TouchEmotion : Augmented Reality Interfaces Leveraging Metaphorical Emotional Trajectories for Emotion Regulation

Ji, Chen and Sas, Corina and Isbister, Katherine (2025) TouchEmotion : Augmented Reality Interfaces Leveraging Metaphorical Emotional Trajectories for Emotion Regulation. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI). ISSN 1073-0516 (In Press)

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Abstract

Emotion regulation skills are crucial for wellbeing, yet mastering them is not trivial. Because of wearability, private passthrough display, and ability to keep users connected to their surroundings, Augmented Reality (AR) technologies have potential for supporting on-the-spot emotion regulation. We designed TouchEmotion, an AR design exemplar consisting of three prototypes aimed to support metaphorical emotional trajectories for regulating anxiety, anger, and boredom. We employed Snap Spectacles to design interactive animations and touchpad interactions, which we examined through an exploratory study with 18 participants. Findings indicate potential of AR technologies and in particular of metaphorical emotional trajectories coupled with touch-based interactions for on-the-spot regulation of three discrete negative emotions. We advanced a design space for on-the-spot emotion regulation technologies, and proposed five design implications: nature-inspired slow transitions, frictions to support frustration tolerance, layered randomness to support surprise, and finger-worn devices integrated with AR technologies for increased acceptance in public contexts.