Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"SurfSync: Towards the Design of Wearables to Enrich Surfing" at DIS 2026.
Surfing, like many water sports, offers a unique opportunity to experience natural environments, yet the design of interactive technologies for water activities– “WaterHCI”– so far prioritised athletic performance over experience. To explore this opportunity, we designed SurfSync, a novel wearable system in the form of an actuating vest and a hat that provides oceanic information through sound, vibration, and heat actuation, aimed at enriching the surfing experience as a playful encounter with the ocean. We studied SurfSync in an ocean-based field study with eight surfers. Through thematic analysis of interviews, we articulated the surfers’ experiences, indicating how they made sense of playful cues while in the ocean. By reflecting on our soma design process and the surfers’ experiences, we provide six design strategies to enrich the surfing experience. Our work contributes to the emerging field of WaterHCI by providing insights into how wearables can enrich human-water experiences outdoors.
exertiongameslab.org
"SurfSync: Towards the Design of Wearables to Enrich Surfing" at DIS 2026.
Surfing, like many water sports, offers a unique opportunity to experience natural environments, yet the design of interactive technologies for water activities– “WaterHCI”– so far prioritised athletic performance over experience. To explore this opportunity, we designed SurfSync, a novel wearable system in the form of an actuating vest and a hat that provides oceanic information through sound, vibration, and heat actuation, aimed at enriching the surfing experience as a playful encounter with the ocean. We studied SurfSync in an ocean-based field study with eight surfers. Through thematic analysis of interviews, we articulated the surfers’ experiences, indicating how they made sense of playful cues while in the ocean. By reflecting on our soma design process and the surfers’ experiences, we provide six design strategies to enrich the surfing experience. Our work contributes to the emerging field of WaterHCI by providing insights into how wearables can enrich human-water experiences outdoors.
exertiongameslab.org
