Spontaneous Social Dancing

Participants

• A – Female undergrad (18–24), 2 years ballroom experience
• Y & Z – Male international PhD students (25–34), CS, attend academic events

Context

Explored reactions to a web-based spontaneous partner dancing tool for social bonding at academic/professional events.

Key Insights

1. Initial Interest & Novelty

• Tech-facilitated partner dancing seen as novel and intriguing
• Framing dance around play and energy appealed to participants

2. Barriers to Engagement

• Inexperience = awkwardness or hesitation
• Partner dancing perceived as romantic
• Dance events often feel exclusive to experienced dancers
• Overly intentional framing can make the interaction feel socially demanding

3. Framing & Onboarding

• Simple demonstrations helped reduce anxiety
• Touch framed as spontaneous and joyful changed perception
• Need to address cultural hesitations via tone, consent, and interaction design

Design Implications

• Start with intuitive, low-barrier movements
• Keep tone casual, playful, and optional
• Use non-verbal onboarding (e.g., animations, gestures)
• Explicitly communicate consent and neutrality early on

Design Process

The paper prototype consists of three main screens, each illustrating a different phase of the user experience for a web-based social dancing app designed for shared physical environments like conferences or studios.

• 1. Etiquette Learning & Practice: The first screen introduces social dance etiquette through a large visual module, where a stick figure asks another “Would you like to dance?” and receives a response (“Yes, sure!” or “No, thanks”). The surrounding figures represent users watching, resting and learning. This phase emphasizes respectful invitation, clear communication, and opt-in consent — setting the tone for emotionally safe interaction.
• 2. Simple Steps Instruction: The second screen shows a group learning basic dance movements like “left,” “right,” “front,” and “triple step,” with musical notes suggesting rhythm support. A central visual demonstration box shows stick figures modeling movement. The audience below mimics or watches the moves, suggesting a guided, follow-along learning mode. This section emphasizes low-barrier participation and body-based learning through visual modeling and rhythm cues.
• 3. Spontaneous Dancing Mode: The final screen introduces a “jam mode” — a semi-structured dance experience. The layout features a video module showing dancers, a playlist panel with numbered tracks, and a list of themed dance activities. Musical notes and audience stick figures imply energy, motion, and creative engagement. The design invites participants to choose from guided or freer dancing modes, supporting both structured interaction and improvisation.

Prototype Usability Feedback

Final Prototype

Check out the final prototype in Figma! Feel free to play around.