Although coordination between partners has been considered in the clinical literature as an indication of intimate relationships, the influence of simple motor synchrony on the experience of intimacy has not been established yet. Four studies examined whether synchrony, temporal alignment of simple motor periodic behaviors between partners, instilled a sense of intimacy. In Study 1, same-sex strangers discussed positive or neutral events while their motion synchrony and experiences of intimacy were measured. In Study 2, same-sex strangers pedaled bicycles in either synchronous or asynchronous rhythms while discussing personal events and then rated how intimate they felt. Studies 3 and 4 examined whether the effect of synchronization would generalize to perceptions of intimacy and desire among romantically involved heterosexual participants. Results showed that key aspects of intimacy were associated with synchrony or were higher following synchronized versus unsynchronized interactions, suggesting that synchrony serves as a nonverbal mechanism that promotes closeness in intimate situations.

An increasing number of interactive consumer products make use of the auditory channel. Consequently, sound has become an important part of the interaction designer's palette. Nevertheless, sound is a difficult medium for nonexperts to sketch in. We propose Vocal Sketching as a methodology for addressing sounding design, alleviating the challenges inherent for non-experts when thinking and communicating about sound and sounding objects in the early stages of design. The method was tested in a workshop with 35 participants, who, working in groups, used only their voices to sketch sonic interactions for three object props. Observations and results from a postworkshop questionnaire study show this methodology to be feasible and enjoyable, and applicable to the design process even without prior vocal training. The emerging pros and cons of this method, as well as results relating to social comfort in using the voice and group strategies for using multiple voices, are discussed. Further work should include a comparative study of this methodology and other sonic sketching strategies.

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Cubes is a collection of 20 objects combing a single input with a single output. Cubes celebrates the potential of simple tangible interactions for engagement and pleasure. By fixing the form of these interactive objects into the simplest one: a cube, we can explore affordances and behavior in a "lab-like" environment. A new aesthetic language is created by making the cubes transparent, equally sized and self-contained.