Designing for Interpersonal Synchronization

Do you know the psychological findings linking interpersonal motor synchronization (IMS) and connection?

IMS created experimentally between strangers has been shown to create feelings of empathy, likeness, willingness to help and even self-worth. I will then show that while IMS is almost completely absent from the IxD literature, it has been intuitively used in many projects, a few of which I will present. I will then introduce a novel framework for analyzing IMS experiences in design terms - 11 dimensions on which IMS experiences vary and which can be used to create novel IMS designs. I will demonstrate the dimensions on my own interactive installation 'Two Riders', which has been installed in a number of museums worldwide. I will show experimental IMS interfaces which I have designed to enable synchronization between two REMOTE participants, through smartphones, and will present new data from experiments with these interfaces. Finally, I will speculate on uses of IMS in work, conflict resolution and remote, intimate relationships.