Lecture by Sara Mlakar
Developing Odd Interactions

Odd Interactions is a playful and exploratory HCI design practice under development. The practice aims to expand the possibilities of interaction design at early development stages, uncovering potentially more appropriate, though unconventional, ways to interact with technology. Inspired by her work with smart textile interfaces, this methodology responds to a limitation she has identified in traditional HCI, where familiar surface gestures that prioritize efficiency often overlook the unique properties and potential of the medium itself. Instead, the process of Odd Interactions allows us to discover overlooked opportunities that may make interactions more secure, accessible, critical, representative of a specific technology, exposing the limits of technology, or nudging behaviour.

In the lecture, Sara Mlakar will discuss what this process of Odd Interactions is, as well as some specific examples of Odd Interactions including tricking voice recognition systems to encourage creative thinking in times of possible surveillance, a licking-based interaction that encourages everyone to engage in a more accessible form of interaction, or a mask that reads your thoughts and can communicate with your lunch partner while you eat.

Sara Mlakar is a PhD candidate at TU Wien (supervisor prof. Astrid Weiss) and FH Oberösterreich (supervisor prof. Kathrin Probst) where she combines interaction design, art, and HCI research under the umbrella of Odd Interactions. In the past, she was strongly involved in the field of smart textile interfaces, which remains a big part of her work to this day. Additionally, she is (co-)organizing many workshops on various topics that focus on co-creating technology with lay people


21.01.2025, 17:00
Austrian Cultural Forum

ul. Próżna 7/9
Warsaw

In English
Free admission