Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
times. The novel interaction involves shaking the device. If you shake it once it
tells you the artist name followed by the name of the track that is currently playing
(as long as you have added the music using the TicToc program). You also shake
the player (three times) if you want to change the mode, which cycles through
Normal, Shuffle, Fast (tempo), and Slow (tempo): it then tells you which mode you
have switched to.
The Samsung TicToc may not be to everyone's tastes, but the interaction
methods can actually be quite useful. If you listen to music when you go out
exercising, for example, you can operate the TicToc without having to stop and
look at the interface to locate the correct button, and read the display, as you would
with other digital music players.
3.3.7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Haptic Interfaces
Touch-based interfaces are important for a wide range of users and will be par-
ticularly important for users without sight as the technology to provide haptic
interfaces improves. Explorations include: a computer mouse that can provide
tactile feedback via a series of electric motors (Göbel et al.
1995
); computers that
let users feel the texture of, for example, a fabric on their screens (Dillon et al.
2001
); and mobile phones made with latex that enable people to communicate by
touch as well as speech (Park et al.
2013
). Table
3.1
notes the range of applications
that are possible, and illustrates the range of users and tasks that can take
advantage of haptic interfaces.
Tactile feedback is already used by many interfaces to convey important
information about the status of a system, particularly that a given operation has
been accomplished. For example, using a switch is confusing if there is no obvious
tactile or audible sensation that it has been operated. If there is no obvious visual
or auditory indication of the switch being operated, then touch is the next most
likely means of providing that feedback. Keyboards are designed to provide this
type of feedback.
Kaczmarek
and
Bach-y-Rita's
(
1995
)
list
of
advantages
to
using
touch
(Table
3.1
), can be extended further:
(1)
Users have a lot of skin. Several parts of it are sensitive enough to provide a
useful communication media.
(2)
Skin has several functional similarities to the eye, including the ability to map
from a two-dimensional display of the environment to the user's skin, and to
integrate the signal over time.
(3)
Representations learned visually can be recognized tactilely.
(4)
The inputs required can be quite low and easily achievable with current
technology. In particular, the fingertips are very sensitive to changes in
pressure.
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