SenseKit: A Modular Approach to Human-Data Interaction in the Workplace

Modern workplaces increasingly rely on embedded sensors to monitor environmental conditions, yet these systems often operate opaquely—collecting data without user awareness, understanding, or agency. As a result, office workers lack the ability to interpret or act on data that impacts their well-being. To address this gap, we present SenseKit: a modular sensing system grounded in Human-Data Interaction principles of legibility, agency, and negotiability. SenseKit combines stationary modules that monitor environmental variables (air quality, light, noise) with wearable components that track personal well-being data (heart rate, activity, sleep). In a one-day field deployment, two office workers used SenseKit to explore their own environmental and physiological data in real time. The system supported situated reflection, encouraged environmental adjustments such as changing seats or opening windows, and prompted broader interest in how sensor feedback could guide healthier work routines. These findings illustrate how HDI-aligned, modular systems can support data-driven awareness and action.