Burnett, Dan and Gradinar, Adrian and Porter, Joel and Stead, Michael and Coulton, Paul and Forrester, Ian (2015) Physical playlist : bringing back the mix-tape. In: Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2015 : 15th IFIP TC 13 International Conference, Bamberg, Germany, September 14-18, 2015, Proceedings, Part IV. Lecture Notes in Computer Science . Springer, DEU, pp. 72-78. ISBN 9783319227221
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Abstract
To those of a certain age the concept of the mix-tape holds fond memories, and generally not of the musical content they contained, but rather the emotional and physical connection they represented with either its creator or recipient. They provided an embodiment of the time and effort it its creation and thus presented the same qualities of other handmade gifts. The advent of digital content, and particularly the mp3, for storage and streaming meant that audio content could be shared more quickly and easily than ever before. However, the creation of a digital playlist does not embody the same qualities present in a mix-tape and thus has not gained the same cultural significance. This research re-imagines the mix-tape for digital content as physical customizable jewellery that can once again embody values not generally attributed to digital content. Through a discussion of the design process and the results of preliminary evaluation, the potential benefits on the user experience of sharing digital content through physical objects have been highlighted.