Doki Doki: A Modular Wearable for Social Interaction
Doki Doki is a responsive, emotive wearable prototype. It was created during the spring / summer of 2020 as a speculative, modular garment that explores forms of nonverbal communication. In particular cues emerging as a reaction to the changes we are facing to our usual rituals of social interaction during the pandemic, when faces and micro-expressions may be obscured by the wearing of protective face masks. The garment investigates how data can be visualised both covertly and/or overtly during social and other encounters to communicate information to observers about the wearer, and their environment. But also how data can be conveyed as ‘secret languages’ or signals. It was exhibited as part of the Design Exhibition of the 2021 International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC).