Abstract
We use the term borg to refer to the complex organizations composed of people; machines; and processes which provide services to their clients; most often through computer and mobile interfaces. Unlike interfaces to pure machines; we contend that borg-human interaction (BHI) happens in a service-like context of anthropomorphization of the interface; conflict with users; and dramatization of the client journey. We believe this context requires designers to construct what we call the human facet of the borg; a structure encompassing the borg’s personality; social behaviour; and embodied actions; and the strategies to co-create dramatic narratives with the user. To design the human facet of a borg; we propose a six-step design methodology to combine traditional computer-human interface and service design techniques; including enactment of conflicts; the use of puppets as interface prototypes; and comics-like sketches of the interaction process.
Keywords
Service design; multidisciplinary design; design methods; borg-human interaction; anthropomorphization; user conflict; dramatic interaction; service blueprinting
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2014.11
Citation
Pinhanez, C.(2014) Borg-Human Interaction Design, in Sangiorgi, D., Hands, D., & Murphy, E. (eds.), ServDes 2014: Service Future, 9–11 April, Lancaster, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2014.11
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Research Papers
Borg-Human Interaction Design
We use the term borg to refer to the complex organizations composed of people; machines; and processes which provide services to their clients; most often through computer and mobile interfaces. Unlike interfaces to pure machines; we contend that borg-human interaction (BHI) happens in a service-like context of anthropomorphization of the interface; conflict with users; and dramatization of the client journey. We believe this context requires designers to construct what we call the human facet of the borg; a structure encompassing the borg’s personality; social behaviour; and embodied actions; and the strategies to co-create dramatic narratives with the user. To design the human facet of a borg; we propose a six-step design methodology to combine traditional computer-human interface and service design techniques; including enactment of conflicts; the use of puppets as interface prototypes; and comics-like sketches of the interaction process.