Project

Second Messenger

The majority of today's communication technology focuses on communicating over distance, yet there are many ways technology can enrich face-to-face conversations. "Second Messenger" is a suite of interfaces, designed to augment a face-to-face interaction, that reveals simple observations about group dynamics. The goal of this project is to provide ways for a group to reflect upon its current interaction and improve upon it by considering a more diverse set of viewpoints in the discussion. The core focus of this project is evaluating the impact of these interfaces on a group. What is a group member's emotional reaction to the interfaces and the information revealed? How do these interfaces change the behavior of a group?