Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
Jonathan Hanahan is the Director of the Sensory and Ambient Interfaces Lab (SAIL). This design-led interdisciplinary research lab investigates non-visual feedback strategies (sonic and haptic) in compromised technological experiences. A compromised experience is defined as any activity where a user’s primary focus is not screen-based or is focused on an activity where glancing at a digital interface can be counter-productive. Athletic, Medical, and Military, Safety scenarios are prime examples of this compromised experience. Contemporary interface design is driven by a visual-first perspective, layering new screens and devices into the already complex physical world. This lab inverts that perspective, prioritizing alternative senses to create more ambient strategies that “compliment a human’s environment, rather than impose themselves on it.”