InteractiveArtEffectsonUserIdentityandUserSatisfaction.docVIP

Interactive Art : Effects on User Identity and User Satisfaction  Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). CHI 2008, April 5 – April 10, 2008, Florence, Italy ACM 1-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Abstract Interactive art questions relationships between creator and audience in a direct and provocative manner. Our goal was to explore how interactive art either promotes or constrains audiences’ sense of creative involvement, and satisfaction. We provide a brief background on interactive art before describing an interactive music installation, Terpsichore, designed to test two hypotheses in an experimental context: 1.) How does interactive art impact user satisfaction, and 2.) How does interactive art shape the self-concept of the user as creative? Self-perception theory is used to predict identity change. We examine future implications for interactive artistic design, audience enjoyment, and identity construction. Keywords interactive art, creativity, identity, user satisfaction, music installation ACM Classification Keywords H5.1 Multimedia Information Systems H5.5 Sound and Music Computing Introduction A trend in new media research is to build interactive art installations in which audiences have some control over interplay with the system. Although interactivity is defined as a neutral concept (Erickson, 2006), often it is assumed that interaction will lead to more positive experiences. Previous research on interactive systems does suggest that the psychological outcomes associated with digital interaction include enhanced learning, entertainment, and persuasive effects (Bucy Tao, 2007; Richards, 2006; Vorderer, 2001). Our interest, in particular, is in the positive impact of interactivity on user experience and identity as a creative person. We use an artistic installation to examine how and why interacting with art, versus being a passive observer, may alter the experience of the audience. Other interactive artistic installations have been developed for the purposes o