Summary

Despite an intention to exercise, it remains a challenge for
many people to establish a workout routine over a period of
time. Amongst identified barriers and enablers to exercise,
getting dressed for a workout is considered as one of the
tipping points of actually going. Implementing the Aesthetic of
Friction in this specific context, could imply the right course of
action for the user, while it also allows freedom and encourages
meaning-making. In this Research-through-Design project,
we designed an interactive shrinking hanger, that implements
these key principles, to encourage exercise motivation. We
followed an iterative process focusing on the aesthetics of the
interaction to find out how a careful consideration of the look
and feel of an interactive artefact influences the acceptance
of the implemented friction. We document the design process
of this aesthetics of friction exemplar, and reflect on how to
implement friction in design.