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We present the Inner Ear: a porcelain device that both captures and represents data. In particular, we focus on sensing vibrations—for their hidden yet omnipresent qualities in domestic environments. We designed the Inner Ear in response and in contrast to a growing collection of ‘always on and recording’ smart home devices. With the Inner Ear, we purposefully let participants choose when to capture vibrations and which capture should be physicalized. In this pictorial, we describe the design and fabrication process of the capturing device as well as the data physicalization workflow. We contribute insights on (1) the design rationale and development of a double function artifact (to both capture and represent), as well as (2) design decisions involved in balancing legibility with leaving room for meaning making during the transcription of home vibration data. 

Documentary filmmaking is inherently subjective. The filmmaking team decides when to film, how to angle the camera, how to edit, and what narrative to put forward. At the same time, documentary filmmaking has a capacity for sharing people's experiences, expressing emotion, and foregrounding context through image, sound, and movement. In this paper, we discuss the tensions with using documentary filmmaking as a method for documentation as well as dissemination in design research. We present our approach to creating a series of 12 documentary shorts in the context of the Inner Ear project. The Inner Ear is a data physicalization project that invites participants to capture vibrations in their homes, which are then materialized as porcelain sculptures. We articulate the pressures and uncertainties of filming, and the responsibility of building narrative through editing. Finally, we discuss the generative but conflicting goals of combining research documentation with public dissemination via documentary filmmaking.