AFFECTIVE OBJECTS

STUDY INFORMATION SHEET

Study Number: 08-13615

You are invited to participate in a research study of use practices with digital affective technologies in domestic and professional environments. You were selected as a possible subject because you responded to a call for research participation sent out by the research team. We ask that you read this form and ask any questions you may have before agreeing to be in the study.

The study is being conducted by the Everyday Computing Research Group, led by Dr. Shaowen Bardzell, Assistant Professor of Indiana University School of Informatics.

STUDY PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to better understand how people use affective products in the home and work environments. Affective products used in the study range from robotic dinosaurs capable of expressing basic emotions to pillows that emit a soft light when touched. We hope to better inform the design of future affective products by collecting and analyzing your experiences with the affective products used in this study.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE TAKING PART IN THE STUDY:

If you agree to participate, you will be one of 60 subjects who will be participating in this research.

PROCEDURES FOR THE STUDY:

If you agree to be in the study, you will do the following things:

• Interact with a set of digital affective products (up to 3 products) over the course of four weeks. The use of the products is entirely up to you. The investigators will provide you with some example uses for each product, but you are encouraged to incorporate the products into your daily practices in ways that are meaningful and helpful for you. The amount of time interacting with the affective products is entirely up to you. You may use them as much or as little as you wish. You do not have to use each product equally.
  
  
• Record your experiences and interactions with the affective products by completing activities contained in a cultural probe package provided by the investigators. A cultural probe is means for investigators to gather data in long term study where the investigator cannot be present at all times. Cultural probe activities will be explained by the researchers and include a range of activities from drawing pictures to recording digital audio/video journals of your experiences with the products. Completed activities will be collected weekly by the investigators. The total time spent on cultural probe activities in a week is up to you, but we anticipate less than 5 hours per week spent on the probe activities.
  
  
• Upon collection of the weekly probe activities, you will be asked to participate in a contextual interview. The activities you complete as part of the probe will serve as a foundation for an open ended interview regarding you use of and experience with the affective products. As part of the interview, you will be asked to show the investigators where the different products are used/placed in your environment. Each interview is expected to take up to 2 hours to complete.

RISKS OF TAKING PART IN THE STUDY:

Participation in this study includes the risk of the loss of confidentiality of data collected during the course of the study.

BENEFITS OF TAKING PART IN THE STUDY:

The benefits to participation that are reasonable to expect are the ability to interact with and experience cutting-edge digital affective products that you might not otherwise consider purchasing due to prohibitive cost or other constraints.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Efforts will be made to keep your personal information confidential.  We cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality.  Your personal information may be disclosed if required by law.  Your identity will be held in confidence in reports in which the study may be published. All data collected will be processed with a non-identifiable ID (Participant 1, Participant 2, etc.). Participant IDs and names will be stored separately to reduce the risk of loss of confidentiality.

All study data will be kept indefinitely. Collected audio and video will only be shared among team members. Non-identifiable transcriptions of select portions of audio and video may be included in publications and presentations.

Organizations that may inspect and/or copy your research records for quality assurance and data analysis include groups such as the study investigator and his/her research associates, the IUB Institutional Review Board or its designees, and (as allowed by law) state or federal agencies, specifically the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP).

CONTACTS FOR QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS

For questions about the study or a research-related injury, contact the researcher Shaowen Bardzell at selu@indiana.edu or 855-1341. 

VOLUNTARY NATURE OF STUDY

Taking part in this study is voluntary.  You may choose not to take part or may leave the study at any time.  Leaving the study will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits to which you are entitled.  Your decision whether or not to participate in this study will not affect your current or future relations with the investigator(s).