Peephole Experiences: Field Experiments with Mixed Reality Hydroscopes in a Marine Centre

Abstract

This paper discusses the principle of Peepholes in the context of aesthetics of interaction. The idea of

Peepholes is to stimulate curiosity, imagination, and exploration by allowing users access to only a small

part of a larger universe. The paper discusses the development and first evaluation of a concrete instance

of the Peephole principle for a marine centre, where Peepholes are designed as mixed reality Hydroscopes to

study a digital ocean universe with fish and other undersea phenomena. The design and evaluation of the

Hydroscope installation is discussed and issues for future design are outlined. Following this discussion, we

move to consider the concept of Peepholes in relation to interaction design and aesthetics of interaction more

generally and outline four central dimensions of peepholes: the senses, the social, the spatiality, and

the tangibility.