Designing a wearable social network

This thesis explores the design of a nonverbal communication system for a circle of friends. An exploratory design process helps to gain insight into designing a Wearable Social Network (WSN). The WSN is rooted in concepts of social interaction in HCI augmented by traditions of sociology to create more human-centric systems. Patches applies this framework to develop a wearable system that allows users to physically ‘feel’ a friend’s online expression (like a virtual poke) and respond through natural interaction with clothing. My studies show that the WSN creates a tactile experience that extends current social networking applications to be more interesting, entertaining, and fun. The WSN is a “warm network” that is comforting and intimate for communicating with close friends and family. This research creates a new design space for examining virtual expression and interaction. This framework can also be applied to a broader range of social networking applications.