Emotion Visualization

It is common not to be fully aware of our experience of emotions, and sometimes, it is hard to communicate our emotions to others. Using design strategies derived from ambiguity and performativity, one of our PhD Fellows, Sinem Şemsioğlu, and I developed the concept of Isles of Emotion, customizable abstract virtual spaces that represent emotions.

Considering remote communication as one of the potential use cases, we assessed this concept as an emotional reflection and communication tool via user studies conducted with 6 pairs of closely related people who have lived apart in the near past. During the studies, participants created their own emotion islands using VR tools and visited their own and their pair’s islands.

This research and related studies were conducted at the beginning of my PhD. I assisted Sinem in concept development, conducting user studies, and writing.