Tangible User Interfaces

The paper introduces Reflex, a mirrored camera mobile training application for persons with Neuro-Developmental Disorder (NDD). The game, offered through a cross-platform application for smart-phones and tablets, bridges the digital and the physical worlds by tracking, via a bottom-looking mirror positioned on the device camera , physical items placed on the table. This interaction paradigm defined as phygital, its co-designed features and the first pilot study reveal an unexplored potential for learning. CCS CONCEPTS • Social and professional topics → People with disabilities; • General and reference → Empirical studies; • Software and its engineering → Interactive games.

This study proposes a current state analysis framework for the understanding and evaluation of the user experience design (UXD) practice in industry.In this study, using PAR and grounded theory, an evaluation framework was developed to assess the UXD practice in industry. The study was conducted among a UXD community of practice, UX Malaysia. The proposed framework incorporated implicit, and explicit design practices as well as practice constraints. Implicit practice is grouped into values and goals while explicit practice comprises of job roles/design decision and knowledge. Constraints encountered by individuals who are motivated to practise user experience design in the development process include those related to: direct control, between direct control and indirect control, indirect control, between indirect control and no control and no control.

In this paper we introduce Vital+Morph, a prototype of a shape-changing interface intended to be used as a media for remote biometric monitoring. Signals measured by a Vital Signs Monitoring Station are physicalized into a series of reactive tangible objects with a lifelike behavior. Through this interface a person can feel the internal state of an hospitalized patient, as a new form of communication and awareness over distance. We propose a perceptual equivalent of an imaginative material capable of displaying digital information through shape-changing, and start to explore the social impact in complex contexts such as health care. Ultimately, Vital+Morph proposes an unusual viewpoint of the relations between bodies, clinical data and future materials.

Deformable interfaces are emerging in HCI and prototypes show potential for non-rigid interactions. Previous reviews looked at deformation as a material property of shape-changing interfaces and concentrated on output. As such,deformable input was under-discussed. We distinguish deformable from shape-changing interfaces to concentrate on input. We survey 131 papers on deformable interfaces and review their key design elements (e.g., shape, material) based on how they support input. Our survey shows that deformable input was often used to augment or replace rigid input, particularly on elastic and flexible displays. However, when shapes and materials guide interactions, deformable input was used to explore new HCI paradigms, where gestures are potentially endless, and input become analogy to sculpting, metaphor to non-verbal communication, and expressive controls are enhanced. Our review provides designers and practitioners with a baseline for designing deformable interfaces and input methodically. We conclude by highlighting under-explored areas and identify research goals to tackle in future work with deformable interfaces.

Based on the concept of data physicalization, we developed Vital ? Morph, an interactive surface for remote connection and awareness of clinical data. It enables users located in remote places to monitor and feel the vital signs measured from a hospitalized person through shape-change. We propose shape-changing interfaces as a way of making data physicalization a richer, intriguing and memorable experience that communicates complex information and insights about data. To demonstrate and validate our proposed concept, we developed an exploratory study about the design and its implications. For evaluating the social impact of shape-changing interfaces in the context of remote monitoring, we presented Vital ? Morph in several Media Art festivals. We collected and analyzed the feedback from the visitors during the exhibitions, and discussed the possibilities of the proposed system. A preliminary evaluation shows how shape-changing displays are perceived by users, which establishes not only the potential benefits but also highlights the concerns that several users have raised. Through this study, we aim to contribute to the design of remote monitoring systems by providing a novel approach for displaying clinical data that consider the richness of the physical world. In today's information-driven society, we should not just focus on how abstract data are collected and analyzed, but also on how it can be presented and incorporated into our daily lives.

This paper presents the actual stage of implementation of a new type of malleable tangible object for musical expression. Sculpton is an autonomous sonic object which uses the metaphor of sound sculpting for connecting physical information in digital audio. By manipulating the object the user can literally sculpt the sound through a real-time sound synthesis which reverberates the object structure. This project explores a novel approach compared to previous work and research around the topic of sound sculpting: user gestures is not externally sensed but within the artifact itself. Sculpton is an attempt for the development of a new kind of embodied musical instruments which combine multidimensional control, tangible and malleable characteristics with an organic handling. We will briefly describe the research, our framework and the actual state of the experimental prototypes.

In this paper we introduce Vital+Morph, a prototype of a shape-changing interface intended to be used as a media for remote biometric monitoring. Signals measured by a Vital Signs Monitoring Station are physicalized into a series of reactive tangible objects with a lifelike behavior. Through this interface a person can feel the internal state of an hospitalized patient, as a new form of communication and awareness over distance. We propose a perceptual equivalent of an imaginative material capable of displaying digital information through shape-changing, and start to explore the social impact in complex contexts such as health care. Ultimately, Vital+Morph proposes an unusual viewpoint of the relations between bodies, clinical data and future materials.

Built heritage forms a unique asset by expressing the richness and diversity of our history, possessing vast amounts of information that varies from factual and explicit, to more tacit and embedded. Tacit knowledge of built heritage is typically more challenging to communicate to visitors in understandable and engaging ways due to its implicit and abstract character. Therefore, we investigate how built heritage information can be disclosed via simultaneous and integrated physical and digital means, and how this information can be communicated to visitors in more engaging, educational and meaningful ways. In this thesis we present the approach of “Phygital Heritage”, which entails how heritage information can be disclosed via simultaneous and integrated physical and digital means. We hypothesize that this approach forms a potential medium for more engaging and meaningful communication of heritage information to a broader public. It even enables heritage visitors to appreciate heritage in more experiential ways, and to raise community awareness about heritage assets.
Through a set of in-the-wild studies, in which interactive phygital prototypes were designed and deployed in real-world heritage and museum environments, we explore how the seamless integration of digital technology into physical reality facilitates the communication of built heritage information to museum visitors and how it affects user engagement. 
• In Saqqara Entrance Colonnade, through a between-group comparative study in a real-world museum context, we examined how the tangible characteristics of an interactive museum prototype influence how visitors understand tacit knowledge of built heritage;
• In Nimrud Relief, through a field study in a real-world museum environment, we investigated how an augmented reality experience impacts the architectural contextualization of an isolated artifact from the Nimrud palace in Iraq;
• In Graethem Chapel, through an in-the-wild study, we investigated how an in-situ interactive projection mapping enables the communication of the spatiotemporal transformation of a medieval chapel that occurred during the last 850 years; and
• In Neferirtenef Tomb-Chapel, through a field study in a real-world museum environment, we investigated how a tangible gamification installation supports informal cultural learning of young museum visitors and how it encourages collaboration among them.
In summary, this thesis contributes to the knowledge about the communication of built heritage information by demonstrating how this information can be disclosed via simultaneous and integrated physical and digital means, enabling the broader public to appreciate heritage in more experiential ways.

The care of individuals with cancer is a difficult and draining task. The care responsibility is in many cases, taken over by a family member, usually the mother in the case of pediatric cancer. We studied the needs of these mothers, related to their particular situation: they live in a community of caregivers, while their families are in distant cities and they must deal with the stress of being healthcare providers and emotional support to their children. This paper presents a qualitative study to understand emotional wellbeing in caregivers, and the development and evaluation of Ohana, a tangible user interface to allow caregivers to easily express their emotions to their families and physicians, and reflect on their emotional-wellbeing and needs. The Ohana System was reported to be easy to use, and easy to learn, and we believe it could be integrated into the lives of the interviewed mothers and their children. This work will be continued by improving the interface, adding communication functionality, and further evaluation.

The distribution of vegetation within urban zones is well understood to be important for delivery of a range of ecosystem services. While urban planners and human geographers are conversant with methodologies for describing and exploring the volumetric nature of built spaces there is less research that has developed imaginative ways of visualising the complex spatial and volumetric structure of urban vegetation from the treetops to the ground. Using waveform LiDAR data to measure the three-dimensional nature of the urban greenspace, we explore different ways of virtually, and tangibly engaging with volumetric models describing the 3D distribution of urban vegetation. Using waveform LiDAR data processed into voxels (volumetric pixels) and experimenting with a variety of creative approaches to visualise the volumetric nature of the data, we describe the development of new methods for mapping the urban green volume, using a combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Minecraft, 3D printing and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling processes. We demonstrate how such methodologies can be used to reveal and explore the complex nature of the urban green volume. We also describe the outcome of using these models to engage diverse audiences with the volumetric data. We explain how the products could be used readily by a range of urban researchers and stakeholders: from town and city councils, to architects and ecologists.

Provided are a method of performing an event action by using a touch screen device based on operation gestures that are simultaneously input by using multiple operation tools and the touch screen device. The method includes: identifying a first operation tool based on contact by the first operation tool, the contact being sensed on the touch screen device; setting an operation area on the touch screen device based on an area designated by the contact by the first operation tool; identifying a second operation tool based on access by the second operation tool, the access being sensed on the touch screen device; sensing an operation gesture of the second operation tool within the operation area by using the second operation tool.

Processes of urban planning, urban design and architecture are inherently tangible, iterative and collaborative. Nevertheless, the majority of tools in these fields offer virtual environments and single user experience. This paper presents CityScopeAR: a computational-tangible mixed-reality platform designed for collaborative urban design processes. It portrays the evolution of the tool and presents an overview of the history and limitations of notable CAD and TUI platforms. As well, it depicts the development of a distributed networking system between TUIs and CityScopeAR, as a key in design collaboration. It shares the potential advantage of broad and decentralized community-engagement process using such tools. Finally, this paper demonstrates several real-world tests and deployments of CityScopeAR and proposes a path to future integration of AR/MR devices in urban design and public participation.

Mental health problems are on the rise globally and strain national health systems worldwide. Mental disorders are closely associated with fear of stigma, structural barriers such as financial burden, and lack of available services and resources which often prohibit the delivery of frequent clinical advice and monitoring. Technologies for mental well-being exhibit a range of attractive properties which facilitate the delivery of state of the art clinical monitoring. This review article provides an overview of traditional techniques followed by their technological alternatives, sensing devices, behaviour changing tools, and feedback interfaces. The challenges presented by these technologies are then discussed with data collection, privacy and battery life being some of the key issues which need to be carefully considered for the successful deployment of mental health tool-kits. Finally, the opportunities this growing research area presents are discussed including the use of portable tangible interfaces combining sensing and feedback technologies. Capitalising on the captured data these ubiquitous devices offer, state of the art machine learning algorithms can lead to the development of a robust clinical decision support tools towards diagnosis and improvement of mental well-being delivery in real-time.

Sunnen, P.; Arend, B.; Heuser, S.; Afkari, H.; Maquil, V. (2019): Abstract. Within the context of the research project ORBIT (Overcoming Breakdowns in Teams with Interactive Tabletops), we design and study a joint problem-solving activity at an interactive tabletop, that gives participants the opportunity to develop their collaboration methods. To gain design insights for the development of a scenario soliciting participants to collaborate, we set up a multidisciplinary design workshop. During the latter, we explored and discussed three different collaborative scenarios, implemented as paper prototypes. In this paper, we report on first results gained from an exploratory analysis of the video data that was recorded in the context of this workshop.

El diseño y construcción de instrumentos musicales se ha desarrollado de múltiples formas a través del tiempo, muchos de estos instrumentos han evolucionado hasta llegar a consolidarse de tal modo que se satisfagan las necesidades del compositor e intérprete. En el caso particular de los instrumentos informáticos, es decir aquellos que usan tecnologías electrónicas y digitales, la evolución se ha desarrollado a una gran velocidad si se compara con el recorrido evolutivo de un instrumento clásico de los empleados actualmente. Este documento aborda principalmente el contexto de los instrumentos musicales informáticos desde un análisis que comprende referentes históricos, desarrollos de las últimas décadas, tecnologías usadas en el campo, además de el análisis del compositor, intérprete e instrumento desde el contexto informático. Dicho análisis aborda con detalle el sistema Ableton-Launchpad desde la realización de un estudio de caso que permitió cuestionar, tomando como base una serie de entrevistas realizadas en el proceso, diferentes elementos en cuanto a su diseño, la relación de los elementos que lo conforman y el entendimiento de este como instrumento o no; además de analizar su pertinencia desde la mirada de distintos autores y campos artísticos musicales o sonoros.

Craft has emerged as an important reference point for HCI. To avoid a misrepresenting, all-encompassing application of craft to interaction design, this position paper first discerns craft from HCI. It develops material engagement and mediation as differentiating factors to reposition craft in relation to tangible interaction design. The aim is to clarify craft's relation to interaction design and to open up new opportunities and questions that follow from this repositioning.

This article discusses how new technologies and research areas such as interaction design and new resources such as conductive materials can challenge the current perception and reach of prints. As part of the Design Lab and Print Lab at Liverpool John Moores University School of Art and Design, since …. we have been running a series of experiments and workshops with a wide range of artists, printmakers, designers and makers. We began by questioning the role of the print as part of an interactive system that uses functional materials. We started our exploration from an interdisciplinary perspective, where printmaking and digital technologies co-exist, thus the engagement with the print shares many of the properties and affordances1 of a wide range of user interfaces. Our research tested the role of functional materials and the ways in which they might be used in a printmaking environment for interactive outputs.

This paper outlines the development of a wearable game controller incorporating vibrotacticle haptic feedback that provides a low cost, versatile and intuitive interface for controlling digital games. The device differs from many traditional haptic feedback implementation in that it combines vibrotactile based haptic feedback with gesture based input, thus becoming a two way conduit between the user and the virtual
environment. The device is intended to challenge what is considered an “interface” and draws on work in the area of Actor-Network theory to purposefully blur the boundary between man and machine. This allows for a more immersive experience, so rather than making the user feel like they are controlling an aircraft the intuitive interface allows the user to become the aircraft that is controlled by the movements of the user's hand. This device invites playful action and thrill. It bridges new territory on portable and low cost
solutions for haptic controllers in a gaming context.

This article presents a paper-based Tangible User Interface (TUI) that facilitates the production of complex queries on a Cultural Heritage (CH) repository. The system helps to easily make use of the data elements and Boolean logic that describe the collections. This research presents a design methodology divided into two main phases: A User Experience (UX) and User Centred Design (UCD) where potential users’ behaviours are analysed, followed by the development and evaluation of the TUI prototype.
The TUI uses off the shelf electronics and a paper-based set of tokens to engage the user with the system, thus facilitating the exploration with CH collections through querying.