What if interactive technology not only supports performing in water but also enjoying being in water?
We wanted to understand the opportunities of using interactive technology to enrich the experiential aspects of surfing, such as the connection with nature, thrill, relaxation, solitude and community.
We designed SeaMate and OceanEcho through a soma design process, drawing on our own surfing experiences and engaging with surfers.
We further refined these prototypes to create SurfSync. Alison, a local surfer, shared her experience participating in our study
Publications:
Montoya, M., Saini, A., Patibanda, R., Toups Dugas, P., Mueller, F. Exploring the Role of Interactive Technology to Enrich Surfing. DIS 2025. Long paper. ACM. Video.
Montoya, M., Saini, A., Overdevest, N., Randall, B., Pell, SJ., Mueller, F. Exploring the Design of Playful Devices for Surfing. CHI PLAY 2024. Work in Progress. ACM.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to our collaborators, Mustang Wu and Benjamin Randal. Thank you to the local surfing community for engaging with our work. Finally, thank you to Alex for producing the videos publicising our research.