Can’t Touch This: Rethinking Public Technology in a COVID-19 Era
Jennifer Pearson, Gavin Bailey, Simon Robinson, Matt Jones, Tom Owen, Chi Zhang, Thomas Reitmaier, Cameron Steer, Anna R. L. Carter, Deepak Ranjan Sahoo, Dani Kalarikalayil Raju
Abstract
What do pedestrian crossings, ATMs, elevators and ticket machines have in common? These are just a few of the ubiquitous yet essential elements of public-space infrastructure that rely on physical buttons or touchscreens; common interactions that, until recently, were considered perfectly safe to perform. This work investigates how we might integrate touchless technologies into public-space infrastructure in order to minimise physical interaction with shared devices in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on an ethnographic exploration into how public utilities are being used, adapted or avoided, we developed and evaluated a suite of technology probes that can be either retroftted into, or replace, these services. In-situ community deployments of our probes demonstrate strong uptake and provide insight into how hands-free technologies can be adapted and utilised for the public domain; and, in turn, used to inform the future of walk-up-and use public technologies.