Co-Designing Haptic Instruments With Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

Lloyd May, Rabia Malik, and AnnMarie Thomas

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract:

This paper explores haptic art and tactile experiences as an independent form of artistic expression, distinct from audio-visual (AV) technologies. Haptic technologies have seen significant advances in gaming, virtual reality training, and as an auxiliary output in select music performance and playback systems. However, there are currently no stand-alone haptic music/art systems that allow for the easy creation and distribution of haptic music/art. Despite the convergence of haptics research and music technology, the perspectives of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) communities remain underrepresented in the field of creative haptic technology development. Recognizing the potential of more readily available haptic art creation and sharing systems for the Deaf and/or Disabled community, we conducted a co-design workshop with 27 DHH middle school children, focusing on their experiences with haptic vibrations, creating low-fidelity prototypes for haptic art presentation devices, and composing short pieces of haptic music. Through a mixed-methods analysis of survey responses, reflections, and thematic analysis of the prototypes and haptic art compositions, we gained valuable insights into the aesthetic possibilities and considerations for future haptic art instruments. By elevating haptic music/art as a distinct category of work not always subservient to auditory music, we hope to pave the way for more inclusive and accessible technologies in the realm of artistic expression and enrich the experiences of diverse communities in the world of art and creativity.

Citation:

Lloyd May, Rabia Malik, and AnnMarie Thomas. 2024. Co-Designing Haptic Instruments With Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13904780

BibTeX Entry:

  @article{nime2024_9,
 abstract = {This paper explores haptic art and tactile experiences as an independent form of artistic expression, distinct from audio-visual (AV) technologies. Haptic technologies have seen significant advances in gaming, virtual reality training, and as an auxiliary output in select music performance and playback systems. However, there are currently no stand-alone haptic music/art systems that allow for the easy creation and distribution of haptic music/art. Despite the convergence of haptics research and music technology, the perspectives of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) communities remain underrepresented in the field of creative haptic technology development. Recognizing the potential of more readily available haptic art creation and sharing systems for the Deaf and/or Disabled community, we conducted a co-design workshop with 27 DHH middle school children, focusing on their experiences with haptic vibrations, creating low-fidelity prototypes for haptic art presentation devices, and composing short pieces of haptic music. Through a mixed-methods analysis of survey responses, reflections, and thematic analysis of the prototypes and haptic art compositions, we gained valuable insights into the aesthetic possibilities and considerations for future haptic art instruments. By elevating haptic music/art as a distinct category of work not always subservient to auditory music, we hope to pave the way for more inclusive and accessible technologies in the realm of artistic expression and enrich the experiences of diverse communities in the world of art and creativity.},
 address = {Utrecht, Netherlands},
 articleno = {9},
 author = {Lloyd May and Rabia Malik and AnnMarie Thomas},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.13904780},
 editor = {S M Astrid Bin and Courtney N. Reed},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {September},
 numpages = {10},
 pages = {52--61},
 presentation-video = {},
 title = {Co-Designing Haptic Instruments With Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children},
 track = {Papers},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2024/nime2024_9.pdf},
 year = {2024}
}