Sensory Scaffolding to Reconnect Users with the Ordinary

Digital technologies, such as social media and virtual reality, have transformed how people interact by enabling a sense of virtual presence.However, this often comes at the cost of drawing users away from real-world experiences.My research explores how technology can help users reconnect with ordinary, real-world interactions, fostering a stronger sense of "being here."Grounded in the understanding of the perceptual processes that lead to habituation and disengagement from the ordinary, I design sensory scaffolding-systems that temporarily modulate users' perceptual experiences to offer new perspectives on mundane interactions.This manuscript provides an overview of my research on sensory scaffolding to support both physical and social interactions.I will introduce wearable systems that augment sounds produced by the user's hands to support mindfulness in manual interactions.Similarly, routine social encounters-such as passing by another person on the street-can be renewed through body-anchored audio cues.My ongoing work taps into everyday creativity, developing systems that visually augment familiar objects to encourage creative use.I will conclude with future work, including studying the longterm effects of sensory scaffolding systems and addressing safety and ethical considerations.