The decision to include miniaturised sensors in the most recent generation of mobile devices is forging a new dialect of mobile interaction and communication.
Working with Nokia Design's brilliant team (Akseli Anttila, Younghee Jung, Tim Brooke, Joe Macleod and Henry Holland), Anab was involved in the research, analysis and development of a series of Gestural Interaction Principles to inform design work across all segments and products in the company.
One of the most pertinent insights uncovered during the design process is that, for an interaction to make sense, there must be a direct relationship between a gesture and a task – an emotional and rational alignment that is both enjoyable and socially appropriate.
The project included an intensive research phase, interviewing and conducting workshops with people from a broad spectrum of cultures, and workshops in Tokyo and London. From rapid scenario sketching to context cinema, we used inventive methods to understand individual behaviour and collective cultural associations.
The flip-to-silence gesture was already familiar from a number of existing devices, including the Nokia 8800 and N97, but it was fascinating to hear some of the example gestures suggested in the course of research.
With simple plastic mono block props and advanced working prototypes, we explored and analysed gestural use by presenting our participants with a series of tasks: silencing a ringing phone, checking the time, listening to music, wayfinding and answering a call.
The project's primary output was a set of gestural interaction principles, formulated to guide designers across all Nokia platforms in their future work.
