Insight is a research program that develops mobile, physical and wearable computing research tools and technologies. It is being run collaboratively by the department of psychology at Middlesex University and RedLoop, the University design and innovation centre.

 

‘Insight’ will assess the feasibility of researching peoples’ experiences and perspectives through digital diary methods and smartphone technology. It gives participants the flexibility of deciding when to record their thoughts, as well as how. For example, some people prefer to write about their experiences, others to talk about them and/or to document them using photos or videos. Current smartphones allow individuals to use all three forms of communication (written, visual and audio).

 

This project would allow users of a sensitive nature to record thoughts and actions within a digital diary. The phone would track, log and timestamp GPS so that diary posts and locations could be identified. Users were also asked to wear a chest strap with a heart rate monitor that would log heart rate data during the study.

More information can be found at http://insight.mdx.ac.uk/