Zuckerman, O. "Interactive Portraiture: Designing Intimate Interactive Experiences"

Abstract

In this thesis I present a set of interactive portraits that strive to create an intimate experience between the viewer and the portrayed subject, a meaningful experience, one of personal reflection. My interactive portraits extend traditional photographic portraiture adding both motion and interaction. I present seven interactive prototype portraits that react in various ways to viewer's presence or to neighboring portraits.

I ground my work in the "subject-object continuum", a theoretical framework created for the art of portraiture (Brilliant, 1987). I show the relevancy of this framework for photographic portraiture, modern interactive portraits, and intimate interactive experiences.

Designers and artists follow (or consciously break) design guidelines when creating visual experiences. For example, photographers train themselves to understand how light and composition impact the viewing experience of their portraits. In a similar way, designers and artists of interactive experiences must inform themselves about the influence that different interaction techniques can have on the viewing experience of their interactive works. In this thesis I focus on two design factors: (1) the style of the interaction and (2) the viewer's expectations. I evaluate these design factors using my interactive portraits, and based on my findings, develop a set of design guidelines that can inform interaction designers and portraiture artists about the design factors relevant for intimate interactive experiences.