TY - GEN
T1 - Melomove
T2 - ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference, DIS 2026
AU - Badmos, Fatima
AU - Murphy, Emma
AU - Jean, Peterson
AU - Kelly, Paula
AU - Berry, Damon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).
PY - 2026/6/12
Y1 - 2026/6/12
N2 - Designing interactive outdoor technologies for older adults often emphasises tracking and exercise, which can conflict with enjoyment, autonomy, and the realities of public space. Previous work on tangible systems for older adults have largely focused on indoor, supervised, or therapeutic contexts, leaving limited guidance for outdoor community settings. We present Melomove, a 3D printed handheld dumbbell shaped device that maps movement to real-Time musical feedback for self-paced exploration. We report an exploratory outdoor workshop with 16 older adults (63-93) in a campus bandstand, using structured observations and interviews to examine how a tangible movement music interface can scaffold agency, affective engagement, and social interaction. Participants engaged in rhythmic play and shared choreographies, with the familiar form acting as a social anchor that supported turn taking and informal leadership, while highlighting technological and structural constraints that inform design considerations for joyful socially shared outdoor movement for older adults.
AB - Designing interactive outdoor technologies for older adults often emphasises tracking and exercise, which can conflict with enjoyment, autonomy, and the realities of public space. Previous work on tangible systems for older adults have largely focused on indoor, supervised, or therapeutic contexts, leaving limited guidance for outdoor community settings. We present Melomove, a 3D printed handheld dumbbell shaped device that maps movement to real-Time musical feedback for self-paced exploration. We report an exploratory outdoor workshop with 16 older adults (63-93) in a campus bandstand, using structured observations and interviews to examine how a tangible movement music interface can scaffold agency, affective engagement, and social interaction. Participants engaged in rhythmic play and shared choreographies, with the familiar form acting as a social anchor that supported turn taking and informal leadership, while highlighting technological and structural constraints that inform design considerations for joyful socially shared outdoor movement for older adults.
KW - Embodied Interactions
KW - Movement and Music Interfaces
KW - Older adults
KW - Outdoor Public Spaces
KW - Participatory Design
KW - Tangible Interaction
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105042635889
U2 - 10.1145/3802974.3809473
DO - 10.1145/3802974.3809473
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:105042635889
T3 - DIS 2026 - Companion Proceedngs of the 2026 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference
SP - 496
EP - 503
BT - DIS 2026 - Companion Proceedngs of the 2026 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference
A2 - Yen, Ching Chiuan
A2 - Lee, Jung-Joo
A2 - Do, Ellen Yi-Luen
A2 - Zheng, Clement
A2 - Yoo, Daisy
A2 - Tang, Tony
PB - Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Y2 - 13 June 2026 through 17 June 2026
ER -