 - 17, 2024 https://chiplay.acm.org/2024/

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